Getting Paid for your Craft: Can You Make a Living as a Writer? A Recap of the Oct 2015 Westside Writers Mingle.

When Laurie and I met after doing our initial research for this topic, our moods were pretty different. I came in excited about all the odd ideas I had found, and she came in finding the results pretty depressing.

The difference? She Googled, “Can you make a living as an author,” while I Googled, “Strange/fun/unusual ways to make a living as a writer.” And, unsurprisingly, the results were widely different. If you are someone who wants to write for a living, and you don’t care so much what kind of writing you do, there are perhaps more options out there than you might have realized. Consider starting a business where you write:

• wedding vows

• obituaries

• online dating profiles

• query letters and synopses for other writers

Or consider pairing a talent/skill/ability you already have with writing. For example, I also used to teach English and I still currently teach yoga. Now I have a freelance editing business where I edit yoga-related writing (for teachers and studios) and I also lead writing and yoga retreats.

If you want to focus your writing on books, the finances can be a little daunting. The coveted six-figure advance, once broken down into agent percentage, taxes, and how much you actually get and when, doesn’t translate into a living wage. But don’t forget that being published opens doors for revenue that might not have been there before: school visits, panels, classes, etc. And there are also sub rights, which include foreign and audio book rights, each sale of which brings more income.

Here are a few of the links we found most helpful.

On the realities of what you get paid as an author (Laurie Y.’s links):

https://d.moonfire.us/blog/2015/01/06/writing-monies/

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2015/02/real-talk-ix-figure-book-deal.html

http://www.jimchines.com/2015/01/2014-writing-income/

http://www.barbarakanninen.com/career

https://writeitforward.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/so-you-want-to-make-a-living-writing-13-harsh-truths/

On some possible other ways to make money as a writer (Lori S.’s links):

http://www.aliventures.com/make-a-living-writing/

http://www.alexandrafranzen.com/2014/12/08/50-ways-to-make-money-as-a-writer-send-this-to-a-wordsmith-you-love/

http://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money-writing-online-13-sites-pay-articles/

https://thecollegeinvestor.com/16898/the-ultimate-side-hustle-14-ways-to-get-paid-to-write/

You can probably see why Laurie Y was depressed and Lori S was excited!

Oh, and as an aside, this is about how book sales rise when you add an image to your social media:

http://buildbookbuzz.com/social-media-images/

If thinking about the financial side of writing leaves you drained or overwhelmed, then join us at the next Mingle for some inspiration!

NEXT MINGLE: Writing and Overwhelm

“Many of us feel stress and get overwhelmed 

not because we're taking on too much, 

but because we're taking on too little of what really strengthens us.” 

~ Marcus Buckingham

We live in a culture of busy and overwhelm, where how much we have on our to-do lists has become the new currency. Within this, how do we find space—both in our calendars and in our psyches—to create? And for a lot of us, as we approach the holidays, this becomes even more difficult. Bring your thoughts, frustrations, suggestions, and ideas. Will also include some simple mindfulness techniques from Lori and new ways to look at time and creativity. 

  

DATE: Wednesday, November 4

TIME: 7 pm – 8:45 pm

LOCATION: Ocean Park branch of the Santa Monica library.

If you feel so inclined, we would welcome any baked goods to share!

Can’t wait to see you all –

With love & books,

Lori & Laurie

The Hollywood LitMingle Gets Legal

SCBWI member, Bonnie Berry LaMon, author and entertainment lawyer, sheds some light on an area most writers shy away from...the legal aspect of publishing.
The Topic:
"EVERY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GETTING PUBLISHED, WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE AN AGENT." 
It was so useful. Thank you, Bonnie!

Bonnie's main point: be careful what you sign. Do not sign away your rights without knowing what you are doing. If you need a lawyer to interpret a contract, consult one. Your agent should not object. Bonnie provides a special service to writers and consultants on contracts.

It's wonderful if you have found representation with an agent, Congrats! But do your homework. Do not rely on an agent for the same knowledge as a lawyer. Though agents are helpful in brokering deals, they do not necessarily have the training to school you in the fine points of your contract.

Here are a few terms:

1) "STANDARD" -- is used to make you believe that a term can not be changed, but in fact it can be modified, negotiated or deleted.

