The Highs and Lows of Publishing - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T21:11:28Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:124803?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A125065&feed=yes&xn_auth=noYou summed it up nicely, I.J.tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-20:537324:Comment:1251302008-02-20T15:50:04.895ZGrant McKenziehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/McKenzie
You summed it up nicely, I.J.
You summed it up nicely, I.J. Anyone who writes as his/her…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-20:537324:Comment:1251282008-02-20T14:19:41.045ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Anyone who writes as his/her main profession should make a living out of it. I assume that the writing is published, of course. Unpublished doesn't count.
Anyone who writes as his/her main profession should make a living out of it. I assume that the writing is published, of course. Unpublished doesn't count. Yes and no. I can usually onl…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-20:537324:Comment:1251262008-02-20T14:18:12.693ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Yes and no. I can usually only go for 2 hours at a time before I have to switch to something else. But research is also work, and so is revision, and so is taking long walks to work out a plot problem. Yes, I probably put in that much.
Yes and no. I can usually only go for 2 hours at a time before I have to switch to something else. But research is also work, and so is revision, and so is taking long walks to work out a plot problem. Yes, I probably put in that much. Ahh, if only writers were as…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-20:537324:Comment:1250892008-02-20T02:57:35.012ZGrant McKenziehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/McKenzie
Ahh, if only writers were as admired and in as short supply as plumbers ;-)
Ahh, if only writers were as admired and in as short supply as plumbers ;-) "Of course it's not right tha…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-20:537324:Comment:1250842008-02-20T02:29:04.768ZDana Kinghttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
"Of course it's not right that I don't make a year's living expenses from each novel when it takes me a year to write it."<br />
Why not? No offense, but should everyone who decides they want to write automatically get to earn a living at it? There's no profession in the world like that.
"Of course it's not right that I don't make a year's living expenses from each novel when it takes me a year to write it."<br />
Why not? No offense, but should everyone who decides they want to write automatically get to earn a living at it? There's no profession in the world like that. You're actually writing 40 ho…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-19:537324:Comment:1250702008-02-19T22:14:34.572ZJohn Dishonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/whiteskwirl
You're actually writing 40 hours a week?
You're actually writing 40 hours a week? I think I would probably surv…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-19:537324:Comment:1250652008-02-19T22:01:17.213ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I think I would probably survive without selling books. I know I can manage while selling them cheaply. Of course it's not right that I don't make a year's living expenses from each novel when it takes me a year to write it. And I write full time, 7 days a week.<br />
But unlike many writers I have the freedom of not having to write stuff just because it sells. I write genre, yes, but I want to be proud of my books, and I am happy that genre still allows me to write well. Let's hope that the market…
I think I would probably survive without selling books. I know I can manage while selling them cheaply. Of course it's not right that I don't make a year's living expenses from each novel when it takes me a year to write it. And I write full time, 7 days a week.<br />
But unlike many writers I have the freedom of not having to write stuff just because it sells. I write genre, yes, but I want to be proud of my books, and I am happy that genre still allows me to write well. Let's hope that the market doesn't shut us out completely. If someone wants to write to…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-19:537324:Comment:1250582008-02-19T21:25:39.563ZJohn Dishonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/whiteskwirl
If someone wants to write to make money, there's nothing wrong with that. It's his/her decision.<br />
<br />
It's fashionable to look down on Patterson, probably more because of his immense fame then the quality of his writing, because let's face it; if he's selling millions of books, there must be a lot of people who think his writing is really good. People who with less success always say well, those guys got lucky, but I don't know why so many people buy their books, because the writing is awful, which…
If someone wants to write to make money, there's nothing wrong with that. It's his/her decision.<br />
<br />
It's fashionable to look down on Patterson, probably more because of his immense fame then the quality of his writing, because let's face it; if he's selling millions of books, there must be a lot of people who think his writing is really good. People who with less success always say well, those guys got lucky, but I don't know why so many people buy their books, because the writing is awful, which implies that the naysayer is better qualified to judge and perhaps produce better writing than the bestseller author.<br />
<br />
For all the criticism against Patterson, he seems more honest about what he does and why he does it than 99% of the writers I've come across. I agree with your third parag…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-19:537324:Comment:1250552008-02-19T21:18:07.851ZJohn Dishonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/whiteskwirl
I agree with your third paragraph.<br />
<br />
As far as video games go, even if you were 17 now, the golden age is long past for video games. Now it's all about how good the graphics are instead of how good the gameplay is. Which is why SNES is still considered the best console ever.
I agree with your third paragraph.<br />
<br />
As far as video games go, even if you were 17 now, the golden age is long past for video games. Now it's all about how good the graphics are instead of how good the gameplay is. Which is why SNES is still considered the best console ever. It's funny, I was watching an…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-19:537324:Comment:1250302008-02-19T19:00:14.525ZGrant McKenziehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/McKenzie
It's funny, I was watching an interview with Ken Follett (who recently signed a $50 million deal for his next three books) the other day where he said he wrote his first book exactly because he wanted the money to pay for something (can't remember what it was) and a friend of his had written a book and received that exact amount (200 pounds, I think.) He didn't do it to get rich, but it's difficult for me to imagine how anyone could think writing a novel was so easy that they could just churn…
It's funny, I was watching an interview with Ken Follett (who recently signed a $50 million deal for his next three books) the other day where he said he wrote his first book exactly because he wanted the money to pay for something (can't remember what it was) and a friend of his had written a book and received that exact amount (200 pounds, I think.) He didn't do it to get rich, but it's difficult for me to imagine how anyone could think writing a novel was so easy that they could just churn one out for the money. If I didn't feel <i>possessed</i> to write, it would have been much easier to quit than to keep plugging away, especially in the bleak years before I finally got a publishing deal.<br />
<br />
As an aside: Ken Follett wrote about 10 novels no one has ever heard of -- I'm not even sure they're still in print -- before he hit it big with <i>Eye of the Needle</i>. Mickey Spillane, however, always claimed he wrote books because it paid well. Because of the booming popularity of pulp magazines back then, being a writer (especially a fast one) probably did pay better then than now. Short story writers could actually make a living in the 50s and 60s. Try that now.