Hello! It's been quite some time since I posted on this blog and I have to say that I'm ashamed of myself for letting it slide.
Back to the title of this post: Yes, everybody wants a piece of the action because everybody is scraping along, trying to find ways of generating an income. Agents want a bite, Publishers want their not inconsequential piece of the pie and if you go the self-publishing route, everywhere you turn, someone has their hand out. If you aren't careful, you can wind up owing more than you realize from your work, and that is no way to get ahead. It is very important to approach your writing career as though it is a business. Especially when it comes to cash outlays. And, many of the companies you will have to do business with do not lay out your projected expenditures until you have committed to doing business with them. It is all too easy to sign on the dotted line, (figuratively), and learn at a later date that you owe much more than you can realize from your work in a short enough time to pay your new creditor. So far, I have avoided those pitfalls and must say that when I consider the manner in which I have conducted my business of writing/publishing, I am satisfied that I have not bitten off more than I can chew.
The rate at which I am working toward becoming a well-known author makes a snail look positively speedy, but at least I know that my writing will not put me in the poorhouse. The economy, after all, is doing that very handily.
To those prospective authors who may read this, I say, "Keep working and keep an eye on the finances."
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
