You’ve pillaged the nearest towns. You’ve ransacked every bookery you can find. And yet, your desperate search has not ended.
What can you get your writer friends for Christmas?
Have no fear! I’m here to present to you a list of items for you to get them that they are sure to enjoy and thank you endlessly for!
Buy yourself their book(s). So, yes, this means you get to get something for yourself, but it’s insanely encouraging when a friend picks up a book that I’m in. If you’re looking to get something for me, might I suggest picking up A Celebration of Storytelling?
Once you’ve bought their book(s), read them. And if it’s an anthology, read the whole thing. You might find other authors you like, too! Those authors need Christmas gifts, too. Not as much as your author friend, sure, but it’s the season of giving, right?
One of the best tips I’ve ever received is, “Act like you’ve been here before.”
My first novel comes out in a few months, but I shouldn’t act all freaked out about it. Be professional. Sure, party and be happy, but don’t act like this is such a weird thing. So far, I think I’ve got that covered. It’s helpful that it’s a relatively long process between writing, subbing, contract, proofs, and so on. It gives time for emotions to filter.
But this week I took a big step. For the first time, I’m not just investing time and money into my writing career. I’m dedicating future income to it.
Granted, it’s not a huge amount. Really, barring something weird happening (2020’s ending soon, right?), I should be able to pay in “normal” money if I have to.
So, what did I do?
I bought an actual domain. Take a look at the address. It’s not “Wanted: One New Earth” anymore. Now it’s my name up there.
Why change it? Two reasons: First, a free site is obviously a free site. A dedicated domain shows some professionalism. Second, “Wanted: One New Earth” is a bit of a mouthful. “Jonathon Mast: Author” is a little easier to remember if you remember the name of the author you’re looking for!
Buying a domain really doesn’t take that much money. However, it is a yearly fee. And I’ve decided that I will fund this with money I receive for my writing.
Which means I now need to sell at least a few stories. I’m on the hook.
I’m not panicking. You’re panicking!
OK, no, this is fine. I’m fine.
Whew.
The money isn’t a huge amount, but this is a huge step for me. Writing is no longer something I do to earn some extra money. It will now pay a bill. Now the writing must be self-funding.
Businesses pay a lot of money to figure out the best way to help their employees be productive. What works best? Lots of open space? What kind of lighting? Should we turn on background music, or does that present a safety risk? A better work environment leads to better work, and for a business, that often leads to better profit.
If writing is work, then your writing environment is just as important as your work environment. And if that environment helps you be more productive, then in theory, that can lead to profit if you’re trying to sell your stories.
Now, here’s the thing: my ideal writing environment may not be the same as your writing environment. And what worked for you a year ago may no longer function as well any more. People change, so it could be good for you to change up your environment every once in a while to experiment.
At the end of 2019, I set myself a goal: At least ten additional publishing credits, all published in 2020. At the point I made that goal, I’d already sold at least two stories that were set to be published in 2020, so I thought I had a fairly good idea of what was going on.
Now at this point, I’ve had a glut of announcements. Whee! Achievement unlocked. In fact, once everything is out that’s “due” to come out in 2020, I may average one work published a month.
That’s pretty amazing to me. I’ve come a long way in really not that long when it comes to actually getting things published. I’ve learned relatively simple things like formatting. I’ve toiled over stories to make them not just “good” but also stories that could be purchased. I’ve learned some of the ins-and-outs of looking for calls for submissions and how to answer them. I’m no expert, but I can look back and appreciate what I’ve learned thus far!
Ever try lifting a glass to get the last chunk of shake to slide into your gob, and it just won’t dislodge from the bottom of the cup? And so you shake the cup, hoping for a delicious bite of ice cream and chocolate goodness. Nothing happens. You shake the cup again.
And then an avalanche of all that is delicious in the world smashes you in the face and yes it is in your mouth and up your nose and streaming from your eyes and it’s so good but now you can’t breathe and then your family is laughing at you and
OK, maybe that was a little more than you needed to know about my childhood.
But I bet you can identify with that whole big chunk o’ goodness smashing into your face. Maybe it wasn’t a shake for you. Maybe it was a smoothie. Maybe it was curry. I don’t know how curry works. We don’t have it often here.
Anyway, my publishing has sort of taken on that aspect in the last couple weeks.
Jonathon Mast: Author 