Information for Writers
How do I Become a Writer?
Well, first of all, hold on. In order to become a writer you have to first be a writer. That means practice. That means loving what you do. (Or else hating it with a passion that approximates love.) It also means putting up with seemingly-endless frustrations and rejections and computer-crashes that threaten your livelihood.
That said, let's continue on.
There are two paths to becoming a professional writer, and two schools of thought that surround them:
Method One: Get an Agent. Many established writers recommend getting an agent. (So do many agents, interestingly enough.) The theory behind this move is that agents can save you time and headaches by sending out your manuscript for you, using connections to make the sale go smoothly, and negotiating more money for you. Of course, you pay for these services in the form of a commission--usually 10-15% out of your paycheck, often plus office fees and the like. (Important: it's my personal opinion, but I recommend avoiding agents who charge "reading fees" or "processing fees," or who recommend a particular place to edit your book for you. I consider a legitimate agent to be one who makes his or her living by selling books, not by reading them.)Method Two: Forget the Agent. Get a publisher. Some authors go directly to the publisher without the benefit of representation. While some publishers have switched to reading only manuscripts offered through agents, others have maintained an open-minded policy. In order to submit to these, you have to find (1) the right publishers, (2) their correct addresses, and (3) the name of an editor with that publisher. If you don't have the last item, your work will probably get thrown into the "slush pile" of unaddressed, unwanted manuscripts that builds up in every publishing house. To get the right contact information, I recommend a book called the Writer's Market, although there are plenty of others like it available. If you visit your library, ask the reference librarian for the latest edition. Make sure to get the most recent, otherwise some addresses or names may be outdated. Important: once you have the address, do not send your whole manuscript. Send a short letter describing the book and your writing background, so that the editor can decide if he or she wants to see the whole book. This is called a query letter. Think of it as a commercial--you have to compress all the value of your book into a thirty-second spot. Go for it.
Once a publisher asks to see your novel, you have to send it. By this stage, you should have already finished your novel! They may also ask for a "synopsis," which is a summary of the book wherein every 20 pages of novel, more or less, are compressed into one page of description. If your book is nonfiction, they may ask for an "outline." This is a chapter-by-chapter list of the contents of your book, and how they are interrelated.
When you finally send your work, make sure it is free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. ifF it loks lke Thiss, nobuddy wannts to reed itt. If you can get it perfect, do so. The publisher will make changes anyway, but a flawless presentation makes you look professional. However, if you have to choose between surface repairs (like grammatical errors) and genuinely good writing, go ahead and spend your time on the writing. The surface repairs are what editors are for.
And that's the first stage. Once the publisher decides to print
your book, they will send you numerous galleys or copies of your book
where the editor has made all kinds of changes. You may disagree with
some of these changes. Go ahead and tell them so, politely.
Depending on how important the change is, negotiations may take place
and the change may be taken out. Just remember... the longer you argue,
the longer it is before your work gets in print. Sometimes it is easier
to give ground on the little stuff.
How Much Does An Author Make?
(Or, "Why I Am a Starving Artist.")
There are two ways an author can make money directly on the books she or he writes:
(1) The advance - this is money the author gets when the publisher first agrees to print a book. It is usually divided--half when the publisher agrees to print it, and half when the author actually delivers the book for them to edit and print.(2) The royalties - this is money that the author gets each time his or her book is sold, often 8-12% of the net receipts--that is, the money that the publisher receives, regardless of whether the book is sold at retail or wholesale price. For paperback books, this averages out to about 25 cents per book!
A lot of aspiring writers are hopeful that their first book will make a lot of money and that they will be able to live off their writing right away. Listen to me. Keep those dreams. But until you become the next Piers Anthony or Michael Creighton, you are going to need a day job.
Now the royalties are usually against (or "not in addition to"), the advance. The advance is where established writers often make their living. But for newcomers in the field, you should not expect a large sum unless you're famous, extremely lucky, or blessed with an astounding agent.
Now because the royalties are against the advance, that means you don't start getting checks until your royalties add up to more than the advance. Here's how long it takes: for Gebra I got some money the first six months it was on the shelf. But when Chemy came out in February 1996, I started getting money in September 1997. That was a long time.
The MACDADDI™ Writing Tool
By popular request. Here's a rudimentary tool to randomize physical characteristics for quick characters. This is the Beta version, so use at your own risk! Written in Javascript - my gift to you.
Incidentally, MACDADDI™ stands for "Make A Computer Do All the Details, Darn It!"
Click ~HERE~ for the program.
(4-8-02: Beta Ver. 2.5 now available.)
(4-12-02: Beta Ver. 3.0 now available.)
(4-18-02: Beta Ver. 3.1 now available.)
