Five Answers to some “Standard” Non-Writers Questions to New… and More Experienced Writers
Can you make money while you are writing or is it a true fact that like any art, you can not or should not make money with your writing? This is a business, but for many writers it is a hobby and they enjoy writing and working with their creative thoughts and putting this one paper.
So, it is a matter really of your point of view, and what your write for, and who you write for. So five common questions that new writers are often asked, and some answers to them.
1) Do you make a lot of money writing? It depends. If you are writing for two or three months, you might not have made money, or a lot of money. If you have been writing for many years, and this is your business, then yes you most likely have made money. Try to get the person who is asking to be more specific.
2) Do you have a real job? If you have been writing for a short time, simply ignore this question. If you have been writing for yourself for years, but it is not a business, be creative and answer the question. If this is a business that you run, simply dig out the business card and hand it to them, and tell them that you would love to talk with them and if so your fees are as such.
3) How often do you write? Be honest, how many hours a week usually if enough to make them understand how much writing you do.
4) Does writing online count? Yes writing online counts. Yes, because you are writing. It is not so much what you are writing, but how you are writing. If you write 800 words a day of quality things that are online, then yes you are writing. So, it counts.
5) What do you do when you write? This is a fun question, and often you can answer with a list of things you write about or how much you do in a day that involves writing. Again you can be very creative about this question. Of all these questions, this is possibly one that is more of a curious one, where the person knows you write, but not so much what you write.
3 Comments
Al
1. I guess I am just beginning to make a little money from my book. But it is still very early days yet.
2. Writing is sadly not my day job.
3. At the moment twice a day every work day. Commuting on the train is turning out to be fantastic for my writing!
4. I blog so I guess that counts, but usually only 3 or 4 times a week.
5. That is easy I write about the host of characters in my WIP 😉
comedyrocks.com
I give you writers a lot of credit — I have a difficult time getting past putting a coherent thought on paper – let alone chapter or entire book!
Damaria Senne
1. I earn a living as a writer. I'm not rich and famous, but I can pay my home loan and other bills. In general, I'd say your ability to make a lot of money ( and that definition is subjective) depends on what you write, luck ( yes, there are people out there who still start out with bestsellers, though they're rare), how long you've been writing and how marketable your subject matter is perceived to be.
2. Writing is my real job. To make the maanagement of my business easier though, I registered a corporation which meets all the legal obligations an employer has including paying taxes.
3. On average,about six days a week. Writing is a job like any other and I have day to day tasks that keep the business ticking over and writing is one of those tasks.
4. Oh yes! Writing online counts. The digital market has grown exponentially and many companies are hiring writers and editors to produce content for their online assets. BTW, I'm not talking about small scale publishers who pay slave labour wages but large, reputable companies that want to connect to their customers online.
Here's a job board I frequent; look at the quality of the fulltime and freelance online jobs
http://writersafrika.blogspot.com/
5. That's a hard one for me. I just write. Getting started is always hard though, and I angst quite a bit about it.