Planning for a writing career

I think a lot of the "don't put the cart before the horse" business with books is because a lot of books get started and not a lot of them get finished, so kicking up a lot of buzz before you're ready for publication is kind of useless and can end in disappointment for many people. I do not know if "success gurus" actually know this about writing.

I think once you had a viable manuscript then your next step would be finding an agent and then a publisher. As for making a profit, well I'm with Will Self who recently said that he thought the ability to be a writer who didn't need a day job to support themselves as a blip of the 80s and 90s. Most authors are lucky to earn £10,000 a year, as an unpublished author I would make publication the goal and not financial return.

I follow Grant Cardone (I suppose you can call him a "success guru") and he says that he loses money on his books (and he's a NY Bestseller.)

I went full time writing this year.

The **only** thing you should worry about is writing a great manuscript. That in itself should be your entire career project at this point. Honestly, nothing else matters. This is one industry that is definitely one step at a time, assuming you plan to go through a publisher and not self publish.

All else is basically crap until then. Sure you might want to get your social network presence up and running but that is mostly useless until you have a deal in place.

Step 1: Write book, Step 2: ?, Step 3: Profit.

Click to expand...

That was my plan as well. But then I'm not very good at planning!

I sold my first ever book to a small press. I stayed with that editor for the next few books, learning as I went (Would not have got anywhere near where I am without her!). Then it was the usual -- get agent, bite nails, slam tequila, get publisher, slam more tequila...

Hmm

Looks like my plan is tequila.

The mms will come if you train yourself to work on it regularly.

What you really need is money set aside and a day job skill that pays a living wage, without completely destroying your free time or energy. And it has to be *your* money, not hubby's or partner's. Because you never know how a relationship will change over time.

Do not believe the lie that artists must suffer to make good art. You are more likely to have more critical health problems, far fewer financial options, and less creative output when you are financially stressed.

Mr Flibble said:

Looks like my plan is tequila.

Click to expand...

... I don't see the problem

I've been procrastinating on a writing career for years. Right now, I still have several book ideas, but I want to hone my skills and earn a little spending cash with short stories, because if there's anything I've learned recently, I need the practice in order to translate the endless amount of advice I've absorbed into application. My desired path is much like the OP's though: get an agent, get published, earn a living. But I also realize that doing that is somewhat similar to winning three lotteries.

gothicangel said:

I would make publication the goal and not financial return.

Click to expand...

+1 response, AAAAA+, would quote again.

Debeucci said:

I went full time writing this year.

...

This is one industry that is definitely one step at a time, assuming you plan to go through a publisher and not self publish.

Click to expand...

One writer I've followed for a while, Chuck Wendig, took this step a few years ago. One of the things I really admire about him is that he likes to take a "hybrid" approach. Some of what he's published has been independent, and he also has several represented books on the market (Blackbirds trilogy, Under The Empyrean Sky, The Kick-Ass Writer).

Mr Flibble said:

Looks like my plan is tequila.

Click to expand...

I would also suggest the rum. Tequila makes the keyboard all wobbly.

I'm with Hapax here. I would concentrate on writing the book and not thinking too far ahead. That in itself might stall your writing. It's hard enough as it is.

I am on my second three book deal with a big five

I recently had to go full time to pay the bills (mortgage + teens + Old Man's business is not so well.)

Mr Flibble said:

That was my plan as well. But then I'm not very good at planning!

I sold my first ever book to a small press. I stayed with that editor for the next few books, learning as I went (Would not have got anywhere near where I am without her!)

Click to expand...

That was my publisher?

I think researching publishers is a good part of the plan, because other authors' input on the trustworthiness of various publishers can potentially save you a lot of heartache. That's if your plan involves starting with publishers.

I'm a spur of the moment kinda guy. I write and then think about what's next.

Seriously. Because, to me, if you 'plan' ahead, what're you gonna do when rejectomania runs all over you?

Really, when I started writing--and I've only been writing since 2010 and first got published the following year--I just wrote, thinking that it was a cool thing to do. I had no idea I'd ever write anything again. I had no plan on becoming "the next big thing" or anything. I just wrote.

