Writing career: A slow crawl or a plunge?

Who is "we"? Spouse involved? Kids? Definitely don't do anything without the spouse being 110% on board.

What would you do with your manuscript if you had more time to devote to it? Can you instead focus all your non-work hours on doing those same tasks? If instead of writing new things, you spend two mornings a week sending out query letters, what happens?

Publishing is a really slow business. If you quit the day job now, you're not going to see immediate results. I would take more concrete steps toward being published and hold off on the two weeks' notice until you've got an agent, sold a book, or are making money from the fiction.

If you could do without your salary, how about you take six months, put every penny of that paycheck in the bank, work on your manuscript, and then reassess at the end of that six months? You'd be in a better place to make the decision then.

I quit my job about a year ago. Partly because I lost my motivation, largely because I wanted to spend more time writing and go back to school for an MFA. Here's what let me do it without having a total mental breakdown about finances:

• I had six months worth of living expenses saved up
• I was able to work on a contractual basis with my former employer, meaning I had some monthly income coming in
• I immediately started building freelance marketing, writing, and editing clientele
• I knew I could always move back into my parents' house...haven't had to yet
• I cut out some living expenses (moved into a cheaper place, stopped buying new clothes, cooked more at home)

I'm a much happier person now, and financially, most months, I'm making it work. I'm able to spend maybe 10 hours a week on fiction writing, more if I skip exercising or if I have a slow month of freelance work (hello ramen!).

But as I'm querying my first novel, I'm learning that KateJJ is so right. Publishing is SUCH a slow business. Taking off to query all day long won't make those 6-8 week response times from agents go any faster. If you don't have a source of freelance income, I'd wait.

You might also want to think about renting out an extra bedroom on AirBnB. I have entrepreneur friends who are living on that income, but depends on your location and if you have an extra bedroom (I don't).

Everyone is different, but my advice would be no, don't quit your job. Unless, do you want to leave journalism for something besides writing?

If you need a break, is it possible for you to take a type of sabbatical, and go back to your job after a few months?

The road to publication can be very, very, long. Even if there's success (publication), many--most? fiction writers don't earn enough to support themselves.

Work on your fiction in the morning, at night, whenever you've got the most energy and focus.

If you've been researching, I'm sure you've read how subjective this business is, and how many stars have to align for a writer to "hit."

If you have a completed, polished manuscript you're querying, it doesn't require you to spend 8 hours a day doing so. I would look at the responses you've gotten so far from your query letters. Requests for partials? Fulls? Feedback? If you aren't getting requests and you've already sent a good number, take another look at your query letter.

Good luck,

I agree, I would take The Plunge once I had something more concrete in place. Taking The Plunge on a hunch (I think my MS has potential) is high risk and even if you're right, the chances of you seeing any cash for it in 2013 are minimal.

Don't confuse the fantasy of writing the next big thing with the reality of being an unemployed would-be novelist. If you don't have kids, you have time to write. You're already writing in the mornings, so write in the evenings as well. Quitting your job doesn't necessarily equate to being more productive--the structure and routine of writing around work can actually be a good thing, especially if your work is in some way related to writing, as yours is. And as the others have said, needing 8 hours a day to query a MS is a fallacy.

Why do you need more time to devote to selling your MS? Is there a reason you can't do that around your current job?

Having said all of that, I took The Plunge earlier this year. I was already doing a lot of freelance writing work, so I knew I could build on that, and I put away enough savings to keep us afloat for 6 months without being forced to find another job (I have two kids in primary school, so that part was really important to me). It's pretty great, and I feel very lucky to be able to choose to do this at all.

So my advice is to seriously think about the realities of it, and once you've done that, to go for your life.

I quit my career in 2008.

Not because I could afford to do so. But because I had to in order to write. It was a sacrifice I had to make.

At one point I had 4 cars, including a BMW Z3 2.8 (when they were brand new) and a Jaguar XJ8.

Now I have a 2004 Fiat Punto worth about £500.

It was worth it from the perspective of what I wanted to do with my writing.

However had I had a family, or another human being of any description, dependent on me to consider it would not have been possible. And that, again, has been another sacrifice I've had to make.

