Getting paid to write a book can be quite the lucrative venture—but it also comes with its perks! Whether you have your eyes set on the literary world or you just have an idea for a novel, this option can prove to be highly rewarding. Below, you’ll discover advice on how to earn a living as a writer—including practical tips on pitching your book to publishers and getting your work published.
Pitch to Publishing Houses
With so many indie authors finding success, it might be a good idea to look into pitching your book to one of the bigger houses. Although it is quite the hustle to get a book published, the pay can be excellent and the perks can be priceless.
To begin with, you’ll have to register with the industry associations for writer’s guilds in the UK (Authors’ Guild) and Ireland (Society of Irish Writers). After you’ve done so, you’ll be able to search for open markets in your area or across the country. Once you’ve found one, contact the house publisher by letter or email to see if they’re interested in your work. Remember: never reveal your identity during these initial stages!
If you can’t find an open market in your area, consider looking into a smaller market town or city that might be able to offer you some interest. Or, if you’re feeling extra-brave, you can always submit your work to literary agents. They’ll be able to get you together with publishers, and if they like your work, they’ll be able to put in the necessary ear-marks to get your book into the hands of potential readers. Many agents specialize in representing writers of commercial fiction, so if that describes you, then this route might be worth exploring. Remember: your first goal is to get your book published, not to become famous! Once it’s published, you can then decide whether or not to market the book yourself.
Find a Home for Your Book
If you successfully pitched your book to a publishing house and they expressed interest, the next step is to secure the rights to the work and to find a home for it. This involves negotiating with the publisher to get the best possible deal and to work out a satisfactory contract. Some authors decide to self-publish their work, which involves putting the books together yourself—either on your own or with the help of a freelance editor. However, if you decide to go the traditional route, then look into signing with a literary agency who specializes in representing authors whose works have not yet been published. Agencies will typically handle the entire process of getting your work published from start to finish. They’ll be able to put in the necessary legwork to get your book showcased at various literary festivals and conferences around the world. If they like your work, they’ll be able to get you some excellent recommendations for agents and publishers who might be interested in your book. In addition to this, they can get you media opportunities to promote your book—something that can boost your sales significantly.
Get Paid
As soon as your book is accepted for publication, you’ll receive an advance against royalties. This can vary from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds (depending on the length of the book and your previous publishing credits). To begin with, you’ll need to decide how you want to be paid—either per chapter or per finished book. If you go the traditional route and publish the book yourself, you’ll need to decide whether or not to go for an eBook only or print-on-print version. Going the self-publishing route and opting for an eBook version means you can retain full ownership of your work and be able to give the world (or at least your target audience) access to it whenever they please. Going the traditional route and opting for a print version might also be an option—especially if you can’t afford the cost of an eBook.
Once you’ve decided how you want to be paid, the next step is to sort through your royalty payments and draw money from your account as necessary. This will depend on how long it takes for the book to reach buyer’s ears—and whether or not you choose to do any form of marketing (be it online or offline). If you decide to go the self-publishing route, you might want to consider looking into joining a self-publishing company—they can help make the process of getting your book published a little bit less stressful and a bit more streamlined. Some of the perks that come with joining a self-publishing company include early access to royalties, free legal aid, and free marketing—not to mention the huge discounts that many companies offer for bulk orders.
Marketing Is Important
In the grand scheme of things, marketing is quite important. After all, you can’t expect anyone to discover your book if you don’t tell them about it. This is why you need to start thinking about marketing strategies—both offline and online. You can never have too much of either one, especially online. If you decide to go the traditional route and publish the book yourself, you’ll have complete control over the types of marketing campaigns you run—from the content to the banner to the colors to be used in the design. If you opt for an agency-published book, then they’ll handle all the promotional work for you.
Offline, you can do things like put up flyers in your area, hold open-mic readings with local authors, and go to book fairs and festivals. All of these things can help get your work out there as much as possible. In addition to this, you can also do things like participate in author chats on social media—and make sure your handle is prominent enough for people to discover your content.
Online, you can launch a blog that discusses issues relating to your niche, create a website that is both informative and useful, and join an online community of authors.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you. If you decide to go the self-publishing route, then you can start by creating a kick-ass cover for your book. This is arguably the most important part of the process and can make or break your chances of getting noticed by potential readers. Having said that, you don’t necessarily need a beautiful cover to make it as a writer. All you need is a good story and some believable characters. So, if you can find a way to make your story catchy, then you’re pretty much guaranteed of drawing in at least some of your audience.
To get started, create a document that includes all the crucial details of your book. This includes things such as the plot, the characters, and the setting of the story. Having this written down and committed to paper will make revising the work a lot easier. Of course, if you’re writing in line with what’s current in literature, then you’ll need to keep up with the trends. Otherwise, you’ll just be replacing one cliché with another.
When it comes to getting paid to write a book, the options are endless. However, if you decide to go the traditional route and publish the book yourself, then be sure to secure your rights to the work and establish a home for it. From there, you can start thinking about marketing strategies—both offline and online. As long as you can find an audience that fits within your target demographic, then getting paid to write a book is a viable option for you.