FWIW, I'd just concentrate on finishing your manuscript first, polishing it to the best of your ability, and then finding an agent or submitting it yourself. See what happens. Don't be disappointed if you don't score right away. (If you do, great!)

As has been said, many authors are lucky to make sales, and that's with published books! I have no idea about self-published works. My guess is that some do very well, while others don't. My wife tells me daily that when I sell a million books I can go full-time as a writer. I'm still working at my day job.

And I keep writing. So should you. My two yen for the day.

Unimportant's steps seem very sensible.

I have had three phases in my writing (which I still only tentatively would call a "career"): 1. Write whatever I want, barely submit, don't think about the market (this lasted for a decade or two). 2. Research the market, find the overlap between what I want to write and what can get published, aim for that, submit regularly. (The Internet made that phase possible.) 3. Sell something, realize I am unprepared to have two demanding careers and will never have time to spend the money I make, freak out a bit (right now).

Soooo, yeah. My goals for writing were always short-term and concrete. Finish draft by X date. Send to betas by X date. Send five queries per week. If you do that stuff, you might achieve the larger goals, like getting an agent and a contract, but much of that is way out of your control. And if your main goal is earning a living from writing, there may be more efficient paths. (My day job involves writing. Just not making up crazy stories full of plot twists and angsty characters, unfortunately.)

I just write what I really want to write. So far I have an agent, five novels and one collection published, plus a couple dozen short stories. What I do plan is how to get the next novel or short story finished. My agent gives me advice about what is commercial or what is not, but mostly she tells me to write whatever makes me happy.

heza said:

I have some writing goals for which I don't make the progress I'd like to. I think a lot of my problem is procrastinating out of fear of failure. But another part is being overwhelmed by everything I know about the industry and not really being able to organize the steps I need to take to reach my goals (I have some brain issues).

Click to expand...

As others have said, be careful not to dive so much into the planning that you forget to write the book!

But it got me to wondering what kinds of goals other writers set for themselves, not just for writing a book, but for success in the industry (i.e., having a career) and how they organize those goals and the steps to get to them.

For so long, my plans has pretty much been Step 1: Write book, Step 2: ?, Step 3: Profit.

Click to expand...

This is actually not a bad plan to go forward, even on a limited basis. I tend to be a planner, so I understand where you're coming from. For me, it was Step 1: Plan my profit, Step 2: Find my niche, Step 3: Write book. You may proceed to and now.

See, I'm deceptively mercenary at my view of the industry. My Step 3 came first: Plan my profit. How can I maximize the profit as I write? I know that many authors here will at this concept, but it's worked so far for me, because what CREATES profit is quality! Let me say that again: PROFIT is created by QUALITY!

So, how did that help my planning? By realizing that the majority of people who buy books buy them wanting something. What that "something" is depends on your genre. I wanted to write beach reads: fast paced books with rich descriptions and interesting characters because it's what I like to read. I didn't want to create a book that people would slog through over days, that would make a reader ponder the concepts and the underlying themes. I wanted to create a book that people would eat like a candy bar. It's gone before you know it . . . leaving a craving for another.

So, to create the level of quality of beach read that would lead to profit, I had to research who my competition was. If I was going to enter the market hard and fast like I wanted, I needed to get a solid grasp of who I would be sharing the shelf with. Thus began my stint of research of other authors in my genre. Not only did I discover the ones I liked, I more importantly discovered what I didn't want to do. I tore through book after book with a highlighter, dog-earing pages as I went. Then, and only then, did I sit down to write. It wasn't about stealing ideas that was the reason for reading, but to figure out pace and flow and chapter points and character backstories and, gosh, just a ton of things!

It turned out my niche was paranormal with a splash of romance. Some horror, some noir, some heat and poof, a series was born!

A big chunk of the planning was also about marketing. For a Big 5 author, I do a TON of marketing. Really, at the self-pub level before that was a thing. Some of it's free, some costs money. But I'm of the view that it takes money to make money. So far, I've been successful at it. Not as successful as others, but it's more a matter of willpower and whether I'm feeling pumped up about a particular book.

