Category: Business of Writing

Keeping Our Books Current

Business of Writing, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigclip

My thirteen year old daughter uses an iPod device for most of her communications (which only works when on wi-fi) but also has a basic phone for when she’s away from wi-fi or needs to make calls. But she rarely uses the phone.

She discovered recently that she had voice mails on it.  But she was having a hard time accessing them.

Sadly, I was doing something else every single time she brought this up over a period of several days.  This is something I try hard to avoid as a parent.  My goal is to be 100% focused on my children as they are speaking with me.  But on these occasions I was either driving on an interstate highway in heavy traffic,  cooking something rather complicated, or doing some sort of multitasking (poorly, I’m sure) during these conversations.Continue reading

More Thoughts on Wattpad

Business of Writing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigimages

I blogged in May that I was giving the publishing platform Wattpad a go.  I was somewhat worried about this decision at the time, wondering if my octogenarian protagonist and I would fit in among the youthful readers on the site.

From May to August, I went from several reads to steadily increasing reads.  Nothing I’d call spectacular.  But each day or couple of days I’d get a notification that I had someone else following (I think of them more as subscribers of) my story.  The number of reads (not readers, reads of each chapter) grew and with them grew more visibility.  That’s how it works at Wattpad.Continue reading

Resources for Writers: Protecting Ourselves

Business of Writing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile8351296766458

Unfortunately, protecting ourselves against scams is a very important topic for writers.  And I think that, sadly, we’re easy prey since we’re eager to publish and want so much for our story.

Today, I’m sharing resources that help us avoid bad contracts, publishing scams, shady agents, etc.

First of all, Preditors and Editors  (the unusual spelling is intended). This site maintains lists of recommended (or “not recommended”) agents, publishers, contests and more. If you worry you’re potentially being scammed or wonder if the agent you’re considering is reputable, this should be your first stop.Continue reading

Weighing Writing Choices

Business of Writing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile000661570383

I’ve always been very jealous of writers who have spectacular, manuscript-worthy dreams.  Those writers who wake up with ideas for their works in progress or for new stories, falling out of their beds to find a pen and paper.

Although I often get story ideas in those drowsy moments right before I fall asleep, my dreams have always been a source of consternation for me.  They’re pedestrian visions of forgotten locker codes from decades ago, anxious and imaginary wanderings through unfamiliar cities with no map to guide me.  They’re even work-related dreams of me writing…without, mind you, the actual writing which would make such dreams worthwhile. My dreams are basically me worrying over minutiae.  Continue reading

Creating a Business Philosophy

Business of Writing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile0001495644511

Self-publishing means running a small business.  For me, it’s been a trial by fire.  Fortunately, as in many small businesses, I had a bit of a slow period, starting out.  This bought me a little time to figure out what the heck I’m doing.  After all, I was an English major, not a business major.

When the business started picking up, I made a few good calls.  One of them was to get an accountant. Another was the realization that I definitely needed to subcontract for skilled help with everything from website design to formatting to covers.Continue reading

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