Hugh Howey's Blog, page 63

Making a Living as a Writer

I started a thread at KBoards last year that asked an innocuous question. I wanted to hear from indie authors making $100 – $500 a month from their writing. My hunch was that the untold story of the indie revolution was that a vast number of authors were making real money with zero media coverage. Well, this weekend, author Christina Miller started a new thread that asks a more audacious question, and the response is just as startling. She wants to know how many indie authors are making a full-time living from their craft.

Check out the list as it currently stands.

I find this incredibly inspiring. To put this into perspective, I have met quite a few New York Times bestselling authors who rely on their day jobs. While working at a bookstore in Boone, I worked dozens of author events and never met a full-time author. We hosted award winning authors who dreamed of the day they could quit their day jobs. The only full-time writer I met worked as a journalist to afford the ability to write his fiction; most taught creative writing at various universities. Read this chilling account to see how bad it was within my genre BEFORE the e-book revolution.

The estimate in 2006 was that 50 to 100 science fiction and fantasy authors subsisted solely from their craft. In 2009, I remember hearing estimates of 300-500 authors in all of fiction (a number Dean Wesley Smith has famously refuted, though not to my satisfaction). I’ve read elsewhere that it’s closer to a thousand authors within fiction. It’s a number many of us are dying to know. I was interested in this before I wrote my first book, as someone who dreamed of one day becoming a full-time writer.

Christina’s thread goes a long way toward uncovering the changing dynamics in the world of writing. In two days, her list has amassed nearly two hundred names. This must be a fraction of the real number. Many who qualify won’t have heard of this thread. But I hope they do. And I hope more and more daydreamers and daily writers (as I once was) see this list. These aren’t New York Times Bestsellers (not all of them, anyway). These are people who write every day, who attempt to hone their craft, who tell entertaining stories, and who work in their PJs.

Is it a dream to one day write fiction for a living?

Yes.

Is it a ton of hard work and thankless years of published obscurity?

Absolutely.

Is there some luck involved, some good fortune needed?

I certainly think so.

But is this list growing? And will it continue to grow?

You tell me. What did you write about today?

New Fight for Peace Cover

Jasper Schreurs gives us a peek of the entire Parsona crew (Walter is going to be on the back cover, scheming).

“Cheap is Cheap”

I finally saw MIDNIGHT IN PARIS last night, and it charmed my socks off. What a brilliant film. One I’m sure I’ll watch a second and third time. One of the cringe-worthy quotes from a heinous character — said a couple of times — was, “Cheap is cheap.” And that’s the first thing I thought of when I checked my Amazon page and noticed that the price of the WOOL audiobook is back to $1.99!

Now, this is only for those of you who own the Kindle edition of the book. But even if you don’t, that means you can get the ebook AND the unabridged audiobook for $6.98. That seems outright crazy to me. The newer Kindles will even read the work to you in the actor’s voice and highlight the words as she goes. It’s called Whispersync, and it’s badass. You have to see (and hear) it to appreciate it.

If you know anyone who hasn’t checked out the work because they don’t do ebooks, maybe recommend this little secret as a way of getting the audiobook for cheap. Oh, and this is a new recording that includes the chapter we added for the Random House edition. Also: SHIFT is now up for pre-order on Audible and should be out in a couple of weeks! You won’t believe Tim Reynolds’ reading. It’s AMAZING.

Eddy has a Question About My Answer to Doug’s Question

Hugh, your response is valuable to a lot of us. As you say, it’s definitely a good time to be a writer, and the opportunities are exciting. Can you offer your thoughts on how to deal with the feeling of needing to reinvent yourself as a writer. What I mean is, I imagine many aspiring writers have regular jobs and regular lives and writing is something done privately, very much on the side. Suddenly faced with the need/desire to get their work out there, they are faced with an uneasy disconnect between these two worlds–worried about criticism, or questions about their decision to share their art. It sounds ridiculous to think of being controlled by what others might think of you, but I think it’s a fear that sits just beneath the surface sabatoging dreams. Anyway, not sure if this is something you’ve dealt with, but curious how you might respond. Thanks!

That’s a great question, Eddy. I can only speak for myself, but the fear of publishing is almost crippling. I dread putting my work out there for others to critique. I always assume people will hate it, even as I pass my manuscript to my wife and mother for them to go over. When I first realized that strangers were reading my work, it kept me up at night. This is why you will never find me saying anything like: “My book is awesome; you should read it.” It’s not something I believe.

I don’t think this is true of all writers, but I don’t think it’s uncommon either. I meet writers all the time who know their work is great. Justin Cronin had that confidence about him, and deservedly so. Maybe getting your MFA and surviving the gauntlet of so much professorial and peer-based criticism hones your craft and your confidence. Many of us who are hobbyists don’t have that rigorous training. We go from writing on the side to announcing to friends and family that we’ve produced a novel. We go straight from this to making our works available to the world. There is very little build-up. There isn’t much time to come to grips with the idea of being a writer.

