Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Nick, on Wimmin's Work

Nick's got a post up about.. basically, how to actually make money writing fiction.

And yea, it means stepping out of the ghetto.

I remember getting a ton of very nice rejections from various SF/F mag editors for my story "Two Girls." The most frustrating rejection came from an editor who suggested I send it to a feminist magazine. I raged for at least ten minutes. I already fucking write in the ghetto! I don't want to further ghettoize myself!

But you know what? Bitch Magazine's got a higher circulation count than any of the "big three" genre mags.

Personally, I want to be a regular writer for Oprah Magazine.

Because I'm like that. Then maybe I can move on up to National Geographic....

As much as I'd like some in-genre recognition because I'd really like some decent novel advances and sales, the more shit that goes on in my life, the more I realize that what I should really be doing is trying to make some fucking money.

I've got credit card and hospital bills up to my ears, and medication alone for the diabetes shit is going to cost me an extra $2500-3000 a year. That doesn't include the every-three-months visit to the endocrinologist and the yearly visits to the optician and the podiatrist.

Other people get paid to write stuff that's far less interesting than some of the blog posts I shoot off in the course of an afternoon.

4 comments so far. What are your thoughts?

David Moles said...

If you were a regular writer for Oprah Magazine, I'd subscribe. That'd be hilarious.

I'm incredibly lucky to have a well-paying day job, so I have the luxury of not writing much and writing for a very small audience. If you want to live off your writing, you've got to get out of the 'hood -- or at least not spend all your time there.

Think about nonfiction, too. Scalzi's got plenty of good advice on that.

Also, move to a place with decent health care, e.g. Edmonton. :)

Kameron Hurley said...

Also, move to a place with decent health care, e.g. Edmonton. :) 

Working on it. Working on it. Believe me! 

Posted by Kameron Hurley

DivineLavender said...

I don't know much about authorship and writing for magazines. It is a real truth to letting the universe and people know what you KNOW you are worth. Ask for what your are worth, you will get it!

David Moles said...

Hmm... K, you're worth a lot, but I'd advise against taking the dollar value the publishing industry puts on your work as a fair market price. :)