How to Stay in the Game

LESSON TEN: How to Stay in the Game

If you're going to do something all your life, make sure you like it."

– Tony Bennett (at an interview on his 80th birthday)

Hi everyone. This is fulltime freelance author and speaker, Janice Thompson. I’ve been thrilled to enjoy a lengthy career as a writer, and it’s my hope that you will, too. There are a few things you can do to help make that possible. The following is a list of twenty-five tips for sustaining a lucrative writing career:

1. Set new and fresh goals every year (or every season). Always have a long- range plan. This is one area where writers go wrong. They plan for the non-fiction book they’re writing right now, not the one they hope to write in three years. Both need to be equally as important. It’s all about longevity, but longevity won’t be achieved if you don’t come in with a plan each year.
2. Keep the readers (and editors) guessing what’s coming next. Make your career as exciting as your book! Put teasers on your facebook page.
   Twitter curious comments meant to raise questions. Make readers wonder what they’re missing if they skip a week on your blog. In short, continue to tempt and tease them.
3. Know the difference between traditional publishing and subsidy publishing. Don’t let your desperation to be published push you into paying heavy sums to self-publish. I have nothing against self-publishing whatsoever. Many subsidy publishers are legitimate and offer the authors a good deal. However, I’ve seen far too many vanity publishers take advantage of anxious authors. Some will take your money up front and then not holding up their end of the deal. Or maybe they publish the book, but don’t market it. Some print it, then require you to charge double the cost of other books in order to recoup your money. Know what you’re getting into before you sign anything. Before you make a commitment, talk to someone who has published with that house before. You don’t want to be taken advantage of.
4. Keep your name out there in front of editors and readers. Do this by blogging, participating in blog tours, showing up at conferences, teachings in large venues, leaving occasional (appropriate) comments on editors’ blogs, etc.

5. Stay on top of publishing houses’ series. Perhaps something you’re writing will fit an existing series at an established house. One of my publishers— Barbour—has an “Everyday” line: Everyday Faith, Everyday Hope, and so on. I wrote Everyday Joy for that line a couple of years ago and Everyday Love just a few months back. It will release soon. Getting in on a line is great fun, because the sales momentum is already there and you don’t have to market as hard.
6. Know what makes people tick. Pay attention to real issues and write what’s relevant. This is one of the most basic instructions you will ever receive as a writer, but it’s one we often forget. Be real. Write real stories about real people doing real things. And remember that your book should have a clear take-away.
7. Network, network, network. Whether you’re trying to get the word out on your non-fiction book, or you’re setting up speaking engagements for the upcoming year, it’s all about networking. It’s who you know, and who knows you. Remember, though, that networking isn’t about using people. It’s about forging real and lasting relationships...relationships that are fair and balanced.
8. Let your brand lead the way as you make decisions. Once you’ve established your brand, making decisions about that next book is easier. If the idea doesn’t fit your brand, tweak it until it does. And remember, once you’ve established your brand, readers will expect a certain kind of book from you. Don’t disappoint them!
9. Drive, ambition and a “get to it” attitude are key. Don’t be a procrastinator. So many authors have an “I’ll get around to it tomorrow” attitude. The difference between a writer who continues to sell and one who doesn’t is often a “Let’s just get ‘er done” approach. No time to rest on your laurels. Get to it!
10. Be open to trying new things. Maybe you’ve sold well in the past, but things have slowed down. Maybe it’s a new season, one that requires a new genre. Don’t get stuck in a rut. It’s possible to write in different genres without blowing your brand. Just be clever. And let your agent lead the way in this area (if you’re fortunate enough to work with an agent). Career planning needs to be strategic.
11. Go with the flow during hard economic times. Supplement your book income with other things like magazine article writing, write-for-hire work, public speaking, etc.

12. Go the distance as a researcher. Get your facts right. There’s nothing worse than getting a letter from a reader pointing out a researching error in your book. (Ask me how I know!) This is especially true in non-fiction books, which are intended to be 100% factual.
13. Put yourself in a position to find work quickly by telling your agent that you’re open to “auditioning” at houses. I’ve done this a couple of different times. I heard that a publisher was “auditioning” published authors to write a series of children’s books. They sent me a sample sheet, which listed the character’s names and a brief synopsis. I submitted one chapter and was given four write-for-hire books to write based on that audition.
14. Stick with your editor. If she moves to a different company and wants you to come with her, consider it, particularly if things are shaky at the house she’s leaving. Make this decision carefully, after much research and consideration.
15. Handle poor reviews in an easy-going way. Don’t leave nasty comments on blogs or Amazon. It’s better to ignore them. Over the years I’ve received five or six ugly letters from readers. In every case, I mailed the person a copy of a different book. If they hated my historical, I sent them a contemporary romantic comedy. If they hated my comedy, I sent them a non-fiction book. In every case, I also included a lovely note, thanking them for writing and trying to smooth things over, as best I could.
16. Guard what you say about editors, publishing houses and agents. Word gets around. Even if you’re really upset (especially if you’re really upset) it’s better not to bad-mouth anyone. You might just find yourself out of work permanently. After all, everyone knows everyone in the literary world (or at least they seem to).
17. Maintain credibility. Be a person of your word. If you’ve said you’ll perform a certain task by a certain date, do so. If you’ve said the book will be funny, it had better be. If you promised a tear-jerker, you’d better leave ‘em crying. If you’ve said you’ll be done with those edits in two weeks, you’d better crack the whip. In other words, do what you say you’ll do and be who you say you are.
18. Take care of yourself. Most writers don’t get enough sleep. And many get so caught up in their writing that they forget little things—like eating, doctor’s appointments, important phone calls, etc. Your stress level will go way down if you balance your workload against the other things you have going on in your life. Take good care of yourself if you want to keep on keepin’ on. Otherwise, your body will likely rebel!

19. Respect yourself. Don’t sell yourself short by settling for too-little money or unreasonable deadlines. If you settle—particularly early on in the process—you might get stuck in low-paying jobs for years. A good agent can help with this. It’s the role of the agent to make sure you get a fair and balanced wage.
20. Be unique. Don’t follow the pack. So many writers want to get published so badly that they jump on every bandwagon that comes along. Resist the urge to join the pack. I’m not saying you should go out of your way to be odd or weird. You still need to be marketable and readers need to connect with you. However, if you’ve got a wacky sense of humor, don’t lay it down, even if the current trend is for serious books. Come up with creative ways to use it in your work in progress.
21. Enjoy the process. How often do we get caught up in the business end of things and forget the original passion that drove us to want to write in the first place? Enjoy the writing. Enjoy the submitting. Enjoy the edits. Enjoy sharing your story or book idea with critique partners. Enjoy interacting with writers online. Enjoy it all and that flame will be re-ignited!
22. Become a marketing guru. Have fun with the marketing process. Get over your fear of putting yourself out there. Just relax and have a blast promoting your books.
23. Fall in love with the written word all over again. Ah, words! How we used to love them...before we had deadlines. Now we take them for granted. Don’t pay as much attention. Make it your goal to be a wordsmith, one who has a passion for words. May they cause your heart to sing!
24. Always have a backup plan. You never know when you’ll come to a fork in the road, and you want to be ready.
25. Success depends on perseverance. Don’t give up. There will be days when you want to. If you’re truly called to write, however, you won’t be able to give it up, no matter how many times you try.

EXERCISE: Your exercise for this lesson is to make a list of things you can do to keep your career moving forward.

Download the .pdf of this lesson below.

That’s it for now, writers. May you have a long and happy career as a professional writer.