Tuesday, April 12, 2022

THE BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT AS A WRITER

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:

  1. 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.

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  2. 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.

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  3. 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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