For Love or Money

by Marilyn Brant

I have this daily quote calendar on my desk, and the saying that popped up a few days ago was this: "Something is only work if you would rather be doing something else."

I agree with that to a certain degree. As tough as writing a novel (or a poem or a short story or even a blog post...) can be some days, I rarely wish I were doing something else. Well, sometimes I wish I were watching more episodes of "Under the Dome" with that handsome Mike Vogel or reading Jane Austen yet again, LOL. But, for the most part, I love writing. The whole messy process of it. The crazy puzzle that we need to solve in order to create a story, draft it, edit it (repeatedly!) and, eventually, bring it into the world. I get a strange energy from it and -- as an introvert -- anything that gives me energy, rather than drains me of it, is always a good thing.

But, I haven't always had an income from writing (or I had one, technically, but it wasn't large enough to so much as cover the monthly phone bill), so there were jobs I needed to do to help pay for our family's expenses. My plan was to find jobs that would not only bring in an income but would also build my writing skills and understanding of stories. That way, I figured, it wouldn't just be "work," it would be "experience."

When I first started writing fiction, I'd just left my teaching position to be a stay-at-home mom to a little baby boy, so, initially, my work was all in the house -- taking care of him and our rented apartment and handling all of our finances while my husband, who's a high school teacher, worked at the school full time and provided us with necessities like food and insurance. When our son started elementary school, though, I wanted to contribute more directly and, yet, still be able to be home when our son got back from his classes. So, I expanded on the the freelance writing I'd begun to do while my son was a baby, and queried more magazines, hoping to write for a few of them in subjects that fascinated me -- like music, the arts, travel and, of course, parenting. I got regular assignments from a handful of publications, some regional, some national, and I also became a part-time book reviewer for a large-circulation magazine.

Not surprisingly, although this was all very enjoyable work, it wasn't much more lucrative than fiction writing, which had netted me exactly $500 when I won first place in short-story contest. (And, let me tell you, that was a BIG deal for me then!) My pre-motherhood profession would have required me to be away from home too much, so I thought about what I could do within the realm of literature that might pay a bit more and still be as interesting to me as writing. I was fortunate to find a part-time position at a library, and I worked there for 3 1/2 years -- learning about how librarians chose the women's fiction and romance books in their collection and which popular novels really got patrons excited and talking. When I finally got my first book contract, I couldn't believe my debut novel would be one of the ones on their shelves. I still get a thrill when I see my set of women's fiction books in the stacks or spot the electronic reference pages that they have for my ebooks. There's no price that can be put on that feeling.

With the tidal wave of changes in the publishing industry, I've become a hybrid author, involved with both traditional and self-published novels...and my "baby boy" just became a high schooler. I've needed to learn more in recent years about marketing and promotion than ever before, and I can't say that the advertising aspect of the profession is my favorite part -- my favorite is still the writing. It always will be. But promo and social media have their gifts, too. I've met more people who share common loves (like Mike Vogel and Jane Austen ;) on Facebook, Twitter and blogs like this one than I ever would have imagined. It's helped to make the writing experience one of both love and (at least some) money...

**BTW, for readers interested in money-saving deal -- my three-book romantic comedy boxed set, The Sweet Temptations Collection, is on SUPER SALE for just a few days this week!! The digital collection is only $0.99 (reg. price $8.99) on both B&N and Amazon right now to celebrate the end of summer. Please pick up a copy and spread the word!!**