As a writer with a long view toward a career in writing, do you also just concentrate on your first book idea and then assume you'll worry about what comes next after you have a viable MS (and we often warn each other to concentrate on the book and not put the cart before the horse), or do you have a "plan" with mini goals and actionable steps (which is what success gurus tell you to do), steps you're already taking even while still writing your MS?

Click to expand...

Absolutely! Writing is a career and you have to manage it or it'll run you over. The ms is part of it, of course, but a bunch is where to find readers and how to get the book into their hands. Mini-goals didn't really work for me. I'm a big picture sort of person so that I have to envision the whole goal before I can break it down into managable chunks. Like, I joined RWA when I decided my manuscript would contain romance. It wasn't ALL romance (because urban fantasy didn't exist as a genre yet), but it had romance in it. I learned how other authors marketed and where and who were the primary readers of what I was writing. I read what things drove readers nuts (purple prose, anyone? ) and what drove them to the bookstore for the next book. What plot elements failed? What heroes weren't heroic? What readers wanted to see but couldn't find. Etc., etc. Really, it was paint by numbers on the first one to give the readers what they couldn't find elsewhere. And do it well, with an eye to quality.

If so, how do you organize your dream? What's your route, and how has it worked out for you so far? Are there any specific productivity or organization tools you use? Have you seen any good blogs from authors, agents, or editors about what steps (and in what order) a writer who wants a career should take—things we should be doing that all of us might not thing about?

Click to expand...

Depends entirely on what you want. I'm still working on what I want for the next level. I have a lot of friends who've gotten there--NYT, international travel, major signing events, etc. I'm learning the tricks for when a series hits. The quality is there now, the awards in place, the bestseller status steady, so I'm hoping it's just a lightning strike away from the reality that will grab the readers next.

Plan away, just don't lose focus on the one thing that's critical--the BOOK. The breathtaking worlds, the rich, touchable characters, the description that sucks the reader inside. Whatever your genre, learn what the readers can't live without and then give it to them.

At least, that's MY plan...

heza said:

I'd go ask this question on the self-publishing board since that definitely requires more planning, but they're pretty up front with their plans on their diary threads.

Click to expand...

Yes, but how many of them turn those plans into a real career? The last place I'd go to plan a writing career is a self-publishing board.

Jamesaritchie said:

Yes, but how many of them turn those plans into a real career? The last place I'd go to plan a writing career is a self-publishing board.

Click to expand...

True. I knew I wanted an agent and a large publisher. I figured it would take a few stints with a small press to get to that level, but it thankfully happened quicker than planned.

Debeucci said:

The **only** thing you should worry about is writing a great manuscript. That in itself should be your entire career project at this point. Honestly, nothing else matters.

Click to expand...

This. And producing a great ms is all about steady progress in your writing. Each project should be better than the last until you write a great ms or at least one that is very good. Then you're in. Sure, subjectivity factors in. But if you rely on that well it becomes a game of chance. Better to take the bull by the horns and take charge !

heza said:

I have some writing goals for which I don't make the progress I'd like to. I think a lot of my problem is procrastinating out of fear of failure. But another part is being overwhelmed by everything I know about the industry and not really being able to organize the steps I need to take to reach my goals (I have some brain issues).

I've been looking at planners and books about setting and realizing goals. Yesterday, my husband even sent me a link to a neat kickstarter for a goal-planning... planner. Anyway, it's pretty cool, so I wanted to pass it along.

But it got me to wondering what kinds of goals other writers set for themselves, not just for writing a book, but for success in the industry (i.e., having a career) and how they organize those goals and the steps to get to them.

For so long, my plans has pretty much been Step 1: Write book, Step 2: ?, Step 3: Profit.

As a writer with a long view toward a career in writing, do you also just concentrate on your first book idea and then assume you'll worry about what comes next after you have a viable MS (and we often warn each other to concentrate on the book and not put the cart before the horse), or do you have a "plan" with mini goals and actionable steps (which is what success gurus tell you to do), steps you're already taking even while still writing your MS?

