Writing, as a career , offers a wide variety of choices. A person who wants to be a writer must first decide what kind of writer he or she wants to be. Writing is often not as well-paying a job as many aspiring writers might hope it to be, in the same way that drama students discover there are many more struggling actors than financially successful ones. Writing is a learned skill like any other. It is often hard work, but it is also rewarding in its own right. For a writer to see his or her name on the byline of an article or on the spine of a book can be as gratifying as the applause of an audience is for an actor.
Creative writers—that is, writers of poetry , short stories , novels , plays, and creative nonfiction—often have the most freedom in the expression of their ideas. However, they also tend to earn the least amount of money for their efforts. Most poets, for example, earn very little, if anything, for their poems, though well-known poets can often earn substantial fees by giving public readings of their work. Still, no poet ever became one for the money. Even established poets often find they must supplement their writing income by holding jobs that allow them the time and freedom to create. Of course, some famous creative writers are able to support themselves through their writing alone. Such writers include popular novelists and some well-known screenwriters. However, these writers are very much the minority.
There are other types of writing jobs that tend to offer less freedom for the individual writer but more consistent financial rewards. Journalism and technical writing are two such areas. Journalists explore and report the news of the day. Technical writers express the complex ideas of engineers and scientists in words that a nonexpert can understand. The type of writing a person chooses thus often dictates the amount of money he or she can expect to earn.
There are two main kinds of writers, staff writers and free-lance writers. Staff writers are professional writers who work for a salary. Some earn a living as journalists or columnists. However, as newspaper readership declines and traditional print newspapers reduce or shut down operations, many such staff positions have been eliminated. In the current digital age, some online publications have replaced traditional newspapers. They often hire staff writers for positions in much the same fashion as newspapers once did, though many of these outlets rely on unpaid columnists and free-lance writers. Many staff writers prepare documents for public agencies. Others work as editors for book publishers, magazines, or newspapers, either in digital or print form.
Free-lance writers get paid only if a publisher buys their work. Free-lancers write most books—both fiction and nonfiction; dramas; poems; screenplays; and short stories, as well as many magazine and newspaper articles. Many staff writers create free-lance material in addition to their regular work.
A free-lance writer may also create a website called a blog. The term blog is a shortened form of web log, which is what many of the first daily entries by authors—known as bloggers—were called. Bloggers include advertisements on their sites and serve as the publishers, editors, and writers of their work. For some successful bloggers, advertising is a way to support their writing. However, the writer needs to attract a sizable audience to the site to attract advertisers.
Most free-lance pieces are written on spec (on speculation). Under such terms, the magazine or publisher is under no obligation to publish the work. Even writers under contract might not see their work published if the publisher is dissatisfied with the writer’s work or if the publisher’s needs have changed. In most cases, a clause in the contract offers a kill fee (a fraction of the agreed-upon fee for publication) if the publisher decides against using the writer’s material.
This article discusses the chief types of free-lance writing and tells how to submit works for publication. For information on how to write, see Writing skills .
Preparing for a writing career.
Although writing itself is a basic skill all people need, learning to write well takes the same kind of dedication and practice as any art form or other difficult skill. Writers need to get into the habit of writing and should try to write every day. Most writers also have a great interest in reading what other people have written. Although originality is important to writers, creative writers, especially, write from a tradition. It is important for them to understand that tradition. Otherwise, they cannot know what has already been done and what has not. For example, there are many traditions in poetry. Beginning poets are sometimes surprised to learn that not all poems rhyme and that there are many traditions within poetry in which rhyme plays little or no part. A traditional form such as the sonnet pays close attention to form and is useful for a beginning poet to know. Many experienced writers keep a journal. A journal can serve as a storehouse for information, observations, and ideas. It can also be a place to develop new material.
Beginning writers should read widely in various forms of writing and pay special attention to what they find most interesting. Feature stories, blogs , poems, essays , short stories, novels, and plays differ in their methods of organizing and presenting material. A beginning writer who reads widely and carefully will develop an appreciation of different writing approaches and styles.
Successful authors write about subjects they know and understand. Often, this knowledge is formed by months or even years of research on the subject about which they are writing. They sometimes take weeks or months revising or refining an article, poem, or story. Beginning writers usually benefit from finding one or more honest but supportive critics who will read their work and discuss its strengths and weaknesses with them. Taking criticism is an important way for writers to grow so that they can understand how their writing affects other people.
High schools and colleges offer many learning opportunities for young writers. Composition and literature courses can be helpful. Creative writing and journalism courses can further assist a beginning writer in developing his or her skills. Many students work on literary magazines, newspapers, or yearbooks published by their schools. Here, they write stories, edit articles, organize and lay out the magazine or yearbook, and gain other valuable experience.
Free-lance markets
include book publishers, magazines, and newspapers. A reference book and website called Writer’s Market lists the name, address, editorial needs, and policies of thousands of magazines, publish ers, and other literary markets. It also provides general information about methods of preparing a manuscript and the legal rights of authors and publishers. The Writer’s Market book is revised annually and can be found in most public libraries . Articles in such magazines as Poets and Writers, The Writer, The Writer’s Chronicle, and Writer’s Digest also offer helpful tips on how to write and sell manuscripts.