2)  GRANT OF RIGHTS -- the list of rights that the author conveys to the publisher. Rights may be exclusive, non-exclusive, perpetual or for a designated period of time.

3) TERM -- the period of time that the writer gives the publisher for exclusive rights to the material. The maximum time period is the full length of copyright, which in the U.S. is the life of the author plus seventy years. After that, literary works go into the "public domain" and are the property of all, unless the estate of author extends the copyright and exerts ownership that way. (This may be an issue if you are wish to write a biography.)

4) TERRITORY -- the contract will specify which territories the book will be sold in. "Worldwide rights" means the publisher will control all territories and markets in the world. Typical contracts limit the territories to the U.S. and Canada. If the publisher does not specify any territory other than the U.S. and Canada, then an agent or author is free to make a separate deal with another publisher for another country, territory or language.

5) FORMAT -- can be print or ebooks, hardback or paperback. "Primary book publishing rights" is commonly defined as hardcover, trade paperback, mass market and direct mail, though electronic and audio books may be included. Often eBooks and audio rights are granted as subsidiary rights. The area of eBooks is in flux right now and needs special attention; make sure you are fairly compensated in the event of eBook publication.

6) SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS -- any rights in addition to the print and/or eBook publication: 
Foreign Rights Translation, Periodical Rights, Book Club, Electronic Audio and other New Media; Stage, Motion Picture, Video and Animation; TV, merchandising and commercial tie-ins. These can be licensed by your publisher to another party; proceeds are usually split with the author.

7) RESERVATION OF RIGHTS -- a provision that says all rights not expressly granted are reserved to the author. The language is useful for avoiding ambiguity in a contract, especially as new technologies emerge.

8) FILM AND VIDEO OPTIONS -- Important terms: option price, option period, any extended option period, approval rights of screenplay, credit, purchase price and back-end participation. There isn't space to define them all here. If your book is being optioned for film, I would definitely consult a lawyer! 

9) MULTI-MEDIA LICENSES -- ei. video games, websites, apps, hyperlinks. Video companies bear cost of developing the game, licensing the characters from the author and paying royalties. This is why it is important for authors to retain ownership of the rights of trademark. You have the right to the characters you create, unless you sign them away. So, be careful!

10) MERCHANDISING AGREEMENT -- important provisions include term, scope of license, sell-off periods, approvals and limitation on product, advances and royalty rates.
  
SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
1) The Author's Guild, Inc. "Model Trade Book Contract and Guide"
2) Tad Crawford's Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self-Publishers
3) Entertainment Industry Contracts, Book Publishing, Vol. 1
4) Ivan Hoffman's "Children's Book Publishing: Some Issues" (www,ivanhoffman,com)
5) Mark Levine's Negotiating a Book Contract: A Guide For Authors, Agents and Lawyers.
6) SCBWI Sample Children's Book Contract (scbwi.org/rescources/documents/10-sampleChildrensBookContract)
7) Harold Underdown's "Contracts from Children's Book Publishers:What to Expect"

SCBWI Westside Illustrators (and Writers) Schmingle!

SCBWI Westside Illustrators (and Writers) Schmingle!

WHEN: Monday Evening, October 19, 2015
                        7:00pm to 9:00pm
WHERE: 445 15th Street, Santa Monica CA 90402   

                  A two story Spanish-style private home. 
                 5 blocks north of Wilshire,  between Montana

                      and San Vicente.
                   FREE residential street parking !
                        

TOPICS:  1.   GOALSETTING!   Why are GOALS Important?
                         Did I reach 'My Summer Creative Goals?' 
                
                2.    REPORTS   from L.A. 'ILLUSTRATORS DAY' and O.C 'EDITORS DAY'

                3.     BRING 2015 BOOKS!..share SCHMALDECOTTpossiblities  

Join our very own Mock Caldecott and Mock Newbery contest                       

start here... https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/82343.2016_Mock_Caldecott
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2015/06/24/newbery-caldecott-2016-summer-prediction-edition/#_

                   4.   DOOR-PRIZE! ????

Bring artwork in progress, portfolios, postcards,etc...!                   
Share and inspire us with your creativity!       
  

