Today, cats and kittens… I am going to talk about your core competency. No, this is not about your platform persay. This is about what service you are going to perform, what Art you will create, that people will spend money on.

Take a deep breath. Okay? Seriously. Here are some things to consider when you’re figuring out whatever it is you want to do underneath the umbrella of “writer.”

No amount of internet popularity will do you a damn bit of good unless you have something to back it up. Oh my stars, can we stop with the plugging the same book over and over and over again? Really, folks. If you’re reading this post, then you’re probably concerned about building a business. You absolutely cannot write the one book, throw it up on Amazon.com, and call it a day if you expect to pay your bills off of—

—what, exactly? Now, I know that some of you are very concerned about Facebook likes, Twitter followers, etc. Ten years, ten years of ecommerce and online marketing later, and I can tell you this is a trap. “Celebrity,” in terms of writers, means different things to different people — but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find/get work or have people buy your books because people perceive you are popular. For your career, consider that popularity is determined by book sales, not necessarily by online chatter or awards. What I’m suggesting, is that you take a peek at your business from the foundation, not from the top floor which is marketing and publicity and the tactics you can take to boost your own signal.

This is where I see most new writers go wrong, because you fall into the trap of believing everything you read, because you don’t see the marketing that writer/person is doing to you. Then what happens, is you think that in order to sell books and get work, you have to start marketing right out of the gate. If you do not have a core competency, this removes time away from learning and can work against you when you have to deliver. Writing advice? Most times, this is marketing — especially if that person has novels or other works to sell. Yes, I’m a consultant as one aspect of my business, but I’m also not out there pounding the pavement for that every day. That is not what I want to be when I grow up but rather something to fall back on.

What is it that you do exactly? Short stories? Press releases? Novels? And what is it that people are buying or hiring you for? Ah, grasshopper. Here’s the conundrum, right? Because new writers don’t “get” to write a novel and make enough to earn a living right out of the gate. This can happen, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen to you. Even then, writing novels as a core competency requires a different set of skills than short stories or press releases.

Say you want to build a career off of short stories. Okay, let’s say it takes you one week to write, revise, and polish a 3,000 word story. You still have to sell that, and that doesn’t happen overnight. Now, if you get the minimum rate, which is five cents a word, you’ll earn $150 before taxes. Let’s assume there’s a two week turnaround for rejection and you sell 40% of the stories you submit. So of those 52 stories you write in a year, you sell twenty of them. Math-wise, this now equates to a whopping $3,000 before taxes.

Of course there are variables and levers to push and pull, but the reason why I talked about the example above is because I’m trying to show you that building your core competency may not be enough to earn a living. (This is why I opt to have diverse income streams and work on multiple projects. Other writers feel pressured to write more and publish frequently for precisely this reason, to make more money.) Even if you become known as a short story writer, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be rolling in the dough. Over time, you can resell your stories depending upon what rights you own or you can open up a small press — but self-publishing isn’t a guarantee either. You need to sell a LOT of copies to even earn out that first $150, and believe me, the average self-publisher is not making that much on their short stories, not even their novels.

I recommend that your core competency should be built around skills like:

• Productivity – How many words can you write? Of those words, which are publishable on average? What’s your writing speed? Revisions speed?
• Discipline – You must write because you have to, not because you want to, and not when a magical spirit muse shows up.
• Quality Control – Revisions, research, drafts, etc. You know your own process best. Even if you self-publish, you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice if you don’t proofread and spellcheck your work.
• Flexibility – Your book gets canceled, the editor’s role changes, your payment is delayed. When plans go awry, can you maneuver and adjust?
• Resource Management – This is about survival. Can you make those hard decisions to do what needs to be done? Do you have resources available to you that you can rely on when the worst thing happens?

I feel that competency should then be developed around what you want to be when you grow up. Assign percentages to what you can do to earn money as a writer ranked according to what you like doing, what you don’t, and what jobs you can get. If you want to write novels, then build your core and long-term goals around writing novels.

The thing is, though, is that you have to figure out how in the heck you are going to be able to earn money while developing that core competency. I cannot tell you how many working writers I know who don’t write novels full-time (myself included at the moment) because it either doesn’t pay enough, or writing the damn thing takes time out of creating something else that’s earning you more money.

Obviously, earning out on a novel (or several of them) and building a career doesn’t happen overnight. Bills come every month. Healthcare is NOT cheap. Kids? Families? Friends? It all adds up and it’s not as simple as “make the time.” Sure, that’s true, but if you have a healthy business going, then anything new that comes in should be weighed against your long-term and short-term goals.

By having a clear picture of “this is what I do,” then your goals are measurable, quantifiable, attainable. Without that core concept, though, it’s very hard to determine what “x” is.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about sample goals for short-and-long term career paths.

Okay, so yesterday’s post about Smashing Assumptions was published early due to a WordPress snafu. Apologies for that! So now I am ahead of schedule.