My only saving grace is that when I sold up the business I was able to buy my house outright. So no rent or mortgage.

Being sensible, I'd say keep regular income through work and write when you can until such a time you can live off writing.

But ultimately, we all have to do what we have to do.

Anna Spargo-Ryan said:

I would take The Plunge once I had something more concrete in place.

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I fully agree.

It can be a really bad move to burn all your bridges and put all your hope on writing.

Writing is very difficult craft, that takes years to get good in a lifetime to master. If you haven't put in your hard years and taken beating after beating for your writing, you're going to be limping from the start.

Aside from that, writing for the market is very different from writing for yourself. I'm not saying write a book to sell, but to conform your story to sell on the market can be difficult and takes time to learn.

With those skills in place, the writing world moves slow. It can take years to get a book on the market with a few thousand dollars to show for it.

My advice is to: Keep writing as a hobby until it takes off, then cut back on your other career.


If you really, really, really want to, I suggest what other people do: If money is kinda an issue, cut your job and get a part time job--enough to stay afloat. That'll give you enough time to write, and some reassurance. Also, make sure you can possibly go back to your old job. You might just decide that hobby writing is more to your liking rather than career writing--a lot of my friends are this way.


What I am is a college student (with side jobs for money). I can stay afloat no matter what I do. I'm going to school for psychology at the moment, but if my writing takes off I'll follow it. Who knows?

So, I did this. Like... several years ago. Fortunately it also coincided with my husband and I starting a family and me becoming a stay-at-home mom, but there was a period in there where all I was doing was staying at home and writing. Well, actually, I was also able to keep my job and work part-time from home, so I was bringing in some income. However, from my perspective:

It totally did not pay off immediately, or even close to immediately. Publishing is an unpredictable business and sometimes you don't know when things are going to happen. Only now, several years later, am I seeing success. I don't feel like that time I took off was wasted, but... well, it wasn't critical, either.

Also, I would absolutely NOT do this unless your spouse is 100% behind you. Like, not just "okay" with it, but actively encouraging you to quit and write. And doing so in an informed way - like, she knows what the business is like and the obstacles you face. I am super lucky in that my husband is also an 'artist' type, and he understood what it meant to me to devote that time to pursuing my passion. Even with him behind me, however, it was sometimes hard for both of us to see our friends and his coworkers having much nicer stuff and doing things we didn't do. If there had been any doubt from him, it really would have sowed a seed of bitterness between us. But I think he believed in me more than I did. I don't think that's something you have a right to expect from another person, but if you have it, it's amazing.

You should stay at your day job. The querying and publishing process can take a very long time, and like someone mentioned above, you'll have to weather long response times.

You also might find that you won't spend as much of the day writing as you think you will. There's a big difference between writing a couple of hours every day and having all day to write. Sometimes, the ideas don't come any faster just because you have the time to write them.

Since graduating from college (and being unable to find any job), I've had a lot of time to write, but I don't have much to show for it. I really, really wanted to work like a full-time writer, but it hasn't worked out as I expected. There's no guarantee the full-time writing life will be everything you think it is. At the very least, you should wait until you actually know you can support yourself with it. Otherwise, you might end up depressed and then question your decision to quit your day job.

After all, a large number of writers never make enough to quite their day jobs. You might like your MS, but there's no guarantee it will earn you six figures or more. You might only make enough to earn out a $10,000 or so advance. It might be harsh, but I don't think that's enough to risk taking the plunge.

I, personally, am in the camp of keep your day job. Publishing is too risky and too slow. The advances are going down, not up, and the payments are spread out, sometimes over a couple of years. If you self-publish in a genre that sells well online, market your work well, AND manage to put out multiple books a year, you could possibly make enough money to justify quitting the day job.

Answer these questions before you make your choice: Do you need your salary to pay the bills? If not, how long can you do without it? How long can your wife handle being the sole breadwinner? How will losing your salary affect your standard of living? Is your wife okay with that change?

In my case, we don't have kids, but we have a mortgage, three dogs, and several horses. We live in an expensive part of the country, and we live very comfortably. Would I like to quit and write full-time? You betcha. Am I going to do it? Nope. Because I'm not sacrificing my husband's comfort and interests for my dream.