Continuing monthly topics:     
"Doodle a Day " continues! 
  "Dream Big... Start Small! " with baby steps!
 
  Our mission.....
Let's enjoy a fun creative evening together
& move forward in our common pursuit
of making a contribution to the world of
children's illustration and literature!    

RSVP preferred ...  SuzyBlock@gmail.com 
GOODIES? sure :)

See you soon.... Suzy

SuZy engelman BloCK
SCBWI Coordinator
Westside Illustrators Schmooze

			SuZy engelman BloCK http://www.suzyengelmanblock.com/monkey-2-monkey-blog.html
			View on SuzyEngelmanBlock...	Preview by Yahoo

SCV Lit Mingle: October First Pages Workshop

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY - SCBWI LIT MINGLE

____________________________________

FIRST PAGES WORKSHOP

Bring the first page or two of your current WIP. We will divide into small groups for critiquing, feedback and...mingling!

When:  Thursday, October 8th

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Where:  Barnes & Noble, Valencia

___________________________________

** KID LIT RAFFLE!!!**

Come to October's Lit Mingle for a chance to win a pack of brand newly released kids' books!

1 Ticket - Just show up!

1 Ticket - Arrive on time!

1 Ticket - Bring a Friend!

Recap: September 2015 Westside Writers Mingle - "Writing Tips, Ideas, and Advice."

The September Westside Schmooze was all about newness: new co-coordinators Laurie Young and myself (Lori Snyder), new name for our gathering (Mingles), new location (the Ocean Park branch of the Santa MonicaPublic Library), and a new date (first Wednesday of the month). Phew!

Our topic was “Writing Tips, Ideas, and Advice,” and we kicked it off with this great quote from E.L. Doctorow: “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”  From there, we opened it up to everyone to share their favorite tip or piece of advice, many of which came from this year’s summer SCBWI conference.

Some highlights (and, sadly, I didn’t write down which Mingler contributed these, so I apologize in advance for not giving credit where credit is due):

“Be specific.” ~ Kwame Alexander

“Know your sensibilities. Your books are bouillon cubes for your sensibility.” ~ Meg Wolitzer

“As editors, we’re not acquiring your pages. We’re acquiring the vision they represent.” ~ Jordon Brown

“If you read a draft and something jumps out at you three times, you have to do something about it.” ~ Adam Rex

“Be intentional about your time and treat writing like a real job.” ~ Varian Johnson

And a couple of links that were shared:

John Cleese on creativity (Molly Idle recommended): https://vimeo.com/89936101

Susan Dennard’s blog on revision (Jenny Bent recommended): http://susandennard.com/tag/soozs-guide-to-revisions/

We closed out the Mingle with a writing exercise. In case you’d like to play along at home, here it is:

Invent a situation in which a character is forced to change his or her name.

You have ten minutes…GO!

Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 7, from 7 pm – 8L45 pm, at the Ocean Park branch of the Santa Monica library. If you feel so inclined, we would welcome any baked goods to share!

October’s topic:

Getting Paid for your Craft: Can You Make a Living as a Writer?

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.” ~ Stephen King

Um, yes, Stephen. True. But maybe we could make some money at it, too? A frank and practical look at the different ways to make money as a writer, including brainstorming on how to branch out in ways you might not have thought about.

PLEASE NOTE!!! This is not a class or workshop where we tell you how to get rich from your writing. (For that, please Google “get rich off your writing” and see all the sure-fire ways this can happen. Look! I did it for you!) Rather, this is a round table discussion. We will be bringing in some interesting ideas on unusual avenues for writing revenue, thoughts on combining other loves and talents with writing to start up a new business, and also some facts about writing and money…but please bring in your ideas, questions, thoughts, comments, worries, etc. so we can all have a rousing good time.

Can’t wait to see you all –

With love & books,

Lori & Laurie

The Westside Writer's Schmooze Interrupts Your Traditional Ideas on Publishing With a Look at Non-Traditional Publishing Paths

We like to think of ourselves as a family here at the Westside Writers Schmooze. So when it came time to chinwag about the new ways of getting your book out there in the Alternative Publishing chapter of our Ground-Breaking Year-Long Concept-Schmooze Experiment: The Journey Of Your Book:, we looked within.

