I was first published in 2002. Twenty-two years ago. I still remember the day my agent called and told me I was going to be published. It was surreal. And it was a scam. I didn't know it at the time, but the publisher who'd accepted my book was an author mill. It churned out books left and right, setting them at such astronomically high prices, the odds of getting a friend to buy a book was slim. To be frank, the book wasn't that good. Oh, I thought it was at the time, but, honestly, reading back over it now makes me cringe. I knew little to nothing about plot and character arcs. But I was going to be published so I was over the moon. It didn't take long for reality to sink in, and as the weeks and months passed, and I discovered more about this publisher, I was disheartened and embarrassed. That was my first chance to get published, and I'd allowed myself to be conned because I was so caught up in the idea of being published that I didn't take the time to do any research or ask any questions. That was a hard lesson learned, but it wasn't the only one I learned from my first foray into publishing. Lesson #2 was not everyone in this industry is out for your best interests. It was a kick in the teeth to learn that my agent wasn't who she'd presented herself to be. It wasn't long after the publication of my first book that she and I went our separate ways, but only after I found out that she did next to nothing to help my career. That's why we need to be our own best advocates. Lesson #3 was it's better to not be published than to be ashamed of your publisher. There are so many writers who want to be published today. I understand the feeling completely. That sense of "I need to be published" can make even the slightest nibble by a publisher attractive. Recently, a friend of mine told me she'd been contacted by a publisher who was interested in her book. That sent up a red flag because good publishers don't have to look for authors; the authors come to them. And Lesson #4 was that you'll never have a second first chance, but that doesn't mean your first chance has to define you. Since 2002, I've published over fifty novels and novellas and thousands of articles, essays, and short stories combined. I've taught classes to aspiring writers, have spoken at conferences and to groups, and have had some amazing opportunities I wouldn't have had if I hadn't gotten my start in publishing. Would my path have been easier if I'd been published by a better publisher? Most likely. But, as we've all heard before, it's not where you start but where you end up that matters. So whether you wish you'd never been published by a certain publisher or wish that you hadn't self-published your first book, you can choose to move forward, put that part of your past behind you, and give yourself a second chance that will be immeasurably better than your first.
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I was reading an article recently about ways to make additional income on the side, and one of the ways listed as start a blog. I previously wrote about freelance writing being considered a side hustle as well, and I think it's a bit disingenous to tell people that starting a blog is a good side hustle. It can take a long time to build up readers and start earning money from blogging. So for those people who need extra money now, blogging isn't going to help.
If someone is looking to invest time and energy for something that will pay off in the long run then, by all means, a blog can be considered a way to do that. But many of these articles I've read that including blogging aren't taking into consideration that many of the people looking for side jobs need that extra paycheck sooner rather than later. And blogging is a long-term committment. One post a month isn't going to work if you're trying to build an audience. I have readers that faithfully come to this blog even though I only update once or twice a month. That's because they know my schedule, but that's taken years. Ask any writer, and they'll tell you that when they first started writing their blogs, all they heard were crickets. So if you're one of those people who needs to make money on the side, there are plenty of ways to do it that will get you the money a lot faster than trying to build an audience with a blog. Not trying to be a negative Nancy here, just realistic. Blogging is great; it really is. I love to jot a post when I have the time, but I also know that it does take time and dedication, and if someone is already working hard to make ends meet, they may not have the energy or inclination to share their thoughts or energy with the world. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe some successful bloggers do consider it a side hustle that has worked for them. I know there are plenty of bloggers who started off part-time and are now working their blog full-time. In that aspect, you have to start somewhere. Just don't expect to rocket out of the gate with 1,000 readers and advertisers begging to work with you. Realism is the key! Every now and then, it's good to freshen things up, and that's what I'm starting to do with some of my older books. Last Showing, which released in 2016, is getting a new cover. It's in line to be uploaded now! What do you think?
This has never happened to me before, but I was going through Google Docs yesterday and saw a title I didn't recognize. I pulled it up and began to read through it then it started to come back to me. I had written this book many years ago, so many years ago that some of the details are obsolete. But it was complete at almost 70,000 words!
I'm assuming I put the book aside once I finished it (as I always do) to give myself a break from it. Then I come back later to begin rewrites. I didn't do it in this instance which is puzzling. But I now have another complete book to rewrite/rework. I don't know if it's one I'll start working on anytime soon, but it was definitely a surprise to unearth 70,000 words of writing that occurred, probably ten years ago! I'm working on a different kind of story. The tagline is Dexter meets The Golden Girls. In sensible shoes and pearls, these women are carrying out their own brand of vigilante justice. I'm halfway through the first book in what will probably be a series, and here is an excerpt. Today wasn’t her day to kill, but Marge Hardy couldn’t say no to a friend. Bess Majors hadn’t missed one day doing her civic duty until she’d been struck down by the horrible strain of flu that had hit their hometown of Fairview, North Carolina. It had even caused the poor dear to miss Bridge Night, and everyone in the neighborhood knew how much Bess loved bridge.