Today, I’m going to talk to you about appearances and how they impact your business. I’m going to start with an anecdote. Oh, shit. (Deep breath.) Here goes:

It’s GenCon in Indianapolis. The year is around 2004 or so. I attend the GenCon Writer’s Symposium. Never freelanced before, but I have demoed games. On Saturday, I am dressed in a full on goth outfit: shock red hair, shiny latex pants, tight T-shirt, high-heeled combat boots. (Epic, I know.) I am walking down the halls of GenCon to avoid traffic with my new boyfriend, Matt. There is a mechanical spider in the hallway. Meaning… No, really. Somebody created a mechanical spider. From scratch. I squee. MASSIVE BRAIN POWER, YO. Ask to see it. Bend down. Lift back up and a name badge is now the first thing that I see.

It’s Timothy Zahn. I am staring at his chest.

I stand up and am now extraordinarily, painfully aware of said garments. Folks, my ass was shiny. No matter, I attempt to own it by acting like a professional. I think I’m doing all right, and then my primordial brain takes over:

“Dumbass. This is Timothy Zahn. You’ve read how many Star Wars extended universe books? Your childhood was defined by Star Wars and The Muppets and PBS, etc. you idiot. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was how important to you? This is the guy who’s in charge of YOUR CHILDHOOD, coordinating with dozens and dozens of people to ensure that great stories are being told and shared, to preserve this amazing legacy. He must be a super-genius! Now’s your chance! Be bold! Be brave! Be—“

It took all of… What? Ten seconds for me to say… “Um, can I write for Star Wars?”

Do-dee-doh.

Okay, so this situation ended… poorly. I chose poorly. I had an “in” and it closed. Quickly. Why? Because I became “that fan.” I am now part of the masses, the proud and the free, who always ask the same question in the same way. And? Worse? I forgot the most important thing: this is not Timothy Zahn, the Star Wars managing editor who can get me something standing in front of me. This is Timothy Zahn, the human being.

Keep in mind, I used to interact with celebrities often via a casual photog event that I created, and I came to understand it’s a “job!” (I was also in a rock opera for two years, too!) And now, ten years later, when I had the opportunity to pitch through the appropriate channels, I did… At the same, precise moment that behind-the-scenes corporate mergers were happening. Ergo…

I’m not certain that Timothy Zahn will remember me. I tend, sadly, to have hoof-in-mouth disease. (And yes, I act like a total idiot in front of people I admire because I am trying like hell not to be “that fan.”) I may be a professional, but I still dissolved into a pile of goo when I met Harry Turtledove last August — and my default nature is extraordinarily sarcastic and pointed. So, my coping mechanism is attempting to err on the side of polite with total strangers until they’ve had enough. For the first six months I worked with Steve Jackson from Steve Jackson Games, I kept calling him “Sir,” until he told me not to.

I have never written for Star Wars. OBVIOUSLY. But? I’m now writing for Firefly and managing an entire team of people for this game. I am working with NYT best-selling author Margaret Weis. She’s edited me and I’ve done the same for her.

Today’s first lesson is: fans become professionals. My friends, this should blow your minds because this means that people, just like you, become those you most admire.

*waiting to let that sink in for a minute*

Margaret Weis… Oh, this talented lady. She’s a HUGE Firefly fan. Did you know that? Huge. There is so much love here, so much passion. But, here’s the difference between what Margaret Weis does and a regular fan. Wait for it…

Business and experience.

Margaret has been amazing to work with not because she agrees with everything I say. (She doesn’t, by the way.) But she gave me an order, a vision she had, and it’s been up to me to fulfill that based on my expertise. I check with her often, but working with me, she understands that I am doing what she asked for in the context of the business realities. I am perfectly blunt with her. I don’t tell her what she wants to hear but, at the same time, I am polite, professional as much and as often as humanly possible.

Let me repeat this, because it’s important:

1) I don’t blow smoke up people’s bits just because that’s what they want to hear and
2) I don’t meet people to “get” something out of them. That, my friends, happens all the time and it is [F-bomb] rude and, at times, wholly sociopathic and manipulative.

Meet people because you want to meet them, not because you’re thinking about what assets they provide. By treating professionals like human beings, you will get to know who’s who and work with the people that are a better fit for your personality and your goals. Not only will you present yourself in a way that doesn’t put folks on the defensive, you will also build longer-term relationships. You may work alone, but people in general are key to your survival as a human being and as a professional.

If you do not know what you want for your business, the best way to find out is to talk to people. Listen. Ask questions. I did! I knew [F-bomb]all about being a full-time novelist outside of my writing group and the gaming industry. Why on earth do you think I went to WorldCon? To get work? NO. To find out what being a novelist was really like by talking to different novelists. And I did. I got a damn, good picture out what the industry was like and I’ve incorporated that into my short-term and long-term plans. I also connected people I knew on an acquaintance level and sold somebody else‘s book. LMAO!

You will get the assignments you desire, you will get invitations to sell your stories, and… AND… You will wake up one day and realize you have a network of people you can talk to, ask advice from, and continue to do the work. You cannot do this if you are an asshole and if you know everything. FFS, when you’re just starting out? YOU DON’T. You cannot do this if you are desperate, either. Why? People talk. Assholes are known quantities. Desperate fans are known quantities.

