by Patricia Gilliam

Created on: June 29, 2010

Developing a career as a writer is a lifelong process, but when you first get start out it isn't always easy to find helpful information.  I was fortunate to have more experienced writers guide me and give me solid advice, and I now make an effort to do the same for writers newer than me.  Here are some resources and tips I wish I had known when I first started out:

1)  Writing is a business, so you need to know the basics of how to run one.

The earlier you can learn to manage your finances, the more freedom you'll have to get your career off to a good start.  I recommend books by Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Robert Kiyosaki, and Timothy Ferriss.  The two main concepts you want to be able to grasp are residual income and running a business without debt.

2)  Regardless to how you publish, you need to know how to market yourself and your books.

The Guerrilla Marketing series by Jay Conrad Levinson is very useful, and there's a book specifically for writers.  The current ISBN for the latest edition is 978-1-60037-660-3, and you can find it on Amazon by clicking here.  This book stays on my desk and has paid for itself many times over.

3)  The best authoritative guide on traditional publishing I'm aware of is the Writer's Market series.

These guides are published on a yearly basis, with information and criteria set by thousands of traditional publishers.  Most also include author interviews, tips on creating a query letter, special information for certain genres, and updates on the industry.  The series also publishes specific guides for novelists, short story writers, children's writers, and poets.

4)  Self-publishing guides are useful as well.

Advances in technology have also brought legitimate opportunities for authors to self-publish.  Print-on-Demand (POD) companies such as Lulu.com and CreateSpace (owned by Amazon) are two great sites to start out with if you decide on this route.  As a self-published writer, you have to do a lot of other jobs on your own-from editing to marketing-but based on your personality and drive you may enjoy having greater control of your work.  Successful self-publishers also gain attention from the traditional industry, especially in an economic environment where taking on new and untested authors isn't as common for financial reasons.

A good self-publishing guide will discuss the overall process and give you more tips on along the lines of the business books I mentioned earlier.

5)  Develop an online and physical collection of references that will help you personally.

This is going to vary to your own particular needs.  When I started my sci-fi novel series, it didn't just stick to books within my own genre.  I also didn't just stick to the 'Writing' section of bookstores.  Everything from old psychology textbooks (for developing realistic characters) to browsing news websites can help you spark ideas.  These resources will build over time, and be sure to take the time to update them.

Some of the best resources you'll ever had will be the ones you develop for yourself.  I have my own character and setting guides in the form of Word documents on my desktop for easy access.  If I need information about a particular character, I don't have to go looking back through previous novels to make sure my continuity stays intact.  This becomes invaluable when you start doing massive projects.

I hope you've found these tips helpful, and best wishes on your writing!

Learn more about this author, Patricia Gilliam.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.