I have had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ready Writer Mag about how I got into writing, what books I’ve just had published and what my future plans are. I also give advice to other budding writers. Here’s a little snippet:
How did you get your first commission?
I worked in a general reference department of a non-fiction publisher before going freelance – it was great to work in ‘integrated’ publishing. Once I was freelance, I worked for a range of publishers and one asked if I would help develop an illustrated Christian book list for them. It was a fantastic time of learning and I enjoyed it immensely. I was down to edit one of the titles that were commissioned from that time. But, when they received the manuscript they weren’t happy with it, so asked if I would consider writing it from scratch.
How did you feel?
I was totally blown away – and rather petrified! It helped that there was quite a specific breakdown of what content they wanted, although that did also feel like a little bit of a hindrance as I started writing. But it was great experience – and training – for what I was to do in later years (as that was back in 2003).
You can still buy the book – it’s called Taking Your Spiritual Pulse.
Did you think the millions would start rolling in after that first commission?
Um, certainly not – although I did wonder whether I would ever get to the stage of being able to command royalties, as that was done for a very small flat fee.
And did they, the millions come rolling in, I mean?
Well, I’m still waiting on those royalties! One of the things I was shocked by when I started writing, as well as editing, is how little authors are paid. Unless, of course, you are a Philip Yancey or Jeff Lucas, ‘jobbing’ writers as they are called, do not earn enough to live on. It was very eye-opening to realise I could earn more as an editor than a writer, which is one of the reasons I still do both. It is also the reason I write articles for magazines and online blogs, as they earn me a bit of extra money while I’m working on longer-term projects.
If you are interested in reading the full interview, please click here.