Writing has always been a tough gig. It's full of rejection and disappointment and, even when you're successful, most writers don't earn enough to live on. That said, plenty of people
do still earn a living at writing. I earn my living writing--and have for a number of years now. And even if most writers will not be able to support themselves, a lot of them will be able to successfully supplement their existing income--which is no small thing.
So I thought it might be refreshing to talk to four such authors--to read some success stories, to hear some good news. The interview began over on my blog and it continues here.
Click here to meet our authors and
read the first part of the interview.
What’s the toughest part about writing in this current publishing climate? Do you think things have gotten worse or better since you began?
S.C.: The hardest thing is you have to pump books out
quickly. There is no way to do that and not have the quality of writing suffer.
Sorry. It’s not possible. Writing takes time. You need to set the book aside
and let it simmer while you work on other things. If you have to have a book
coming out every month there’s no way to give the stories the fermenting period
they deserve and need.
I think things have gotten worse. Even long established
authors have to push books out faster.
Also, KU is the devil. It is one of the scariest things to
ever happen to publishing. Amazon is going to keep dropping the payments to
authors, mark my words. KU authors are already essentially giving away their
books for free. You have to have over 1200 people READ your KU book to make
$500. That’s horrifying.
Also some readers are being trained by desperate authors to
think all books should be free or only 99 cents. Authors only get a percentage
of that 99 cents, by the way. Writing is hard and it’s a job like any other job.
Try walking up to your Starbucks barista and announcing you will only pay 99
cents for the double shot, soy, half-caff, iced latte today. She’ll laugh you
out of the shop. That’s because good things cost money.
C.S: I believe
there are a lot of valid concerns to be raised, but we’d be reading my response
to this
question all day. Ultimately, I think a major point would be the amount
of work authors are expected to produce in a single year. Its changed
dramatically, because now to not have a new release for several months can bury
your name. You can be lost, because there is simply so much being published every day. So authors have to work
harder and harder to break the surface. I worry for those who get burned out or
grow to dislike what they are great at and once passionate about.
Felice: Honestly
I think it’s KU and what its done to publishing standards. Amazon has wrestled
control of the market and now they set the standards. And I won’t lie and say
that I didn’t take advantage of it at first. But when I sat down and took a
long hard look I didn’t’ like what I saw. And why would you sign up for
exclusivity without knowing what you’re going to be paid? We wouldn’t do that
for anything else, I don’t know why we allow it.
But
because it’s so much easier to publish today, almost anyone thinks they can. So
they put up books that are poorly edited, or not edited at all, or where it’s
obvious that the author has never taken a class on craft. To me that is so
important—the craft of writing itself. An author friend of mine once said to
me, “Writing is easy. Good writing is damn hard.” And she was so right.
David: Good
question. In my opinion the climate has
gotten worse in the last 10 years. What
I find to be most disconcerting is that it is too focused on what’s hot at any
given moment—the subgenre du jour. Someone writes a highly successful book with
a particularly unique slant or focus, and suddenly the market is flooded with
similarly-themed books—and, unfortunately, many of the books that get published
on the coattails of a best seller can be so poorly executed that they’re
painful to read. This is no less true of
M/M or LGBT publishing than it is about mainstream publishing. I’ve been reviewing books for over a
decade—mostly mainstream and only recently with M/M and LGBT publishers—but the
story is the same.
I understand
intellectually that publishing is a business, but I think there needs to be
more of a balance between the artistic aspect of writing and the business need for
profit, especially at a time when making money in the industry is more
difficult than ever before for all parties involved. When the stories writers create exist only as
commodities churned out in droves to make a fast buck, and value is no longer
placed on quality, the truly magnificent books that are still being written often
get lost in all the noise. On a positive
note, I know from recent personal experience that at least some of the M/M
publishers out there are working hard to improve the quality of their releases.
