Friday, January 24, 2020

Being A Professional Author

We talk a lot about being a "professional author." This is certainly something I look for when I go through submissions for potential clients. I do think, however, that many out there might be missing something about what it really means to be a professional author.

ONE BOOK DOES NOT MAKE YOU A PROFESSIONAL
I see this a lot when I go to writing conferences. Now, I do have to say, I see this more when I go to general writing conferences and not something like the RWA Conference. I will hear authors talk about their move to being a professional writer, but you hear that they have only ever published one book. To add to that, the book may not even be selling at all. Being a professional writer is about treating this as a full time career. It is a job and not simply an exercise of putting a book out there for people to buy.

YOUR INTERACTION WITH OTHERS IS IMPORTANT
Professional writing is a PUBLIC job. Not only are you producing something for your readers, you are also working with your editors, agents, PR representatives, reviewers, book sellers and so forth. These people are not your servants and you are not their only client. What you say to them and how you behave around them says a lot.

I talk to a lot of editors who have told me about authors they work with, who, in simple terms, are a pain in the butt to work with. They complain about everything, can't meet deadlines, come up with excuses and always argue about revisions, contracts and the like. This is far from being professional.

YOUR PUBLIC PRESENCE SAYS A LOT
Just because you have published a book does not make you a diva and certainly does not give you the right to act like you are something special. People watch you. They listen to you. You have to act and behave like a professional. This is a huge issue I find with authors who have reached a point in their careers where they really have become financially successful. And then, they get out on social media platforms and whine, complain, moan and act like a bunch of teenagers upset and something someone said about them in the hallway. Being a professional writer is about growing up.

Look, I get you might be frustrated at times. I am not saying you have to like everyone. But when you are on the public stage, think before you say something.  Remember, you are representing your genre (and potentially your agent, editor and writing group).
 
YOU ARE NOW A ROLE MODEL AND AN EDUCATOR - YOU GIVE BACK!
This is one that I get really frustrated with. As a new author, you just absorbed everything you could from workshops, seminars, blogs, etc. You loved getting feedback from contests. But now that you have become a "professional" you just don't have the time to be the one giving back now. Judge a contest? This takes too much time. Teach a workshop? You have a deadline to meet. Talk to a new author at a conference standing in line. Um, excuse me? Do you know who you are talking to?

RWA often has at the conferences a professional lounge where "the privileged published authors could go" to talk and not be disturbed. Give me a break! There are plenty of spaces at those hotels. Hiding away is not a way to be a role model.


YOUR COMMITMENT TO LEARNING IS KEY
Just because you have a book out does not make you an instant expert. You should still be constantly learning the craft. Learn to do something new. Take courses. Research what other authors are doing? We want people who are not going to just go stagnate. Learning is a lifelong career.



Just a few things to think about here on a Friday!

2 comments:

  1. Well said. I have stopped reading authors because of their tweets and nastiness. I do not want to fund them in any manner. I also agree learning is a lifelong journey and standards and society change and we must bend with them.

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  2. Sometimes that person is right in front of you

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