Becoming a Professional Writer
Ellie Stevenson • 14 December 2024
Doing what's best for your book - and you!
To most of us, the phrase ‘professional writer’ means someone who earns their income through writing, perhaps even all of their income. Research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre tells us that’s increasingly rare: declining from 40% in 2006 to 19% in 2022. But being, or becoming, professional is not just about how much you make – it’s about your approach to writing. And while this is true of any writing, it’s particularly important when it comes to writing for publication. Which is why I recommend to my clients the following steps:
- Write, rewrite and polish your work: make sure your words are examined, pared down and represent what you mean, in the best, most succinct, way
- Edit your work – some of us love editing, others don’t, but a book may need several edits – I edited my third novel three times
- Have it professionally edited and proofread. Why you might ask? Because with time, you’ll get too close to your words and might not even notice if you’ve missed out a word or two out. An objective eye can also see the bigger picture with regard to the plot – is there sufficient tension and pace, and does the story progress naturally? An editor will also be able to tell you if your characters are rounded and appealing, even if they’re not meant to be great people. Proofreading gives a book its final polish – checking for consistency in style, grammar and spelling, and ensuring your book looks professional
- And speaking of looks – remember to get a great cover – one that would draw your eye in a shop. Apart from the content, your cover is your book’s greatest advertisement, yet it’s sometimes what people neglect. The cover should also fit with the genre. Do your research by visiting your local Waterstones, WH Smith or indie bookstore
- So what now? Assuming you’re going to publish your work, your book needs to be formatted for e-book and print, then published, and there are options here – Amazon is one of them, but it’s not the only one. And different platforms have different requirements. As you’re writing your book, think about who it’s for, how you want it to look and where you’d like to make it available. Then, armed with awareness, you can find out what you need to know, and you’ve got a plan
That’s what being professional means – doing what’s best for your book – and you. And while none of this is necessarily easy, at the end you’ll be proud of what you’ve achieved.
Ellie Stevenson, Book Coach, Motivation to Publication (and beyond)
Website
www.motivationtopublication.com
Email
stevensonauthorcoach@gmail.com
For further help with the above, check out the Alliance of Independent Authors Self-Publishing Services Directory: https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/services-directory/
© Ellie Stevenson, October 2024
Here are the results of the Valentine's Day flash fiction competition. Meet Me Under the Clock by Amelia Alice. Untitled by Margaret McKay. Judged by Jude Davison judedavison.co.uk Jude is a composer, author, musician and recording artist. He has written and produced 21 albums of varied musical styles and genres with songs that include Americana, rock, pop, country, soul, gospel, blues, mariachi, Dixieland, and even a trilogy of spoken word/music albums. His songs have been licensed to numerous TV shows – Baywatch , Cold Squad and feature films – Return to Turtle Island , The Raffle (with the soundtrack album featuring Elton John and Dan Hill), and his first single, Lifeline , reached no. 25 in the USA adult contemporary charts. In 2015 Jude turned his attention toward writing prose. He has now published six books – three novels ( Cybersoul , The Underwater Birds , A Writer's Prerogative ), two collections of short stories ( Cripples and Creeps , Small Cruelties ) and a musical memoir ( Uncertain Heaven ). "So the winning entry is Meet me under the clock. It had an interesting use of setting – what was imagined (film version) and then what was real. Also the idea of love, while not being 'picture' perfect but enough, was good. Perhaps I would place Helen's oldest friend... as runner up. Again, the theme of love being something more ordinary and not so 'picture perfect' as we like to imagine it, was good". First Prize This winning entry will also be published in our 2025 anthology and, at the discretion of our editor, in Link magazine . Meet Me Under the Clock by Amelia Alice Standing under the 'Lovers' Clock' at Waterloo Station holding a bunch of long-stemmed red roses to ask Shona to marry him had always been in Barry's mind since he saw the 1945 classic film Brief Encounter, last Christmas at his Nan's house. Today, Barry held the wrapped roses, as if he were swaddling a baby. His heartbeat rushed, keeping time with the outgoing 10:02 to Chester. Looking around him, the platform was vacant apart from a few pigeons pecking randomly at the asphalt. He looked at his watch. There was no clock here. This was Crewe. Had he made a mistake? He noted the peeling paint on the Victorian iron rafters, showing coloured layers of times gone by. Smoggy debris, cluttered with leaves, clogs the corners of the ornate glass panels above the tracks. He sighed. It didn't match his vision of the perfect romantic meeting place. Too late. The approaching Pendolino 390 from Manchester Piccadilly slowed to a stop. His eyes scanned the seats as they passed. He couldn't see her. Then. 'Hi Barry,' she said with a smile. Her pale porcelain skin was so perfect in the diffused light. 'For you,' he held the roses forward with pride. 'Sorry, it's not like the film,' he nodded towards the station. 'Which film?' Her eyes scrunched as her head tilted to one side. 'It doesn't matter,' he laughed, 'Who needs a clock? You look beautiful.' Reaching for Shona's hand, he breathed out slowly, knowing everything was going to be okay. Runner Up Untitled by Margaret McKay Awaiting permission to publish here from the author.
The Write Path 2025 anthology is now available in paperback from Amazon, and ebook format from many digital book platforms (including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Everand, Thalia, Smashwords, and many more!). It comprises the winning entries and judges’ reports from our members’-only competitions, along with the first, second, and third place winners of our open poetry and short story competitions, and the winners of our 250-word Spooky flash fiction competition. The ebook version (ISBN: 978-1-7384361-8-7) is priced £2.99, and the paperback version (ISBN: 978-1-7384361-7-0) is £7.99. For more information, click the Books2Read link and then select your preferred retailer: https://books2read.com/twp2025 And if you missed any of the previous anthologies, check out the links below: 2024: https://books2read.com/twp2024 2023: https://books2read.com/twp2023 2022: https://books2read.com/twp2022 2021: https://books2read.com/twp2021 2020: https://books2read.com/twp2020 2019: https://books2read.com/twp2019 My thanks go to everyone on the committee and the judges for their help with gathering everything together to enable me to produce the anthology, and to Liz for her proofreading assistance! Simon Whaley
New 250-word flash fiction competition theme of LOVE - Now CLOSED and judging taking place