With a sigh that was both resigned and reluctant, Marge put aside her knitting, shuffled down the hall to her bedroom, and stepped out of her slippers. She changed her clothes—one must always greet a guest with the proper attire—and patted her hair into place. Then with a pinch of her cheeks, she left her bedroom. Halfway down the hallway, she realized she’d forgotten her pearls. “Oh for the love of Pete, Marge, you’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached.” She retraced her steps to gather the long strand of pearls her late husband, Felix, had gotten her for their last Christmas together. A tear sprang to her eye at the thought, but she quickly chastised herself. Now certainly wasn’t the time to be thinking about love and romance. Humming below her breath, Marge fastened the pearls around her neck and checked her image in the hall mirror. “Not bad for an old gal.” She winked at her reflection and made it to the living room just as the doorbell rang. Oh, good. That would be Mr. Livingston now. Perhaps she’d still have time to catch Lives Unfulfilled. The soap was her one guilty pleasure of the day, and her two favorite characters had spent the last few months in a tumultuous relationship that just might get resolved today as long as her appointment cooperated. She just hoped the geezer would drink his coffee quickly and be on his way. She hated laggers, but more so today with it closing in on three o’clock. Missing the first few minutes of her story would simply ruin today’s viewing. Usually, a show picked up right where the cliffhanger had left off, and she’d no doubt today’s episode was going to be a doozie. As much as she’d been encouraged to get a DVR, she should have listened by now, but since she spent most of her time at home, she didn’t think it was worth the investment. For times like these, though, one definitely would come in handy. With a smile on her face, she swept open the door and greeted Ben Livingston warmly, beckoning him into her two-bedroom home with its “Welcome” sign over the foyer table. “Ben, it’s so good to see you again. Bess told me you’d be stopping by. I’ve just put on a fresh pot of coffee. Come on in and make yourself comfortable. Do you take sugar or cream with yours?” She barely heard his response as she hurried into the kitchen. Was he a talker? She hadn’t thought to ask Bess. Quite frankly, she didn’t know much about Ben except what she and the girls had learned from their former handler. A trafficker in women and drugs, he’d topped the FBI’s most wanted list for decades but had managed to elude capture. He’d finally been arrested, but his slimy attorney had managed to get him acquitted when the evidence had magically disappeared. Livingston had sauntered out of the courtroom with a smile on his face and had gone back to his old ways, even having the audacity to move into the Mountain Reserve Retirement community under an assumed name. And had sealed his fate. Though technically retired, she and her three colleagues, that she now considered friends, worked now more than they ever did. None of them would sleep a wink, though, if they allowed a threat to society like Ben Livingston to go unpunished. And it had been up to Bess to carry out his termination…until today. “Stupid flu,” Marge muttered, banging cabinet doors as she searched for the creamer. Now where on earth had she put that stuff? When had she used it last? She snapped her fingers. “Oh, yes. Mr. Shelt.” He’d been her last visitor, expiring several hours after leaving her home, but not before he’d used up all of her coffee creamer. Apparently, he’d preferred the cream over the taste of coffee which had forced her to buy another container which she hadn’t yet put away. Ben said something to her, but she didn’t really listen. There wasn’t much he could say that would interest her, and once he drank his coffee, she’d shoo him out the door. Marge always found a good dose of rudeness tended to send visitors on their way, and she was always rude to criminals who made a mockery of the justice system. She touched a hand to her deceased sister’s picture, held against the refrigerator by matching pink magnets. Dear Carolyn’s life had ended early at the hands of a drug dealer who’d mistaken her for one of his customers. He’d served fifteen years in the state penitentiary, not nearly enough in Marge’s opinion. Fortunately for him, she’d been on assignment when he was released from prison, or she might have been tempted to carry out her own brand of justice. “Time to stop wool-gathering, Marge.” The admonishment sent her into a frenzy of activity. She finished adding the extra ‘spice’ to Ben’s coffee and returned the tiny vial to its safe place in the far corner of the cabinet. Then squaring her shoulders, she lifted the two mugs of coffee and carried them to the dining room table. The clock was ticking, and she simply had to see if Claudia was going to accept Brock’s marriage proposal. I've been a writer for a long time, a published author for over twenty years. Along the way, I met a wonderful woman who helped me learn to promote my books, market myself, and be a better author and friend. An author herself, she has accomplished so much in her career, but she has never forgotten that once upon a time, she was a struggling writer. Many of you know this author, and if you don't, you should because Lisa Renee Jones is one of my favorite people and one heck of a writer. She's funny, smart, talented, driven, and an absolutely incredible person. She's a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, and one of her series, The Secret Life of Amy Bensen is now a series on Passionflix. And even with all her successes, Lisa is one of the most humble people you'll ever meet. And I share all of this with you today because every writer should have a Lisa in their lives. I'm just lucky enough to have found mine early in my career. Here's hoping you find yours! I'm constantly on my laptop so it's no surprise that I go through them fairly quickly. Though I could pay to get them fixed and try to keep using them, I'm too paranoid that something will go wrong with them while I'm in the midst of writing. Not that I don't have everyting backed up. I have back-ups for my backup, but when it comes to laptops, you could be right in the middle of something, and poof! The computer goes off, and you've lost what hasn't yet backed up. That's a horrifying thought to me, and it has happened. So when my laptop starts to give me problems, which is usually 18-24 months after I purchased it, I begin the search for another one, and I'm extremely picky. It can't just be any laptop. I have to have a backlit keyboard, a touch screen, and a number of other things that I could probably live without but now that I've had them, I don't want to. I usually like to buy my laptops in person, although, I have bought them online. I prefer to be able to see the model and feel the keys. Best Buy always has a plethora to choose from, which means I spend at least an hour in the store trying out keyboards. Sure, I get funny looks from the sales associates as well as a constant stream of offers to help, but I keep to myself and move along with my phone out to take a picture of the top contenders. I never buy on the first visit to the store because I have to go home, compare all the ones I like, and see which one edges out the others. And each time I buy, what I need changes, like RAM and speed, etc. So there's some research involved to find the fastest, most reliable computer with everything I need and want.
