Writing as a Career - Where to Start?

The writing, editing, and publishing world can be complicated and overwhelming. If you've found your way to this blog, I'm sure you already know this! I hope that the insights shared here help you find some clarity and direction.

Origin Stories - Only as Good as What They Teach

When I was a kid I dreamed of being a writer when I grew up. I'd think of so many stories and only write down a fraction of them, never finishing any of the novels I'd had planned. In hindsight what most commonly stopped me was going back to edit before I'd even finished the thing! (Part of why I'm now such an advocate for "shitty first drafts".) 

As someone trying to grow their business, I've devoured any advice anyone has offered—you really don't know what might end up working for you! So far, the number one tip demonstrated over and over again to be good advice, is to never stop learning--be a sponge for knowledge. Not least because the publishing industry is always changing.

What was a viable method of earning a living even five years ago is now largely obsolete. It's become impossible to ask publishing professionals with established careers how to best go about doing it because what worked for them is almost guaranteed to not be possible anymore. Rather than despairing, I've gone back to the books (literally and figuratively) to see about untangling this mess of pathways and (sometimes) misleading opinions both for my own endeavors and my clients.

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So Many Options! - Avoiding the Overwhelm

Which method is best for debut authors? Self publishing? Hybrid? Traditional? Something else?

What about editing? Should you let your agent help with that part? Hire a freelancer? Wait to use a traditional, in-house editor? Do it yourself?

What about that agent? Should you even get one? How do you get one?

How long does this whole thing even take?

When it comes to publishing (and editing, and writing, and reading) everything feels so subjective that it can be frustrating to not get a clear answer about where to start. That's where I hope this blog (and newsletter) will come in.

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One Step at a Time

Step one is, of course, to write. Write your book, collection of short stories, essays, poems, and memoir. Give that first draft a shape and then start sculpting! This is a whole world of its own and includes more nuances than I may ever learn in my lifetime, but it's important.

So important, in fact, that I take the traditionally in-house editor role of being an author's number one fan and advocate to heart even though I work as a freelancer. Your success is my success!

Keep an eye out for future blog posts about how authors can build a brand and market themselves to find success even before the book is published, and posts about writing craft, tips, tricks, and prompts to keep the words flowing.

Step two is already complicated! One step out the door and it feels like there are too many choices. You, the author, must decide what to do with the finished manuscript.

Knowledge is power, so where I start is by researching the pros and cons for every kind of publishing that I know of and then look for methods I've never heard of. Once you have the information you need to make a decision, it'll be easier to define your end goal.

Step three is when you have your starting point (your manuscript) and your end point (your publication goal). Now you need to find the first step on the path that leads you to where you want to go.

Steps four through four hundred vary depending on the author, their book, the market, economy, and a myriad of other, unpredictable factors.

This blog will provide relevant and timely information that will help you discover your own unique goals and how to attain them on your journey to seeing your work published and in the hands of readers. We're in this together.

Here goes nothing.

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​Crystal Carney
 
Crystal Carney is an editor and writer with an affinity for fantasy, literary nonfiction, and poetry. She has an education in publishing from the Denver Publishing Institute and expands her knowledge base every day through online forums, revised industry standards, webinars, professional contacts, and books. She has a passion for literary art and helping writers realize their dream of writing for a living.