Writers, Money, and Careers, oh my.

Writer Abroad is reading the most amazing book. It talks candidly about writing and money. Yes, money.

Money? Stop the press. Aim the camera. Point it at something completely taboo: A writer talking about money. Actually, 33 writers talking about money.

What?

Writers never talk about money. And if they do, it’s usually in the vein of, Well, should I write for free? I mean, I’ll get exposure.

Stop with the exposure thing already. Stop.

Admittedly, Writer Abroad is only on page 29, but she’s in love with Manjula Martin’s new book, Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living. Here’s the best line so far:

“People wonder when you’re allowed to call yourself a writer. I think maybe the answer is when you recognize that it (writing) is work.”

Wow, imagine that. Writing is work. And guess what? The writers who successfully write full time realize this. After all, do lawyers work for free? Do plumbers fix your water heater for free? Why do writers think they should be any different?

If you want to make writing a career here’s the hard truth: you have to talk about money. And you have to turn writing into work no matter how much you love it. And you have to also learn to say no. No to no pay. No to low pay. And no to bad contracts. Even if they mean publication. Especially if they mean publication.

Writer Abroad always turns down offers if they include no pay, low pay, or bad rights-grabbing contracts for work she knows she could use later. Working writers must do this. Why? Because they need time to write things for the publications and companies that actually respect the work they do. If writers write for people who don’t respect them, writers lose. There’s only so much time in a day.

In Scratch, there’s a great interview with Cheryl Strayed about how she had written a bestseller and still couldn’t pay the rent. These are things writers need to hear. Thank you, thank you, Manjula Martin, for this anthology.

Sometimes we need to stop talking about high art and start talking about how to live the life we want to live in order to create the things we want to create—even if, in the end, these things result in high art.

That’s why Writer Abroad is pleased to be on a panel entitled Career Paths in Writing at the next Zurich Writers Workshop, which will be held in May in Zurich, Switzerland. While on the panel, she hopes to expand on why writers need to think of writing as a business first and an art second. But for those who can’t attend—and even those who can—Scratch is the new must-read book for writers.

International Writing Round-up

What's going on in the international writing world? Thanks for asking. Here is a list of the latest from Writer Abroad.

IndieReCon, a free online conference designed to help any writer or author who is curious about independent publishing, will be held February 25-27. Register at http://www.indierecon.org

Has the rise of confessional blogs made it harder to publish personal essays? Find out in an interview Writer Abroad did with Susan Johnston over on The Freelance Strategist about personal essay writing in the age of oversharing.

Looking for books about Switzerland or expatriate life? Last week Writer Abroad recommended ten great ones over on her other blog, One Big Yodel.

What authors are earning? Writer Abroad recently discovered authorearnings.com and was amazed at the difference between what independently published authors are making as opposed to traditionally published ones. See the report for yourself—indie authors out-earn traditionally published authors in all categories but one.

Finally, the London Author Fair will be held February 28. The one-day event features seminars, workshops, one-on-one collaborator hubs, a live PitchUp! literary agent submissions event, and networking.

Any news you'd like to share? Leave a comment.

Bestselling author earns $200

So last week, Writer Abroad got an e-mail with the subject: Exciting news from Chicken Soup for the Soul. 

The announcement was that three of Chicken Soup’s best-selling anthologies, including the one Writer Abroad has a story in, will now be available at Wal-Mart. Yipee! I mean, Wal-Mart is Writer Abroad’s favorite store…Not. Anyone read The New York Time’s recent investigation about Wal-Mart's corruption in Mexico?

Admittedly, Writer Abroad’s first reaction to the news of her story being sold in Wal-Mart was like, hey, cool! Millions of people will read it!

Then an hour later she realized: Way. Not. Cool.

Can you hate all things Wal-Mart and in good conscious have a story you wrote being sold in a book there?

And the other killer for Writer Abroad: Even if millions buy the book containing her story, she won’t get a dime.

Happy holidays, writers. This is what happens when we get paid one flat $200 fee for a story in an anthology and that anthology becomes a bestseller.

But what choices do writers have with their little stories and articles against the few big publishers that are actually buying them these days?

Writer Abroad isn’t sure yet.

Which brings her to TIPE, an independent publishing event that will be held in Zurich, Switzerland on January 25^th. At this event, we can learn from successful self-published writers like Joanna Penn about how to keep control over your manuscripts…and your profits. 

Have any other writers out there triumphed over the current publishing industry? How can we demand better treatment and still get published?

Expat Life: Are you addicted?

There was a great article by Andrea Martins, co-founder of ExpatWomen, in the Telegraph about a year and a half ago about how some expats become addicted to the overseas life. Her reasons in a nutshell:

Money and Lifestyle

Excitement

Challenge

Elevated Status

Great People

No Incentive to Repatriate

I can relate. Here’s how:

Money and Lifestyle: Money? Who are we kidding, I’m a writer. But the lifestyle Switzerland offers is amazing. Most families in Switzerland can and do survive on one income alone (thanks, husband!) and I’ve got hiking trails right outside my door, ice skating rinks and swimming pools ten minutes away, and a grocery store right across the street. Oh yeah, and the country is so clean that even the garbage cans shine. Plus there’s a medieval clock tower and castle ruin outside my window so I always feel like I’m in Disney World.

Excitement: I can’t say I’m jumping up and down, but living abroad and reinventing myself has been an amazing experience. Almost every day something happens that leaves me thinking, “huh?” (like the time my neighbor spent several hours cleaning out my gutters). So there’s never a shortage of things to write about.

Challenge: I live in a country with four official languages, not including English. Enough said.

Elevated Status: It depends. Some Swiss love Americans. Some just stare at you and say, “George Bush, huh?” But either way, the minute I open my mouth, people know I’m a foreigner. This can be both good and bad.

Great People: I can’t tell you how many “Blogger Blind Dates” I’ve had where I show up at a café after a reader emails me, “I read your blog, let’s meet.” I don't know that I'd go out and meet so many random people in "real life". But expat life isn't exactly normal, so a lot of these people turn into good friends. Expats make friends fast and they’re usually interesting and intelligent people who have lived many places around the world. Even more satisfying is making friends with the locals.

No Incentive to Repatriate: True. Because then I wouldn’t be Writer Abroad anymore. And I’m not in the mood for another identity crisis. At least not yet.

How about you? If you’re an expat are you addicted yet? Why or why not?