Everybody always wants to know about money. So let’s leave it at this: are you making money? Are your numbers going up or going down? What’s more important to you than the money?
C.S: I’m
still quite new to having my work published, so I have less than a year of
royalties and numbers to study. Am I making money? Yes. But I will have a
better understanding of how I am doing by 2017. While money is very nice,
because hey, we all have bills (and cat food) to buy, I always remember with
every single project I sign a contract for: People are going to read this. They
will pay me for this product. It is extremely important to me that every single
story I write is the best I could have produced in that moment. It’s only fair.
Felice: I
am, but it takes money to make it as well. I pay for editing, formatting and
cover art. My sales have slowly gone up. It isn’t the money, though it’s having
people read my books and send me messages that they loved my characters and my
stories. I had a teacher email me from China telling me she used one of my
books to talk about inclusion and relationships. That’s what makes it worthwhile.
David: I’ve made
a little bit of money but, truth told, my out-of-pocket expenses—mostly for
research and copyright fees—have offset most, if not all, of what I’ve made in
royalties. Most of my “profit” has come from the fees I earn reviewing books
rather than writing them. My writing numbers
are going up because I have more stuff out there, but that’s to be expected when
you’re starting from zero. At this stage
in my life, it’s more about building a body of work, improving my skills, and
the pure, esoteric joy of creating something original. I don’t ever envision a future where I will
be able to finance my life exclusively from writing income. Perhaps one day it’ll help me to finance some
nice vacations—because who doesn’t like nice vacations after all? What’s most important to me is that soon I
will have the time and the freedom to write the kinds of stories that appeal to
me, and no longer have to punch a clock at some office or worry about whether
or not the genres or subgenres in which I produce are in or out of favor at any
given moment.
S.C.: Yes, I’m making money, but I can’t live on what I
earn. However, I’ve only been publishing since 2013 and my sales have more than
tripled. I call that a win.
The thing I find more important than money is that I
succeed at entertaining the readers. I’m always amazed at how personal my
stories can be for people. The stories were always personal for me, but I love
that the readers can connect so deeply. They worry about my characters long
after they finish the book. My made up stories impact peoples actual lives and
I find that extremely gratifying. When a reader reaches out to me to tell me
how much one of my books touched them, I walk on clouds the rest of the day.
How important do you think it is to network and forge author alliances?
Felice: My
author friends are the single most important thing in the world to me. Finding
a circle of
author friends to talk to (okay whine and complain to) has helped
me more than I could say. I have zero time for pettiness or jealousy. I am
always about helping others; why wouldn’t you want to do that?
David: I
think it’s absolutely essential. I learn
a great deal reading what other authors have written, but reading alone isn’t
enough. Every writer has her or his own,
idiosyncratic processes and rituals when they sit down to write, and I’m no
different. That doesn’t mean that we
can’t learn something valuable by heeding another author’s advice and trying
new approaches that work well for others.
Personally, I’ve learned a great deal from the personal connections that
I’ve made with authors whose work I admire (present company included)—and it’s
improved my own work. I’ve learned about
structure and pacing, creating believable characters, writing natural dialogue,
etc., etc., from other authors—when I’m able to set my ego aside and stop
focusing on the fact that I’m so intimidated by their genius. Then there’s all that practical stuff about
the business end of publishing that they’ve taught me. I freely admit that I can be stubborn in a
lot of ways too, but when experience speaks, I’d be an absolute fool not to
listen.
Plus, I truly enjoy the company
of my author friends—both online and in person—as authors tend to be a bit more
entertaining than your average Joe or Jane.
S.C.: I think it’s essential. My reader friends keep me sane
behind the scenes. Wink, wink. You know who you are.
However, I think it’s important for the authors to be careful
not to simply talk to each other. We need to engage the readers. Yes, authors
are readers too, but we need to be careful we don’t leave the people who read
but don’t write, out. I’ve seen so many readers post on Facebook saying “I’m only a reader.” As if that’s somehow not
good enough. Only readers are my
favorite kind of readers! They experience the story so differently from another
author. Only readers are like gold.
