Don't Quit Your Day Job.

[carsonshepherd]

One day I would like to be a professional writer. You know, like, sell work and make a living? But it ain't gonna happen any time soon. I can't take all the time I need to write because of work. But if I quit work to write, I would starve to death.

I'm afraid that without a day job, if I HAD to write, I wouldn't do it. I'd just mope around the house and eat bonbons and drink beer for lunch. Or my ideas would dry up completely. I don't think I could handle the pressure and I admire anyone brave enough to even think about it without their knees knocking together.

I know some Literoticans ARE professional writers. Some people are forever content merely to write for themselves or for something like Lit and have no need or desire for publication. Other people think of this as "just practice" or letting off steam. Who else aspires to get paid? Do you have a timetable or a plan? I just think vaguely, Someday.

 

[impressive]

Some people are forever content merely to write for themselves or for something like Lit and have no need or desire for publication.

I fall into this category. (Good thing, too.)

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I would like to be a paid author. I considered for awhile submitting my Earth Day Contest winning story to the Best American Erotica Anthology... but I chickened out. I'm like you... maybe someday.

 

[destinie21]

One day I would like to be a professional writer. You know, like, sell work and make a living? But it ain't gonna happen any time soon. I can't take all the time I need to write because of work. But if I quit work to write, I would starve to death.

I'm afraid that without a day job, if I HAD to write, I wouldn't do it. I'd just mope around the house and eat bonbons and drink beer for lunch. Or my ideas would dry up completely. I don't think I could handle the pressure and I admire anyone brave enough to even think about it without their knees knocking together.

I know some Literoticans ARE professional writers. Some people are forever content merely to write for themselves or for something like Lit and have no need or desire for publication. Other people think of this as "just practice" or letting off steam. Who else aspires to get paid? Do you have a timetable or a plan? I just think vaguely, Someday.

Well I've been copyrighting my stuff and contacting editors (as well as pulling in favors from a few english professirs I know.) I have the names of some good publishers for what I'm pushing so all I have to do is wait a month or two for everything to pull toghether and I'm going to start sending my work out if I don't get published at least I be able to write volumes of angst poetry based on my rejection. Or I could self publish but that always seemed like self gratifaxation to me.

 

[cheerful_deviant]

I dream of "Someday" being a real writer, but I am also realistic enough to realize that it will never happen. I am simply not creative enough or driven enough for it to happen.

But it's a nice dream. Kinda like the lottery, buy a ticket once in a while, a buck is good for a dream.

 

[cantdog]

I've been paid. Very irregularly and intermittently. It was good.

Most of ther time, when you are paid, you are writing to order. They tell you they want 600 words about Driving or a review of this book not to exceed x column inches. Hang out at the story ideas board and write what people tell you they want. Great practice. Use words of one syllable as often as you can and they will love the shit out of you.

 

[Bridget69]

I too sometimes think of becoming a professional writer but given that I procrastinate a lot when it comes to writing, I don't think it would work out.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I've been paid. Very irregularly and intermittently. It was good.

Most of ther time, when you are paid, you are writing to order. They tell you they want 600 words about Driving or a review of this book not to exceed x column inches. Hang out at the story ideas board and write what people tell you they want. Great practice. Use words of one syllable as often as you can and they will love the shit out of you.

Well, see, that being one of my many terminal fears. That I could not write "to order". I could probably crank something out, but it wouldn't be what I wanted to write; and therefore it probably wouldn't be the best I was capable of. And another fear - settling for that.

However, maybe this is what's needed to be a published writer. To get to the point where you decide what you want to write and people want to buy it.

 

[LadyJeanne]

Well, see, that being one of my many terminal fears. That I could not write "to order". I could probably crank something out, but it wouldn't be what I wanted to write; and therefore it probably wouldn't be the best I was capable of. And another fear - settling for that.

However, maybe this is what's needed to be a published writer. To get to the point where you decide what you want to write and people want to buy it.

Maybe writing to order isn't your thing, but you certainly have what it takes in terms of talent and will to put together a collection of your works and publish it.

Maybe you could talk to some people who have done it and find out how to go about it. I believe Amicus has done this - maybe he'll be nice and tell you about his experiences.

 

[cloudy]

I've been paid for my work twice: once was a childrens book that I wrote and illustrated for an assignment in creative writing class in high school (teacher loved it so much he shopped it around and sold it for me), and then once a short story that is supposed to appear in an anthology this spring.

It's a great feeling, but I haven't gotten to the point yet where I'd feel comfortable trying to depend on it to live....nowhere near that.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I've been paid for my work twice: once was a childrens book that I wrote and illustrated for an assignment in creative writing class in high school (teacher loved it so much he shopped it around and sold it for me), and then once a short story that is supposed to appear in an anthology this spring.