My method of bridging this gap was to start small and start with people I knew and trusted. I pounded out my first novel in very little time. When I realized I’d written a book — a lifelong dream — I began the process of convincing the world (and myself) that I was a writer. While editing my work to make it suitable for digestion, I started a blog, a website, a Twitter account, and later a Facebook page. I initially used these to write from the perspective of my main character, to share chapters and writing samples, and to make short stories and autobiographical accounts freely available. I also sent my manuscript to anyone who would read it. I didn’t concern myself with copyrights, the chance of ideas being stolen, the fear of giving away my work. I simply put myself out there in dribs and drabs, starting with the people closest to me.

Getting anyone to read my work was a chore. I think this helps. You combat the fear of people reading your stuff by the reality that nobody really wants to. This gets you begging them to give it a shot. “Here. It’s not very good. I have a lot of work to do on it. But what do you think?” You slowly get used to not hearing back from people, from hearing that it’s merely okay, and then — maybe — that they really liked something.

My first cousin Lisa was an early fan of the Molly books. She raved. She made her mother and friends read my manuscript, and they raved. This gave me the strength to get the work out there. However — and this has been the hardest thing to work on (I haven’t made much progress) — thinking that my work sucks makes it easy to discount the raves from those who think otherwise and even easier to believe the criticisms, however harsh. I don’t have good advice on how to handle this. The answer is probably to stop looking at what people say about your work, but this is difficult.

As painful as the process can be, having dreams stifled — as you point out in your question — is far worse. This is where we overcome our fears. For most of us who write, I think we can’t *not* write. It’s a compulsion. It starts from our being avid readers and wanting to concoct our own stories. We have a dream of writing a novel one day. And the high that comes from completing this journey, which anyone who has finished a book can attest to, is usually enough to move our baby out into the world.

What’s amazing is how quickly you will go from being terrified that anyone will see your words to convinced that nobody ever will, and from there to asking the next question every writer faces. What begins as crippling self-doubt and fear of exposure normally graduates to insecure self-promotion and the fear of obscurity. How to have your work discovered becomes the next major hurdle. You may loathe the day that your words are freely available to the eyes of strangers, but you’ll get used to the idea of putting yourself out there while nobody is really looking. So by the time they finally do, you’ll have braced your soul for impact. Besides, the worser danger is never giving yourself a chance to fail, however painful.

Doug has a Question

Hello Mr. Howey,

I’m Doug Rigsby and I came across your books on amazon looking for kindle science fiction books. My goal is to earn my living via writing science fiction novels. I’ve been writing in my spare time for the past 7 years. I’ve learned a tremdious amount during that time. I figure I’m within a year of launching my first ebook. Would you part with me some of your experiences? Things to do, not do? Developing a platform or online presence isn’t something I”m use to doing even though I’ve been in technology for the past 21 years. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Take Care,

Doug

Hey Doug, that sounds like a familiar dream! I always wanted to make it as a full time science fiction author. I’ll tell you what I’ve learned: It’s hard work; you really need to do it because you love it; and it’s never been a better time to be a writer.

The key is to get a lot of writing done. You need to produce many quality stories, not just put all your dreams into a single work. Form a habit of writing every day. Spend your free time when you aren’t writing dreaming up your next scene or plot. Obsess over your work. Read quality material in your spare time (or watch movies, TV shows, read comics, poetry, or preferably a mix of all these things).

Once you produce something you’re proud of, get some eyeballs on it. Join a writing group (in person is best; online if you must). Trade editing services with others. Or hire an editor if you can afford it. Get the best cover you can make or afford. Hire someone to format your ebook (Jason at Polgarus Studios does amazing work at rock bottom prices). And then make the work available to readers. Don’t sweat whether it takes off or not; this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Building a platform is also a slow and steady affair. Start while you’re writing. Craft a few short stories or scenes from your works and post them online. Introduce your characters. Write some backstory. It’s good practice, and it showcases what you can do. Tweet and Facebook and blog these things, even though nobody is listening. For the first few years, there’s a good chance no one will listen. But you’re writing; you’re practicing; you’re seeding the world with your craft. A blog needs content. It needs a history.

It’s actually better if you don’t take off for a few years or more. By the time you start gaining an audience, you’ll have tons of content on your blog, some practice with Twitter, and a back catalog of published works. If you devote time to it, even with a full time job and a family/household, you can produce two or three novels a year. In a few years, you might have ten or a dozen works out there. They will never go out of print, never grow stale, will always be there to become discovered.

Again, it’s important that you are writing because you enjoy it. If it makes you happy, you can’t lose. There’s the satisfaction of creating something that will outlive you. If it feels frustrating that you are writing these works and no one seems to be reading them, think of John Kennedy Toole, Stieg Larsson, Philip K. Dick, and the many others who never knew the impact they would eventually have. It might be delusional to think we could have the same impact, but there’s nothing wrong with daydreaming and staying positive if it helps you attack a hobby with cheer and gusto.