We started with ol’ Grandpa.  Ten years ago, Writer-Actor-Westside Schmoozer Eric Drachman began publishing his own picture books with audio (apparently they came with something called “CDs”). And when we say publishing we mean really publishing: He wrote, edited, designed, hired and directed artists, found cheap high quality printers for the book, and took care of all the promotion and distribution himself, as well as producing, directing, casting and acting in the audio versions of each book. 

These truly beautiful picture books sold really well (700,000 and still going—you can still get them here: kidwick.com). When asked what possessed him to take on such a gargantuan and seemingly impossible task (keep in mind, this was before “Print-On-Demand” was even a twinkle in Jeff Bezo’s eye), Eric said he did it because he felt the audio part of his books was integral to his vision and the publishing world wouldn’t have been interested. Now Grandpa Eric was a tough ol’ bird; not everybody has the stamina or the talent to just up and turn themselves into a full fledged publisher. But back in the late 80’s, that was just the way his generation was raised.

 

Lazy Cousin Greg is another matter. Also a longtime Schmoozer, Greg Pincus was more interested in getting his poems out there than in becoming another Simon or Shuster. In 200,6 he started one of the early literary blogs for his whimsical funny poems (gottabook), releasing one a week. He soon developed a following big enough to draw the attention of the New York Times. They did a feature article on him that got the interest of Arthur A. Levine, who then signed Greg to write a novel (the recently released The 14 Fibs of Gregory K). 

During the long process of birthing that book, Greg felt a need to also release a book of his poems. Greg wanted to see how e-books and self publishing worked, so he chose the poems he wanted to release, and then went to the website “fiver.” There, he hired someone to help him format his book. Not long after, he released The Late Bird. Greg said it was a great experience and hopes to do a few more poetry books in the next few years. He loves that its price is just $2.99 and that it will never go out of print!

Every family has some crotchety old kook building who-knows-what in his barn, and the Westside Writers Schmooze is no different. Cranky Uncle Jeff Cox decided he wanted to make an e-book from his picture book story Myna and Tumbu. He had already found an artist he loved to illustrate his book, and he knew it would be hard to find a publisher with an artist in tow. But instead of using the half-baked pre-made software tools available at the time (a few years ago), Jeff decided to learn Kindle’s programming language and do it himself. 

That journey was full of challenges (including Kindle’s changing their whole language a week before his book’s original release date) but he now not only has a great book out on Amazon (buy it HERE), he knows how to program any book for it. Just like Grandpa Eric used his acting chops to set his books apart, Uncle Jeff used his nerdtastic computer skills to take on the publishing world.

Half-Brother Joshua Hauke used to be a constant presence at the Westside Writers Schmooze but we don’t see him as often anymore because he’s so busy servicing his Tales of the Brothers Three online comic empire. His story started when Charlie’s agent at the time (more years ago than Charlie cares to remember) rather rudely dissed Josh’s first attempts at a comic book.  Rather than get depressed and take to his bed (Charlie’s preferred response to adversity) Josh just decided, “Screw her!” and began putting his comics online. 

Josh dove headfirst into promotion including social media, comic conventions, school visits and even stalking events with similar audiences to the one he was seeking. His ultimate goal was to “create an audience” for his comic, and it must have worked because now he has three print-on-demand books (order them at  ) as well as a huge following online. For his part, Charlie has no book and his former agent and he have parted ways. But he’s not bitter. Because that would be wrong.

The one negative(ish) story of self publishing from the night was from recent addition Schmoozer, Long Lost Sister Jodi R. Moore (http://jrrothman.wix.com/jodirmoore. Jodi decided to self-publishing her book Let’s Face It when her agent didn’t feel it was ready to go out yet. At the time, Jodi disagreed and decided to release it herself. Looking back, she wishes she’d been a little more patient.

That said, she did open up a venue for her work (she’s self-published a second book, Dallas Lalone: In Our Words as well) and has learned about the publishing game from the inside out. In addition to learning to wait until the book is truly as good as it can be, Jodi questions whether it’s harder to sell YA books independently than it is picture books.

