When I started writing all those years ago, it was something I did for my own enjoyment. It was considered a cute hobby by my family even though I wrote instead of doing the housework. I did not allow anyone to read my stories. In 30 years my mother only ever read one of my stories.
It was only a two years ago that I realised that I was better than a few people I had always thought were good writers. (Isn't it funny how people can put you down by telling you how good they are by reciting all their successes?) Anyway since then I've taken the plunge and had 2 books independently published. (And that was another misconception shot to pieces.)
Just 3 weeks ago I received my very first royalty cheque. It wasn't a huge amount. It was a piddling amount but that is not the point. It is money earnt from writing. (I'm going to frame the cheque just to remind me that at least 1 person in the big wide world thought MY book was good enough to buy. I hope it lived up to their expectations. And the biggest THANK YOU to that person.)
Having had a minute sip of success, I am eager for more. So that now poses the question: am I a professional writer?
YES! I earnt money from writing.
So how do I make a living out of writing? The same way you eat an elephant or start a journey - one bite or step a time. Little by little.
The first of those steps was doing a short course on building a business. This course gave me a practical set of tools that I put to good use.
The next step will be conquering some fears about social media and learning how to use it. I'm learning such a lot from other writers blogs and websites (another step forward, another bite taken out of the elephant) regarding marketing, but social media scares me silly.
The third step will be to stop thinking of my self as a hobby writer and start thinking of myself as a business.
It was only a two years ago that I realised that I was better than a few people I had always thought were good writers. (Isn't it funny how people can put you down by telling you how good they are by reciting all their successes?) Anyway since then I've taken the plunge and had 2 books independently published. (And that was another misconception shot to pieces.)
Just 3 weeks ago I received my very first royalty cheque. It wasn't a huge amount. It was a piddling amount but that is not the point. It is money earnt from writing. (I'm going to frame the cheque just to remind me that at least 1 person in the big wide world thought MY book was good enough to buy. I hope it lived up to their expectations. And the biggest THANK YOU to that person.)
Having had a minute sip of success, I am eager for more. So that now poses the question: am I a professional writer?
YES! I earnt money from writing.
So how do I make a living out of writing? The same way you eat an elephant or start a journey - one bite or step a time. Little by little.
The first of those steps was doing a short course on building a business. This course gave me a practical set of tools that I put to good use.
The next step will be conquering some fears about social media and learning how to use it. I'm learning such a lot from other writers blogs and websites (another step forward, another bite taken out of the elephant) regarding marketing, but social media scares me silly.
The third step will be to stop thinking of my self as a hobby writer and start thinking of myself as a business.
RSS Feed