C.S.: Very
important. Not only do you learn and grow from those who are more seasoned or
others who think outside of the box, but networking leads to lasting friendships.
Some of my dearest friends started as ‘fellow author.’
How important do you think it is to keep up with all that’s happening in the publishing industry as well as in this genre? Would you say you were well-informed?
David: For
me, it’s important to keep up on trends both in the industry and in the genre
so that I keep my expectations grounded in reality, and gain a better sense of
what is—and what is not—possible in this rapidly changing atmosphere. I surely don’t know everything there is to
know, but I think I’m reasonably well-informed. I have a lot of good friends now in the
business—writers, publishers, editors, reviewers, and bloggers—who have been an
invaluable source of advice and guidance.
I also try to attend at least one writers’ conference or retreat each
year and, hopefully, I’ll have more time in the near future to devote to these
kinds of events and activities.
S.C.: I’m fairly well informed. You should know your genre.
We’re a community of artistic types and there will always be drama. It’s good
to know what’s going on, but you can’t let it suck your entire day from
you. I make sure that my day is mostly
focused on writing.
C.S.: I
would say I am reasonably well-informed, and that in part is due to the
networking mentioned above. Sometimes I don’t see something that later turns
out to be relevant and with author friends, they usually let me know about it! I
believe it is important to understand I can’t know and learn it all, and maybe
don’t want to. It’s good to have solid ground to stand on, but if all I did was
read about the genre and industry, when would I write? A healthy middle ground
must be met.
Felice: I am a news junkie so yes, I read many, many blogs, publications and keep my ears open to what’s happening. It’s not only about the writing. It’s a business and you have to keep your eye on the horizon.
Given the challenges in this current publishing climate, what keeps your passion for the work alive?
S.C.: The work itself keeps me passionate. I love writing
M/M. I get lost in these character’s lives and I think about them all the time.
I find myself laughing when I write certain scenes, and getting teary at
others. It’s cathartic to share the stories bottled up inside.
C.S.: I’ve
been writing for a really long time (long
time for me, I know, I’m the baby in this group!) and that passion was born
from the first smile I saw someone make while reading something I had written.
It means everything to me to tell my best story, and for those few hours a
reader gives me, to leave them with a smile. It’s remembering that first
pleased look that kept me writing for fifteen years, every day, trying to
better myself until I reached a point that I could be both proud and humbled to
have someone purchase my work. When it’s difficult, I like to remember that. Did
I mention I always look at the bright side of life?
Felice: The
stories in my head. I love writing them. Even if no one buys them, I’ll keep
writing them because it’s what I love to do.
David: For
me, writing has never been focused exclusively on getting published. Publishing is great but if it’s your only
goal, I think you lose something along the way.
For me, what keeps my passion alive is that when I finish an original
story, it’s a very satisfying feeling.
I’ve created something that didn’t exist before I sat down and wrote it—something
from nothing, order out of chaos (which is a pretty apt description of my
thought processes even on a good day).
And hopefully—for better or for worse—what I write will be something
that will be here after I’m gone. That’s
one of the reasons why, even though obtaining a formal copyright is no longer essential
to protecting your legal rights to your work, I continue to do it. It’s costly and takes forever, but a copyright
is a guarantee that what you’ve created will live on after you’re gone—or after
your publisher goes out of business—even if it’s hidden away like some alien
relic from an X-Files episode in a
vast, government warehouse and no one ever reads it again.
What do you love most about what you’re working on now?
C.S.: Oh,
well I’m writing the second book in my Snow
& Winter series, so just piecing together the mystery is always so
thrilling for me. But I think I am especially fond of the MC’s voice. Sebastian
Snow is a very difficult and fun, crotchety guy to write, and I think he’ll
make a lot of people laugh.