Another thing: Check out KBoards and read through the threads in the Writers’ Cafe. I’ve learned a lot from this forum and made some lasting friendships. Best of luck, man. I wish you every ounce of success. Most of all, I hope you stick with it because you enjoy it.

-Hugh

Sitting like no man has sat before.

From Kotaku via a Facebook friend. Don’t know why, but this really got me cracking up this morning. How did I never notice this? And how does everyone keep a straight face?

Problems with Avengers 2?

This was an eye-opening read on the production of an Avengers sequel. Usually, studios have actors locked up for three or so films in the contract for the first movie (if certain thresholds are met). But several of the Avengers crew are not locked down for a follow-up. And Downey has spoken recently of retiring his portrayal of Iron Man (hard to believe after the massive opening weekend the latest film had). He has also, after making 25 TIMES as much as fellow actors on Avengers, stated that he will play hardball to get the rest of the cast what it deserves for any potential sequel.

I’ve read a few articles on this, and it has shocked me to hear how brutal Marvel is with their negotiations. Not that I assume filmakers are or should be overly generous, but you see the quality of actor and director they hire, the ability to put together an ensemble like this, and you figure it comes from paying people what they deserve. Instead, you get the sense that, like every Bruce Banner to date, the actors are expendable. It’s the tights that matter.

Could we see an Avengers 2 that features a mostly-new cast? It would be weird, but I’m sure they could pull it off. It burst my bubble a little bit, as I would love nothing more than two more films with the existing crew and Joss at the helm. In fact, I would love to see an odd experiment performed. Offer two different ticket prices, one with an extra $2 tacked on that goes to the entire crew (not just the cast), evenly distributed. Every single penny makes it back to them, no administration costs. How many moviegoers would pay an extra $2 knowing where it would end up? As much as I complain about ticket prices and the cost of popcorn, I would do it gladly. Then again, I stayed through the credits of Iron Man 3 (totally worth it), and it looked like a few million people were involved in the making of the film. So I doubt the extra $10 in everyone’s pockets would be all that appreciated.

Yes. Please. Give me more.

The Incomparable David Adams

If any one person is to thank (or blame) for Wool fan fiction, it’s David Adams. One of the best members of KBoards (which is to say the most helpful, most uplifting, and most entertaining of members), David has been a huge supporter of my work since the very beginning. He put up the first (and only?) video review of Wool and started numerous threads about the series (one of my favorite was this Hollywool mockup).

But it was his fan fiction that really blew me away. Before the SHEAR TERROR piece (which I loved and which you can find on the fan fic page), there was NEW FLEECE ON LIFE. It was the first true piece of fan fiction written in the Wool world, and it started as little more than a forum post. One that blew me away for it’s brilliant and moving What If?

Now, I get a lot of questions about this fan fiction stuff, and one of the things people seem most wary of is the idea of having something written that conflicts with “canon.” This has never been a concern for me, and I think it’s because I grew up on comics, where origin stories are rewritten, comics rebooted, alternate universes explored, and nothing is set in stone.

In fact, one of my favorite comic series growing up was the Marvel What If? series. Narrated by The Watcher, these comics revealed the outcome of major events in the Marvel universe had they gone a different way. The exploratory nature was fun. It was like a formal daydream in a known world. I loved them.

Which is why David’s take on Wool knocked my socks off. You see, he un-kills a beloved character. We get to see what would have happened if Holston survived his cleaning. No, not a spoiler, as the story begins with this moment. And it is tenderly treated, moving me to tears on my first reading. Even better, David brings characters from his Lacuna series and intermingles the two casts together. It is a fan fiction mash-up, and brilliantly done.

For a dollar, it can’t be beat. And it’s a great introduction to one of the future stars of indie publishing. David is a complete natural. He writes with a cinematic style and creates believable characters. I’m honored that he not only dabbled in my world, but brought a piece of his into it. Thanks, David.

New Fleece on Life at Amazon

Neil Gaiman is Coming to Town!

Stop the presses. Neil Gaiman is coming to Miami to speak and sign books. The event is being put on by Books & Books, the best independent bookstore in Florida (if not the universe). The date is June 23rd, which happens to be my birthday. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the geek gods have granted me a birthday wish after years of successfully huffing out all of my candles. It works out for everyone, though, as it seems that I’m not the only one the event is open to. You can all come!

Here are the details.

I listened to Neil speak at SXSW this year, and it was one of the highlights of my book tour. The man is an inspiration to me and so many others, not just as readers but as artists. He is a pioneer in the joy of giving away one’s work and seeing that rewarded by a growing readership. His wife is also an inspiration who shares many of his philosophies. Two speeches you simply MUST see follow, one is a commencement address Neil gave two years ago, and the other is from his wife, Amanda Palmer, a musician who gave one of the best TED talks you’ll ever see: