From the Awemanac by Jill Badonsky:

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”   — F. D. Roosevelt

While I’m not a huge fan of FDR, and I believe that happiness is really a choice, this rings true.  As a writer, there is nothing like completing a story, no satisfaction quite like knowing a piece is done.

Cheryl can testify.  She’s written 30,000 words in the last three weeks.  She isn’t quite done with her project – far from it.  But her accomplishment so far has fueled her enthusiasm like gas fuels a fire.  And her creativity is going gangbusters.

So maybe FDR was on to something. 

Want some of it?  Get busy.  Create something.  And get happy.

All the best,

Mary

Cheryl and I have a wide circle of friends, many of whom write.  Of those who write, I have yet to find one who doesn’t dream of publication or one who wouldn’t like to get paid to write.

And there is the problem.  In the field of writing, it’s hard to get paid.  As a writer, I’ve edited the work of others, I’ve corrected master’s level papers that would kill anyone’s faith in the education system, and I’ve revamped letters for executives who should be ashamed – deeply ashamed of what they consider acceptable writing.  Yet, for all of this, I’ve never made more than ten bucks an hour for my efforts and have often earned far, far less.

Websites like elance make it even harder to earn a decent wage.  A few savvy individuals might earn some money there, but the number of projects that pay two bucks for hours of work will make your head spin.  It’s far easier to get a business man to pay three bucks for a cup of coffee that he’ll eventually flush away than to get him to pay twenty or even ten bucks to have a letter edited - even though the letter could make or break someone’s opinion of him or his business.  Go figure.

Am I whining?  Yes.  But I’m also hoping to open a discussion.  How can we market our skills to those who can benefit from them?  How can we make people see their need for writers and the value of paying a writer enough to take up their time? 

Talk to me.  Tell me what you think.  How can a writer get paid?

All the best,

Mary

Confessions of a book pirate

I’ve set up Google alerts for several subjects, including book piracy, a crime that affects many people I know.  In Monday’s The Millions column, C. Max Magee tracked down a confessed book pirate and probed the why and hows of piracy.

Read the complete column here.

The book pirate, identified as the Real Caterpillar, states:

I do not pretend that uploading or downloading unpurchased electronic books is morally correct, but I do think it is more of a grey area than some of your readers may.

And the unbelievable:

Just because someone downloads a file, it does not mean they would have bought the product. I think this is the key fact that many people in the music industry ignore – a download does not translate to a lost sale.

Pirating software is easy to find and use

It does not take much time to download once something you want has been found, however, and little technical experience is required.

BitTorrent technology is easy to install and use, and just about anyone can install the basic software needed and begin downloading their first torrent in less than an hour.

Good news, though, he restricts his pirating to only the books he will likely read.  No frivolous pirating for the Real Caterpillar.  Whew!  For a moment, I thought he was an unscrupulous bastard, but he is selective and chooses books that “are typically not bestsellers and are rarely new.”  So, it’s better to steal from the little guy who can least afford it?

Perhaps if readers were more confident that the majority of the money went to the author, people would feel more guilty about depriving the author of payment.

Yes, the poor royalties paid by publishers is the real reason books are pirated.  Pay the author a bigger percentage of the cover price and the problem is solved.

I’m sorry, Mr. Caterpillar and your despicable cohorts.  Your excuse doesn’t hold water.  Man up and buy a copy like the rest of us.  Writing can be a joy, but we still like to be paid for our labors, the same as you do.  Or maybe you like giving away your products?  Didn’t think so.

I’m heading over to Amazon now.  I’ve got a small shovel, but it might help fill in the big hole he and his ilk have left in many author’s wallets.  I wonder if they sell Pepto. . .

Cheryl