Felice: I’m
working on a story about a chef and a rabbi. I love food, so that’s fun and I’m
looking forward to sharing a little cultural diversity. I may even put some
recipes in the back of the book for my traditional Jewish holiday food.
David: One of
my current projects is a bit of a departure for me as it’s more of a thriller
than a horror story. With any luck, it
will soon become my first full-blown novel.
There will be romance as well as horror which is also somewhat of a
departure. The reason I’m more passionate
about this project is because I’ve been working on this idea for several years
and, until recently, it never felt like what I was writing was hitting the
mark. I was about to give up on it
entirely but decided a few months ago to give it one more go before I shelved
the idea for good. In the process, I
threw out a ton of what I’d already written (more than half, in fact) and
stripped the story back to its most basic elements. Once all the clutter was gone, including a
couple of secondary characters that were serving no real purpose, the plot
finally started to gel. I also love the
fact that it’s set in locations I know like the back of my hand—Palm Springs,
CA and Washington, DC—so I haven’t had to do a lot of research on location to have
confidence that I’ve gotten the geography, the history, and logistics right,
though I’m always happy to have an excuse for more pool time in Palm Springs.
S.C: I like throwing different types of people together.
Right now I have a nerdy pencil pusher type butting heads with a cowboy. I also
have a rich kid who hits a bike messenger with his car, and then decides to
nurse him back to health. When you get to make up the stories, the
possibilities are endless.
What do you wish you had known before you began publishing professionally?
Felice: How
time-consuming everything is. How much non-writing work there is to getting
your
name out there. And how necessary it is to have a trusted group of friends
you can rely on.
David: I came
into the publishing world with a rather naïve vision of what it would be like and
I was ill-prepared for the “office politics” (with a small “p”) that I quickly
discovered lurking in the background on social media, at retreats, and at
conferences. I had this adolescent idea
that when we all came together in one genre or another we’d be a big, happy
family with the same goals and aspirations.
Everyone would get along handsomely and have each other’s backs. But like any industry, I suppose, you invariably
run afoul of sensitive egos, players, and professional rivalries that
complicate relationships and make the whole experience something less enjoyable
than my ideal. Cliques form and gossip
is rampant, and even the pettiest of squabbles can turn quickly into ugly,
public spectacles as people line up to take sides and throw verbal punches at
each other. I will always be a staunch
supporter of, and advocate for, my dear friends where necessary but I’m not
naturally inclined toward confrontation or conflict. I find it distasteful, stressful, and hard to
get over emotionally. Truth told, it’s
caused me to back away from certain events and people, and I’m unsure of the
wisest course to follow going forward.
If anything in this world could ever drive me away from publishing it
would be this, but frankly, this kind of thing happens in all walks of life, so
I’m not going to allow that to happen.
As I stated earlier, I think making and keeping connections is
essential.
David: I came
into the publishing world with a rather naïve vision of what it would be like and
I was ill-prepared for the “office politics” (with a small “p”) that I quickly
discovered lurking in the background on social media, at retreats, and at
conferences. I had this adolescent idea
that when we all came together in one genre or another we’d be a big, happy
family with the same goals and aspirations.
Everyone would get along handsomely and have each other’s backs. But like any industry, I suppose, you invariably
run afoul of sensitive egos, players, and professional rivalries that
complicate relationships and make the whole experience something less enjoyable
than my ideal. Cliques form and gossip
is rampant, and even the pettiest of squabbles can turn quickly into ugly,
public spectacles as people line up to take sides and throw verbal punches at
each other. I will always be a staunch
supporter of, and advocate for, my dear friends where necessary but I’m not
naturally inclined toward confrontation or conflict. I find it distasteful, stressful, and hard to
get over emotionally. Truth told, it’s
caused me to back away from certain events and people, and I’m unsure of the
wisest course to follow going forward.