Instead, the people who keep getting work, who will build a career, are the ones who know this: it takes years to build a career as a successful writer and even then success is subjective and not a guarantee. To some, I am a failure because I don’t have an original novel out and I haven’t sold the movie rights or gotten an award or am internet famous. (Accusations that have all been leveled at me, by the way.) To others, I am a success story because I keep getting work, I put out quality on time, and I get paid.

Appearances boil down to opinions. You have an opinion of yourself and that will reflect in your appearance, and will resonate throughout your business. It really is that simple. If you believe yourself to be incompetent, that’ll show. If you think you’re not qualified, that insecurity will also come across. This is not “book release jitters” by the way. Everybody gets those. This is full on “I’m not sure if I can do this!” freezy, uppy panic that prevents you from writing, revising, polishing, and selling. The hand of publishing will NOT come down and bless your brilliance. You need to make shit happen. Seriously. Those unconscious cues you’re giving off will affect how other people see you even if it’s just an e-mail.

Instead, believe that you belong where you are, that you have every right to be among those who write full-time — and then do it. This is now your job. Don’t “fake it until you make it.” FFS, I haven’t faked anything in my damn life since… Well, one day I’ll tell that story. But, not now. I was twenty-nine. There. You have a reference. “Fake it until you become it.” Or, better yet, pretend you are a very. famous. author. Adapt their habits. Do what they do, but keep yourself grounded. (When in Rome…) Some people can pull off arrogant asshole. Most can’t. New writers? Not really an option for you, because there’s plenty of shit-talkers out there. You still have to prove you can do the work and you haven’t had the chance to do that yet. Then again, I would never advocate erring on the side of asshole — that’s on the bottom, baby. That’s where people sit.

The trust Margaret has placed in me was earned, people. She may have hired me, but that didn’t mean she was going to automatically hand over the keys to her company. She didn’t. I worked my ass off (and my team’s ass off) to ensure that I over-delivered. I had MASSIVE shoes to fill, considering how much she adores Cam Banks and the volume of game books this man has put out. Still…

Business. We have certain things we have to satisfy because this is a license with 20th Century Fox. We also have certain processes we need to undertake, and I have to get books out on time. This is now on “me,” not on Cam. Meaning, I have to do the work in order to get paid. All b.s. aside, it’s back to that, to the same thing every other effing person out there is doing: writing, revising, putting shit out on time, and getting paid.

By telling you these anecdotes, I hope you’ve come to understand lesson number two. Business is not the soul-sucking corporate machine you think it is. Get that out of your head. I don’t care what you’ve been taught. I don’t care what your experiences are. If you want to truly be successful in any aspect of the creative industries, understand that fans become your boss. Business is the vehicle, the underpinnings by which YOUR stories and games are produced FOR readers, fans, etc. Business, my friends, is about building relationships with people in a manner that isn’t overly familiar or condescending.

This is why appearances matter.

Let’s talk about that. Let’s have a chat, you and I, about how appearances and demeanor really make a difference in the day-to-day. Do you think that if I was a right, foul, arrogant git that I would have gotten the jobs I did? If I got swept up in drama, gossip, rumors, if I drank and slept with people I went to cons with, that I’d have a snowball’s chance of doing what I do?

No. I get a continuous line of work because I am vigilant, but I also keep my distance. I ensure that I book work three months out, typically, and I know what words I can produce and what I can’t. I also get work for the following reasons:

a) I can do the job in a timely fashion
b) I am a reasonable person to work with
c) I produce quality work
d) I don’t overcharge
e) I will go out of my way to make things right if I screw up
f) I’m not an arrogant asshole
g) I’m not desperate
h) I’m not overly familiar with people I don’t know very well
i) I add value because I understand business and
j) I don’t throw a public temper tantrum if things don’t go my way.

This is why appearances matter. It’s not just about becoming “as well known as” your favorite writer, it’s about writing and revising, then selling copies of books. If getting work is about presenting yourself as a sane and reasonable human being, to make a connection where someone will either hire you (or buy your work), then selling copies of your published books is about getting readers or, in my case, readers and gamers.

That, my friends, is the other side of the appearance coin. It’s not just about how you present yourself to potential hires. It’s also about how your audience perceives and interacts with you.

Here’s a secret I learned from author Laura Anne Gilman: Anyone can be a potential reader. Think about that for a second. How does that apply to what you’re doing? If anyone can be a potential reader, then… Anyone can potentially buy your book, and that makes them a customer. Does that mean you need to shove your book down their throat? No, not at all. What this does, is give a face to your audience. It gives you the opportunity to write for someone other than yourself, your family, or your critique group. Write for that perfect stranger or ideal fan. I do! By doing so, by trying to satisfy the undefinable “them,” you won’t get caught up in personal b.s.

That’s all the time I have for today. Yesterday’s post and today’s screed should blow a lid off of any magical thinking you might have. I know this might be a lot to deal with, but the rambly-ness was important to get out there. Tomorrow, I’m going to talk about figuring out your core competency and offer you some questions.

If you have questions, post them below.

Over and out.