Our longtime Hippie Cousin, Paula McMath (paulamcmath.comcouldn’t make it to the Schmooze (she was off hiking the Appalachian trail with some primo bud—her husband), but she sent a wonderful explanation of how she took her birthday song, Very Happy Day, and turned it into an app! It started as an idea for a book with audio, like Grandpa Eric used to do.

And, like he did, she found traditional publishers were put off by the audio component. But instead of tying her wagon to the old world of paper, Paula moved on to the world of apps where she found a slew of exciting of possibilities. Now she could allow the user (what app people call readers) to choose the gender of the main character, play the song with or without vocals, record their own vocals over the music, and even play interactive games. Her takeaway: “In a nutshell — a seeming ‘limitation’ has sent me into a more interactive and multi-layered approach to realizing the project.”  You can’t get her app yet, but it will soon be available at the apple App store for iphone and ipad.

Lastly, little sister Cassandra Federman who couldn’t stay up late enough for this month’s Schmooze, sent us a passel of great links for more info on alternative publishing:

A comparison of Amazon’s Create Space with Ingram Spark Print On Demand and Author: http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/watchdog-ingram-spark-vs-createspace-for-self-publishing-print-books/ -

http://www.authorly.com/ 

Some great Joanna Penn Podcasts interviewing self published kid-book authors: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2014/01/14/books-for-children-karen-inglis/

http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/01/19/kindle-kids-book-creator/

NOTE: the first podcast is a bit of a downer. The second one gives us all hope!

And so much more. But Crazy Cousin Karol, the Cat lady who lives up the block, and spent the whole night fuming about these kids with their newfangled ideas, ended the evening sticking up for the power of traditional publishing with a surprisingly powerful and emotional note. She said she’s holding out for a traditional publisher for her YA novel Cursed, about a thirteen year old girl newly diagnosed with a painful, embarrassing chronic illness, because she wants the book’s audience to know that “their story” is important enough to merit a “real” book. 

That made a lot of sense, even to Charlie. His takeaway was that the value of publishing, whether self or traditional, really depended on what you were hoping to get out of it. Book writing is rarely lucrative, so authors should follow their own unique paths to their audiences.

Whew! That’s it. As well it should be, don’t you think?

Except - we just HAVE to share this awesome notes + sketch by Schmoozer Carol Green, who co-coordinator Karol thinks captured her likeness marvelously!

Be sure to join us Wednesday, May 13^th as The journey continues with From Book Launches to School Visits, Promoting and Supporting Your Book.

Until the, keep passing the open windows!

Charlie & Karol

Hollywood Schmooze - Writing a Query Letter

This month's schmooze was on Query Letter writing, but we also had a few people reading their first pages. We are meeting in the Fairfax Branch of the LA Public Library and it is a great big room! We seeing new faces from the neighborhood, which is wonderful.

Some of the questions members had on writing query letters:

1)  How long should a query be?

A page or so. Like with resumes, use an additional page wisely. Will someone keep reading? Maybe if you are listing all your writing credits.

2) Tone is important -- mirror the tone in your book.

3) Check for typos.

Then double and triple check. Then have someone else read it twice.

Many agents have said that if they stumble on a typo, they immediately delete the query. Yikes!

4) Personalize -- what makes this editor or agent appeal to you? Why did you pick him or her?

5) Do not grovel -- but be friendly. You are on an equal footing. You are a writer! Be proud. You have written a book. Remember, without you, they are out of work.

6) Be succinct -- cut out any unnecessary sentences. Be brief and to the point and engaging in your story summary. Pull the reader in, but do not reveal the ending of your story. Introduce the main character, the set up, the conflict and, possibly the theme, and then get out.

7) Send out queries in batches of fives -- keep track of and incorporate any changes.

8) Do not give up...all you need is one agent or editor to love your work and believe in it enough to see it through to the printed (or electronic) page!

 

The next meeting of the SCBWI Hollywood Schmooze is on May 14th.

Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Location: the Fairfax Branch of LAPL

161 South Gardner Street, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Topic: Critique - bring your first 5 pages for peer review.

RSVP to Jean or Deborah at scbwihollywoodschmooze@gmail.com

We look  forward to seeing you at a Hollywood Schmooze!