The Business of Being a Writer Quotes

“No one avoids writing like writers.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“Social media activity can draw on the same creativity and imagination as your "serious" work. Ideally, whatever you post connects back to the motivations and themes that drive your writing. The most important thing you can do on any social network is to share things you care about—to express something meaningful rather than dutiful. Never throw up a link or a photo without giving the story behind it, or explaining why it matters to you. People crave meaning.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“I favor experimentation and letting my enjoyment drive platform building. Whether you're a goal setter or not, it's important to pay attention to what gives you energy and what takes it away. Avoid pursuing a platform-building activity if it doesn't feel like a good match for the rest of what you're doing. Put another way: Don't make your life difficult by forcing something that's not really you. There are so many ways to develop a strong platform that you have the freedom to focus on the activities you like, which in turn will lead to the satisfaction and growth you want.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“When you commit yourself entirely to the pursuit of something, that produces excellence, and that is intoxicating for people who want to be close to excellence. Excellence takes time to develop, and time for people to notice.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“You don't "own" or control a community, and you don't necessarily build one. You participate or engage with one. To be a recognized community member means operating so as to generate respect and trust.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“What satisfies or furthers your creative or artistic goals? This is the reason you got into writing in the first place. Even if you put this on the back burner in order to advance other aspects of your writing and publishing career, don’t leave it out of the equation for long. Otherwise your efforts can come off as mechanistic or uninspired, and you’re more likely to burn out or give up. What earns you money? Not everyone cares about earning money from writing, but as you gain experience and a name for yourself, the choices you make in this regard become more important. The more professional you become, the more you have to pay attention to what brings the most return on your investment of time and energy. As you succeed, you won’t have time to pursue every opportunity. You have to stop doing some things. What grows your audience? Gaining readers can be just as valuable as earning money. It’s an investment that pays off over time. Sometimes it’s smart to make trade-offs that involve earning less money now in order to grow readership, because having more readers will put you in a better position in the future. (For example, you might focus on writing online, rather than for print, to develop a more direct line to readers.)”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“What satisfies or furthers your creative or artistic goals?”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

“Mark Twain’s most successful work was sold by traveling salesmen going door to door—at a time when this form of marketing was considered extremely impolite.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer