The title of this post is misleading in my case, because technically the money was spent by DH, which technically isn’t me.
Here goes:
Confession time: I’ve not spent much
$ as a writer. I spent lots of time, thought, and effort. Money hasn’t been in
the equation. I imagine for the self-published the money they spent and how
they chose to prioritize is pivotal.
But there was some money spent, regardless. Count membership at SCBWI, a few
conferences, paper & mailing (in the ancient days pre-all digital submissions)
and a few books on the craft or business of writing. It adds up to something.
The latter brings me to the best money
spent from my address. It was a birthday present from DH twelve years ago; a curiously titled The
Complete idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books.
Note that the word “complete” refers to the
idiotic reader. In reality, this book is more of a complete guide and the
reader is no idiot but a smart person because they know they don’t know.
This basic book was the best investment,
as it did cover almost anything a novice needed answered. As a tiny bonus, it
also served as an acknowledgement of one’s status as a know-nothing, something to
keep inflated egos in check for the barrage of inevitable rejections to come.
For the novice it’s $ well spent.
3 comments:
It's always good when experienced writers pass on tips to newbies. We were all there once and most of us still have plenty to learn.
I have a great stack of writing books, both on craft and memoirs and biographies, and I still refer to them. They're like best friends :) But the best bang for the buck was the ICL course--it took me two years to complete because I was already selling my work and on deadline half the time. I've been blessed with wonderful teachers.
Kudos to your husband for being so supportive! He knew exactly what you needed at the time.
I think the best money I spent on writing was the Maui Writers' Conference. I learned a lot from their workshops, did three successful pitches, and even did a poetry reading at an open mic. (Maui scenery also wasn't too shabby.)
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