If so, how do you organize your dream? What's your route, and how has it worked out for you so far? Are there any specific productivity or organization tools you use? Have you seen any good blogs from authors, agents, or editors about what steps (and in what order) a writer who wants a career should take—things we should be doing that all of us might not thing about?

Click to expand...

First, follow Heinlein's Rule For Writing. These really aren't writing rules at all, they're business rules, and they work.

Read this, and believe every word of it. http://www.sfwriter.com/ow05.htm

All sorts of people will argue with you about one rule or another. Let me know when one of them is actually earning a good living as a writer.

Second, pretty much every "plan" I've ever seen mean following these rules.

You'll b told that writing isn't a race, that you don't have to write a lot, and you don't have to write regularly. Again, let me know when someone who tells you think is earning a good living as a writer.

Too many try to complicate earning a living as a writer. It's really pretty simple, or it's impossible. For most, it;s impossible. For the rest, it means not practicing one form or another of self-sabotage. Don't procrastinate, don't find excuse for only writing every third Thursday, don't spend nine years writing one book, don't spend another nine years trying to sell one book without writing several other in the meantime, and don't keep rewriting that same book over and over.

And don't jump into self-publishing because your first book doesn't sell.

The only other salient point is that two kinds of writers earn a good living. One kind is the J. K. Rowling type who hits it so big with a first book that money is never again an issue.

For every bestseller like this, there are at least ten like me. I earn a living from writing, but it's because I've learned to write anything and everything. I earn a fair anount of money writing fiction, but not enough to pay all the bills, and raise a family, so I write all sorts of nonfiction, and anything else that comes along.

A few weeks ago, I earned some decent money drafting letters to politicians. Last week, I spent four days writing inventory reports.

Most often, I write what I most enjoy, which is fiction and essays, but I'm ready, willing, and able to write anything I need to write to earn an honest dollar.

Many, many writers just like me eventually work onto the bestseller list, and no longer have to write anything and everything, but most keep doing what I'm doing, and I love it.
I truly enjoy the process of writing, and I love switching things around, jumping from this to that, and being able to earn a living bouncing all over this writer's paradise.

But it all comes down to Heinlein's Rules. Read what Robert J. Sawyer has to say about them, and believe him.

Earning a living by writing is all about writing. It seems obvious, but as Sawyer says, half of all who try fail on this first, and most common sense, rule.

You don't have to plan for a writing career as much as you have to write for a writing career. If you are not progressing with your writing, think about taking some writing classes. Other than just writing and reading a ton, taking writing classes is the only valuable step I can think of to develop your writing skills which could be seen as a step toward a writing career.

It is fun to fantasize about becoming a big-time writer, but it's not really something you can plan for. You mention that you are procrastinating when it comes to writing. Trying to set yourself up to have a career in writing without actually doing the writing seems just like another thing to distract yourself from doing what actually has to be done, the writing.

So far my planning has consisted of analyzing what I want (to write novels and have them published by a reputable publisher who offers a professional advance) and then figuring out what other things need to happen to make it more than a "Wouldn't it be nice if..." daydream.

This has included things like:
Figuring out a writing routine based on how quickly I write, what my productivity goals for the year/month/week are.
Sticking with that routine as much as humanly possible. (And this has been a year that has challenged that on every level.)
Finding creative methods that improve my ability to meet deadlines. (Like learning how and when I need to outline. Or not. Reading and analyzing other folks work to better improve my own.)
Compiling a list of agents to query once I had a novel ready to send out.
Writing a query letter/synopsis.
Diversifying what I write so I'm not constantly stuck trying to sell work in the same sub-genre. (Branding is useful, but only if it's producing sales.)

Many of those things had smaller steps involved, that I tackled one by one.

Of those the most important thing has been trying to write every day. Because I write on a near-daily basis I've been able to write two novels and two novellas in the past year and a half. The first novel hooked my agent. The first novella was picked up by a tiny publisher (who closed up shop this summer). Not every project finished is going to be an immediate or complete success, but I couldn't have gotten the agent or the publication if I hadn't been writing every day.

I just wanted to stop in and say that this is an amazing and very helpful thread. I've read every post once and now I'm going to read them again.