If anything in this world could ever drive me away from publishing it
would be this, but frankly, this kind of thing happens in all walks of life, so
I’m not going to allow that to happen.
As I stated earlier, I think making and keeping connections is
essential.
S.C.: How painful professional edits can be. The first few
times you’re edited it feels like you hold out this delicate little treasure,
and the editor takes a hatchet and whacks away violently. That isn’t actually
what happens. But to newbs it feels that way. I’m way less sensitive now days.
I value each editor’s input so much. They are there to protect me and help me
tell the best story possible. I now realize it was never a hatchet, it was
always a scalpel.
C.S.: Hm….
I’m not sure the best answer. I researched publishing for a long time, from the
traditional big guys, to the indie presses in our community most know by name.
I can’t say anything really threw me for a loop. That’s one thing I can get an
A+ on. Research.
What’s the best piece of advice you could give an aspiring writer?
David: The best advice? That’s a tough one. Off the top of my head, it would have to be
something like this: No matter how good
you think you are today, there is always room to improve, so never stop working
on your craft. Keep writing. Keep reading.
Find a good editor. Don’t just
network; make real and lasting friendships
within the industry. Get used to the
fact that not everyone is going to like you or like what you write, and that’s perfectly
okay. Learn to take constructive
criticism and distinguish it from a personal attack. If it is
a personal attack, laugh it off and don’t internalize the negativity—responding
to bullies outright only encourages them to ramp up their game. And last, but not least, enjoy whatever
praise comes your way because you worked hard for it.
S.C.: Keep it professional in public.
Grow a thick skin. Not everyone will like what you do. Deal
with it. Accept it. And even if you think you’re the best thing since sliced
bread, always be working on writing better.
Read, research and put time into learning how to write well. The ideas are the
easy part. Executing it takes skill.
C.S.: Practice!
Practice, practice, practice. When I learned to play the violin, I was psyched!
Look at me, mom! But was I good enough to start applying to orchestras? No.
Writing is an art, just like drawing or painting or playing instruments. You
have to commit and study and know it won’t happen overnight. You must practice first.
Felice: Learn
your craft. Take on-line classes that RWA groups give, find a critique group
and really listen to what they have to say. Get edited and proofread before you
publish. Have as many qualified eyes on your work before you send it to a
publisher or hit that publish button. Pay for quality editing. It shows. Don’t
read your reviews. J If you’re planning on writing M/M Romance, get
Josh’s book, Man oh Man, Writing Quality M/M Fiction.
Josh: FELICE IS MY FAVORITE, FOR THE RECORD.
Anything else you want to address?
S.C.: I’d love to thank you, Josh, for having me on your
blog, along with the other authors. You could have just asked us what our
favorite color was, but you dug deeper and I appreciate that.
Answering these questions actually helped me get a better
understanding of what I think and feel about my experience as an author. Maybe
readers will find my answers interesting. Maybe my responses will help them
catch up on some much needed sleep. Either way it’s a win, win.
C.S.: Be
friendly. Be kind. Please never lose your passion. Whether you are a writer,
reader, reviewer, artist, publisher, editor… you are awesome.
Felice: I
want to thank you, Josh for giving me this opportunity. Your books have always
been my inspiration.
David: Last words,
huh? I hope I didn’t come off overly pessimistic
today, because despite everything I’ve said, I’m very hopeful about the future
of M/M and LGBT publishing, and
publishing in general too. Book lovers
will always have to have new books in some form. I think the best is yet to come once the
industry settles into some kind of stasis, and I look forward to many years
ahead, reading, writing, connecting, and publishing in whatever mediums evolve. With that, I’m afraid, my font of writerly wisdom
has runneth dry and I should stop talking now.
********
Thank you to Felice, David, S.C. and Caroll. I appreciate your thoughtful and sincere answers. And I hope this has been interesting to our readers!
Compulsive neat freak meets chaotic slob: Can their living space survive the conflict?