The pastor friend may say 'go for it' - but does your friend know the ups and downs of trying to become an established author?

Do prepare thoroughly in advance because, if things don't work out as quickly as imagined, tension and anxiety are unproductive and can cause stress issues in relationships, too.

A change of employment/hours seems a viable alternative worth considering.

Good luck whatever course you follow.

There's also going to part-time work instead of full-time. Maybe not with your current employer, but with another? But unless you've got a lot of savings (and I'd be hesitant even with six months, since one never knows what could happen - if your spouse should lose her job, for example), I wouldn't take the plunge until, as others have said, you have something more than a finished manuscript in hand.

I've pondered this myself . . . I came to the conclusion that I could not even entertain the notion of ditching a regular paycheck/insurance (even though I don't make that much to begin with) unless I had both an agent AND a manuscript sold to a publisher. Even then, as others have pointed out, you have to consider the long-term. There's no guarantee that you'll keep selling.

Again, these are just the conclusions I've come to for myself. Your circumstances could be very different from mine.

Here's the thing: even if you "jump right in" and your first book is a best-seller, ask around and get some idea how long until your first paycheck. Then ask yourself if you're more likely to hit it big this year, or in three or four.... Then ask yourself how long you're really willing to go on no paycheck.

tylerjfrancke said:

As far as finances, obviously we would take a hit, but we should be able to make it work, for a little while at least.

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If you have enough saved up to tide you over for at least one year AFTER you've finished your novel and started querying, it might possibly just work out.
Keep in mind that a novel will probably earn you only a fraction of what you're making as a journalist, even at a small town paper. And have a bail out plan for the rather likely case that your first novel will not sell. What then? Where will money come from? Can you get your old job back?

Don't underestimate how much you can make, and how flexible your life can be, as a freelance writer--I would start looking for some corporate clients if I were you. They pay more than the media, and aren't necessarily more boring than writing about the local bowling tourney. I'd try to build at least a small freelance income. Once you've got that going, you can quit and build the freelance income even more, while also having more time for your clients. Of course, building a freelance income requires being outgoing enough to network to find jobs, and all the pain in the butt stuff of running a business (that's 1-2 hours a week for my business, not counting the very-necessary bane of my existence, sales calls). Still, I'd encourage anyone to seek the in-between of day-job and taking the plunge. Or else you'll just get increasingly desperate with the meaningless routine of your endless mornings and dispassionate days. Of course, you could keep doing what The Onion suggests, find the thing you're most passionate about, then do it on nights and weekends for the rest of your life.

Tyler.

I know an author here in California who has four legal novels out with at least three on the NY Times Best Seller list, and he still works part-time as a lawyer.

Some of my friends have been successful in selling their non-fiction work but still teach either part-time of full-time.

When I was growing up, I lived down the street from a successful author who raised her kids and made the bulk of her money off novels. I believe she taught some then, and still does now, though.

The point is not to quit your job so you can become a writer. If you are writing, then you are a writer. Sitting down and writing before your work is a wonderful idea.

I work full time as a paralegal. I write, research, and do lots of little tasks all day long, but when I get home it's my time to work on a story or my novel(s). I can write as little or as much as I choose. Sitting down and writing is very important to me.

Stephen King is a perfect example; he continued to teach until he knew he was able to bring in money from his novels.

I encourage you not to give up your day job just yet. Before you do give it up, make sure your wife stands behind you 100 percent.

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the best of luck.

tylerjfrancke said:

Financially, we're not well-off or anything, but we're very fortunate in that we have a low cost-of-living and no debt. We have quite a bit saved up as well.

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That's good, and it sounds like you're being smart about this and really thinking it through.

But something that you might not have accounted for is that not only are advances small right now, but they also are paid out in increments (typically two to four).

For example, right now, $5,000 is considered a pretty decent advance for a first-time novelist. (Sad, isn't it?) Let's say this is a publisher that divides the advance into three increments: one-third on signing the contract, one-third on acceptance of the manuscript, and one-third on publication.