Some magazines welcome free-lance material. Many editors send a free copy of their magazine and a list of editorial guidelines to anyone who requests them. These materials can help free-lancers decide whether the content and style of their work would appeal to readers of a particular publication.
Writers of novels and longer works of nonfiction often work with a literary agent . An agent reads a client’s manuscript, and if the work is marketable in the agent’s opinion, the agent might suggest ways to improve it before attempting to sell the manuscript to a publisher. If the manuscript is sold, the agent receives a commission of 15 to 20 percent of the author’s income for that piece of writing.
Many agents work only with writers who have been recommended by editors or professional authors, but others find their clients by reading the work of emerging writers in literary magazines. These magazines sometimes have small but important readerships, and many of the best writers publish in them. Some well-known literary magazines include The Iowa Review, The Georgia Review, and Tin House. However, there are hundreds of others, both in print and online. Beginning creative writers should try to sell their own works directly to such magazines.
In most cases, it is best to try to secure an agent before securing a publisher. Most agents prefer writers to query them. A query is a letter describing the writer’s project and the writer’s previous publications. If the agent is interested, the agent will ask to see more. Some agents want to see the entire manuscript. Others want only the first chapter of a novel, with a one- or two-page summary of the rest of the work. The time it takes for agents to respond varies. A writer may inquire about the manuscript if there is no response after two or three months.
Nonfiction
ranks as the largest market for free-lance writers. Book publishers buy many more nonfiction manuscripts than novels. In most magazines, nonfiction articles greatly outnumber poems and short stories. Nonfiction articles range in length from a few hundred words to book length. Long articles may be serialized (published in installments) in a magazine.
Several kinds of publications accept nonfiction from free-lancers. General-interest magazines contain articles on current, popular subjects that appeal to a wide audience. Such magazines attract many professional writers. Readers of specialized publications share a common interest, such as a hobby, a political viewpoint, a specialized technical subject, or membership in a professional organization. Many beginners succeed in selling articles to these magazines, which attract relatively few well-known writers.
Writers should choose a topic they care so much about that they can make their readers care about it, too. The writer should then choose a format (form of presentation) suited both to the subject and the kind of magazine that might publish the article. It is also important for the writer to be familiar with the magazine or website before trying to publish in it. Writers should likewise always use reliable sources so that the article presents accurate information. A beginning writer usually works up a topic and a way of presenting it alone. Later, the writer and an editor may cooperate on its revision. More established writers often pitch ideas (suggest a topic) to an editor, and if the editor likes the idea, the writer will be offered a contract.
Payment for nonfiction material varies widely. Specialized publications with a small readership usually offer lower payments than general-interest magazines with large readerships. Payment for a magazine article ranges from less than $100 to thousands of dollars. For print books, publishers usually pay authors a royalty (commission) of 7 to 15 percent of the book’s price for each copy sold. Authors typically earn a royalty of 25 percent from the sale of an e-book. However, the sale price of an e-book is generally less than that of a print book.
Fiction
sold by free-lance writers includes short stories of various kinds—adventure and confession tales, mysteries, romances , science fiction , and Westerns . Markets include many general-interest publications and fiction and literary magazines.
Poetry is one of the most challenging types of writing. It is also one of the lowest paying. Some magazines only pay poets by giving them copies of the issues in which their work appears. Reading widely in modern poetry will stimulate many ideas. However, poems are not written by formula. Poems must come from the poet’s own language, imagination, and experience.
Scriptwriting.
Writing scripts for plays, movies , or television can bring great financial rewards. However, scriptwriting is an extremely competitive field in which relatively few people succeed. Scriptwriting can be less personal than other forms of writing. It may turn into a group project, with the actors and directors contributing to the completion of a script. Most plays produced on Broadway in New York City are written by established authors. Some off-Broadway and regional theaters have special programs to encourage the work of talented young playwrights. But most beginners have their works performed in school or community theaters. Many play producers and theaters list their interests and needs in The Dramatist’s Guild Resource Directory.
Most professional and amateur productions pay the scriptwriter a percentage of the total box-office receipts as royalties. Royalties of 5 to 10 percent are common. Other forms of payment include buying the rights to the material and payment per performance.
Many motion-picture screenplays and television scripts are written by free-lance writers. Free-lancers should hire an agent to sell such material because movie and television producers rarely deal directly with an author. The size of the royalty depends on the writer’s professional reputation and the quality of the script. Such publications as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter help writers by reporting trends in the film and television industries.
Literature for children
includes adventure stories, mysteries, and articles about folklore, nature, science, and famous people. Many children’s magazines also buy quizzes, puzzles, and riddles. Articles and stories published in children’s magazines are usually no more than 1,500 words long. Free-lance authors write nearly all of the juvenile books published yearly in the United States. Most publishing firms that specialize in children’s books prefer to receive complete manuscripts.
Preparing and submitting a manuscript.
Many submissions are now handled electronically, but some publishers still prefer print submissions. In either case, it is important to prepare a manuscript as professionally as possible. The work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Manuscripts should be double-spaced unless the writer is otherwise instructed. In many cases, it is a good idea to have the title of the work as well as the author’s name and the page number as “headers” on the right-hand corner of each page. These steps will ensure that if the manuscript is printed, it will be less likely to be mishandled or read out of order. The manuscript’s presentation should be simple, not cluttered by difference typefaces or elaborate binders.