It's a great feeling, but I haven't gotten to the point yet where I'd feel comfortable trying to depend on it to live....nowhere near that.

Congratulations! That is incredible!

I've been urged by people to seek publication, but those people don't know me, so they don't know how lazy I am. They also don't know that unless I am totally obsessed with something, to where I work on it every waking moment, I will probably run out of steam at some point and leave it unfinished. Lit's been good for me in that respect. I feel like I make a commitment to the readers to finish something once it's started.

to everyone for responding to this thread!

 

[BlackShanglan]

Guess I'm going to find out.

Shanglan

 

[Belegon]

I aspire to be paid for writing but my erotica is not what I am shopping...it is more for personal fulfillment.

 

[logophile]

I also want very much to be paid eventually. It's hard to submit work to publishers, though. Guess I'll have to get over that!

 

[TheEarl]

A friend of mine is in the middle of taking time out from work to see whether he can write professionally. He's doing all sorts of part time jobs like Waterstones and stuff to keep a little money coming in, but he's writing at a phenomenal pace. He says he's taking 2 years to see if he can get something published.

I think when I've finished uni, I'll work for a bit and save up money and then follow his example. I'm not the best author in the world, but I do have talent. I know I'll never make the most of that talent if I don't spend at least a short period devoting myself to it and I think it would be a horrible waste if I don't at least try.

The Earl

 

[Elsie Grey]

If he doesn't get anything published then there is no hope for the rest of us! I've nearly finished reading he lasted by the by Earl and it's fantastic! I'm really enjoying it and I normally find books in that genre boring but I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Elsie

xxx

P.S. Way too many !'s in this but never mind

 

[English Lady]

Well I have made some money with my writing. I have written personalised erotica acouple of times and I did porn reviews till i got sick to death of it *L*

I have sort of promised myself that this year i'm going to take myself a tiny touch more seriously and i'm going to look to get some of my stuff published. I am at least going to try. NaNo showed me I do infact have the motivation to write pretty much to demand and that I am very priveledged to have afair amount of time in which Ican write. So yeah.I'm going to see if I can makesome more pennies out of this writing lark.

Lets see what happens*L*

 

[sweetnpetite]

If you get paid for writing that makes you a prostitute... no wait that's sex... I get confused...







.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I'd love to make money writing. It would sure be a boost to supplament my disability. But a lot of writing is selling yourself and I just don't have the ability anymore. Maybe one day. I also question if I have the talent to write stuff people would actually pay to read.

-Colly

 

[TheEarl]

I'd love to make money writing. It would sure be a boost to supplament my disability. But a lot of writing is selling yourself and I just don't have the ability anymore. Maybe one day. I also question if I have the talent to write stuff people would actually pay to read.

-Colly

Jeffrey Archer gets paid to write. Why can't we?

The Earl

 

[Guest]

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Even writing full time, it's not easy to support yourself, at least not in the porn field.

The going Author's rate for a book is about 11% of hard-copy sales. Lets say you sell 5000 copies of a book for $10/copy (5000 copies is pretty good for a book that's only sold online). That comes out to something like $550 in your pocket. How long does it take you to write a book?

E-books pay more, about 50% of sales, but e-books still haven't taken off, and, personally, I'm not convinced that they ever will.

I make money writing for an illustrated BDSM site. The webmaster sends me a monthly check based on how many people read my stories, and that's nice. It almost keeps me in cigarettes. Of course, the more stories I have up, the more money I'll make, but it takes him a long time to get the photos for the stories taken, so my output's limited to how fastthe photographer can work.

Of course, someday someone's going to have a porn book break through into the major market--the Da Vinci Code of porn--and who says it won't be you? But in the meantime, I'd forget those dreams of a villa in the south of France. Pro writing's hard work.

---dr.M.

BTW, the fastest growing area in porn these days is "Romantica": bodice-rippers with graphic but tasteful sex scenes.

 

[Black Tulip]

I keep dreaming that someday someone will find my work so irresistible...

So far, I have one literary agent's comment which I will not repeat in public (LOL) and one story published in a Canadian magazine. I try to sell a story every once in a while, but not very fanatical. Most of the time I get back a polite thank you, but no thank you.

You could have a look at this site: http://www.erotica-readers.com
There are always calls for submissions there, so just give it a try.

http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/snowman/smile.gif

Edited: Damn, I can't get the link to work properly. Sorry.

 

[Black Tulip]

I would like to be a paid author. I considered for awhile submitting my Earth Day Contest winning story to the Best American Erotica Anthology... but I chickened out. I'm like you... maybe someday.

Hi Crim,

You should. Your writing is good enough in my opinion.
Go for it girl!

http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/snowman/grin.gif

 

[Guest]