So first of all, you have the query process. If you're damned lucky, you'll get offered a contract within the first three months of querying. Note that it's very seldom this fast! It can actually take years. But let's think positive and say that three months after you start querying, you're offered and accept a contract. It takes a few weeks to get the contract hammered out, so let's say that four months after you start querying, you get the first third of the advance. That's $1,667.

Your manuscript goes through several rounds of edits, and if you're really lucky, it'll get accepted (in this case, we're talking about the publisher being ready to move the manuscript into the production queue...the editing is mostly done) in six months. Note that this can often be a year or more, but again, we'll think positive. That means that ten months after you started querying, you get another $1,667, for a total of $3,334.

Now your manuscript is in the production queue, and it will probably be a year, and possibly two, before the book is published and you get that last payment of $1,667.

In this case, if you're really lucky, you'll get all $5,000 over the course of almost two years. Chances are good that each step will take longer than this 'best-case scenario'.

Also, most first-time novels don't earn out their advances, so there's also a likelihood that that $5,000 is the only money you'll see.

Those are the kinds of numbers you have to understand when making the decision whether to quit your day job.

It's also why most published authors have day jobs.

tylerjfrancke said:

Here's kind of where I am right now. Many of you have mentioned the long, difficult road that is trying to be a published author, and I do understand that. I don't naively think that finding any measure of success out there would be easy or quick.

On the other hand, if it's what I'm passionate about (and do have some skill and experience in), shouldn't that be what I'm devoting the bulk of my time and energy to? that depends on what you, and your wife, want. I'm a very enthusiastic amateur head-peeper, but knew before college I didn't have the constitution to be a shrink. I'm passionate about it, but it would have wrecked me as a human being. Should I have pursued that? I alos love, and am very good at, winemaking....and if I had to get up every day at 6, spend summers pruning vines and winters testing sulfite levels, marketeering, grafting, etc...I'd fucking hate winemaking and my passion would be nonexistent.

So no, passion isn't the end-all and be-all. That doesn't mean it means nothing, but you need to weigh that against things besides idealistic platitudes.

In other words, if finding success as a writer is as difficult as you say (and I know that you're right), then shouldn't I expect that I need to take more time polishing my work, studying markets, building relationships with publishers, etc., than an hour or two each day? yes, no, maybe so--what makes you think you'll get better? Lots of folks have a certain saturation point, and don't learn more to study or work beyond that. Many commercial writers don't write for fourteen hours.....or even more than 1-2. So....you may not get any additional benefit. and in either case, for how long: Suppose you do this for a year, your wife is freaked out to the point of becoming shrewish at you, you're frazzled as fuck, working against a deadline, and now it is finally time to choose between the mortgage or the dream.....so now you have to take a new job. Can you write even that 1-2 hours while you're at this new job?

I hope that makes sense. Thanks again for all your thoughts and your continued help.

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there really isn't a right or wrong answer here, i don't want you to think I'm saying there is. But I DO believe your logic is flawed, and you are coming at this from the wrong angle, asking the wrong questions to actually determine which course of action is right for you.

I would be less worried about if I'm spending enough time or wouldn't simply learn faster if I could go all-out, and more time looking, in real terms, at how feasible it really is for you do decide to become unemployed for several years. Then factor that pain against the likelihood of your success, and the increase in likelihood over just writing as you are now.

How do those stack up? I have no idea, but that would be the angle I'd be coming from. You wouldn't be the first guy to quit a decont job in order to write, only to get forced to take a shittier one later.....willing to risk that? You also wouldn't be the first to lose a marriage chasing a career. How great a risk is that in your particular case? THESE are the variables i'd be weighing, not getting pubbed in 18 months versus 36.

If it's available to you, you might try the way I exited journalism. I became a stringer, still getting meager pay in a somewhat regular gig while pursuing other writing projects. I also managed to sell a few regional features to multiple outlets, often written to different audiences but the same basic research. This moved me into "regular" freelance writing, and I made a killing. Meaning I made about what a full time staff position would pay. Without the benefits and having to do all my own accounting.

Funny thing is, I moved on in different career directions than I had envisioned, made a better salary than I ever would have as a journalist and had as much fun. And I'm still trying to get my novelist career off the ground.

Jeff