As a writer, buying a laptop is a lot like buying a car would be for a mechanic. I'm assuming they'd want to know everything about that car. I'm the exact same way when it comes to laptops. I read reviews, both good and bad, and I even look at the reviews on past models to see if the manufacturer is improving its offerings. This isn't a short process for me, which is why I always dread it when the time comes around. This takes time away from my writing, but it's an investment I want to make last as long as possible to lessen my chances of having to do it again soon. To say I'm particular about the computer I buy is much too tame. But being happy with my laptop, to me, makes me a better writer. No, it doesn't write the words for me, but, if I'm comfortable with the keyboard and the screen, and the computer is fast enough, I can write at a fast clip. And this process is about to begin. I figure I can put it off for a month, maybe a little longer. Then the ordeal begins. Ah, but once it's over, and I set up my new computer, I'm like a kid with a new toy. And life is good again...at least for 18-24 months. In an article on Bankrate, freelance writing was suggested as one of ten side hustles. To me, side hustles are things anyone can do to make quick mone, although Merriam-Webster defines it as "work performed for income supplementary to one's primary job." That's not necessarily saying it has to be quick, but most people who are looking for extra income do want it sooner rather than later. That's not what comes to mind for me when it comes to freelance writing
Practically anyone can learn the technicalties of writing. They can learn what works and what doesn't, but that can take quite a bit of time. And if you're starting from scratch, it's going to take a lot longer to build freelance writing into a side hustle than it would being a shopper or working with a food delivery service. It has taken most of us writers years to get to the point where we're making income, and even then, many writers don't make that much money a month, especially not enough that it could be considered a hustle. Freelance writing is hard work, and it involves more than writing. You have to learn the process if you're not a writer at first. Then you to learn how to find publishers looking for what you're interested in writing. You have to learn how to craft a query letter, how to submit a pitch, and how to make a topic an easy read for the market. Overall, I would never consider freelance writing a side hustle. It can be a part-time or full-time job, but iyou're not going to make a lot of money fast from it, and you're going to have to invest your own money to learn and to grow as well as to market your own work. So if you're looking to make quick money, you won't find it by freelance writing. When I started this year, I had intended to self-publish at least three of my books. That all changed when I realized needed things done in my house, and I had some other unexpected expenditures crop up as well. That caused me to shift my direction to writing more articles, short stories, and essays.
Getting payment from those avenues is generally quicker than payment from book royalties. There's no guarantee of book sales, but if you write iand sell an article, you should, unless something changes drastically, get paid with a decent amount of time. Of course, sometimes, you have to wait to hear back from the magazine so it can be a bit of a wait. That's why I submit a minimum of four articles, short stories, or essays a month. So I always have something in the pipeline. If you're an author and you're feeling a little discouraged about your book sales at present, perhaps it's time to change course. Getting paid from any writing, even if it's $50, can be a boost to your self-confidence. So if you're struggling as an author write now, consider using the skills and talent you have elsewhere. Put it to good use writing articles, entering free writing contests, and writing short stories and flash fiction, and essays. Trust me. One sale can change your perspective. After the first of the year, I'm releasing a 1950s novella, Letters to Laura. This was originally entitled Promises to Laura, and I released it under a pen name back in 2014. By the time I'm finished with it, it will have been completely rewritten and expanded so I changed the title. If you read Promises to Laura, this is altogether a different book with only the same premise.
I decided Promises to Laura was too short and ended too abruptly. Plus, my writing has changed since 2014 so I wanted to improve upon this novella which I still love. I'll choose a release date soon, but the cover is all ready. Please let me know what you think! |
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