I have been so swamped lately that I have unintentionally turned this into a cob web!
I set up my business back in 1994, focusing on writing and editing for business (especially technical companies). I learned some valuable lessons when I studied marketing, as an undergrad and grad student and then on my own. One of my most helpful resources was Robert Cialdini’s “Principles of Persuasion.” (I read his book when there were six, and now there are seven. I’ll have to read his more recent book to catch up!)
From Cialdini, I learned this, for example: When you are busiest is when you need to do the most marketing. You’re probably thinking, “Right, I’ll just clone myself.” But it’s good to do. That way, when the large wave of current work ebbs, you have some potential work on the horizon.
So while I have been not updating my web page, I have been working for my clients, publishing my own writing, and polishing what I hope will be my 11th book. (More on that later.) I also retired from my tutoring job. I loved it, but something had to give. Since I started my business, I juggled my own writing and editing/writing for others.
So while I haven’t been posting on my web page, I have been working on my next big project.
“Didn’t you just contradict yourself?” you wonder.
Yes, I did. Rules were made to be broken. Truth be told, the number of times my web page has led to my getting actual work can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
So for those of you who haven’t interacted with me before, I have published 10 books to date, all nonfiction, many for juvenile readers, and all of them traditionally published. My client on one special job was for the University of Cincinnati. It was a work for hire, where UC was the one who paid me, not the publisher. So UC self-published it after paying me to write it. UC holds the copyright, as is the case with work-for-hire jobs.
Fiction usually does not pay until your novel is complete. With my first nonfiction book, I submitted an outline and a sample chapter, and voilà: they gave me the contract for the book and my advance. As my relationship with two of my publishing houses has continued to grow, my editors have called me with a book idea and asked if I thought I could do it. They would then send me an e-mail documenting our phone discussion. And boom! I’d get my advance.
While I have been writing and publishing nonfiction, I have a few novels banging around in my head. So I have decided to self-publish the first novel to see how it goes. Although I have led many writers’ workshops wherein I have discussed self-publishing, this is the first time I am actually trying it with one of my own books.
I’ll keep you posted.
I promise.
Wendy Beckman
Wendy on Writing 