The Penniless Parliament of Threadbare Poets

Eskişehir, Türkiye

Thursday 18 April 2024 (continued)

I get up in the evenin’
And I ain’t got nothin’ to say
I come home in the mornin’
I go to bed feelin’ the same way
I ain’t nothin’ but tired
Man, I’m just tired and bored with myself
Hey there, baby, I could use just a little help

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark

Messages keep gettin’ clearer
Radio’s on and I’m movin’ ’round my place
I check my look in the mirror
Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain’t gettin’ nowhere
I’m just livin’ in a dump like this
There’s somethin’ happenin’ somewhere
Baby, I just know that there is

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark

You sit around gettin’ older
There’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me
I’ll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on, baby, the laugh’s on me

Stay on the streets of this town
And they’ll be carvin’ you up alright
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey baby, I’m just about starvin’ tonight
I’m dyin’ for some action
I’m sick of sittin’ ’round here tryin’ to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now, baby, gimme just one look

You can’t start a fire
Sittin’ ’round cryin’ over a broken heart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark

You can’t start a fire
Worryin’ about your little world fallin’ apart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark

Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark
Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark
Even if we’re just dancin’ in the dark
Hey baby

(“Dancin’ in the Dark“, Bruce Springsteen)

In my last blogpost (Middleton and other musings) I wrote about Thomas Middleton (18 April 1580 – July 1627), an English Jacobean playwright and poet, who was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jacobean period, and among the few to gain equal success in comedy and tragedy, and whom T. S. Eliot thought was second only to Shakespeare.

Of his works In the early 17th century, Middleton made a living writing topical pamphlets, including one –Penniless Parliament of Threadbare Poets – that was reprinted several times and became the subject of a parliamentary inquiry.

Above: Thomas Middleton

I have been unable, so far, to find neither a copy of this nor even a synopsis of what this pamphlet contained.

But the title intrigues me and has me asking a question:

Do writers (or any other artists) need be “threadbare“?

“A romantic notion persists:

The artist, the writer, crammed in a tiny city apartment, water stains above their head, mice running in the wall.

They are bent over a beautiful creation:

A painting, a story, a dish on a menu, a clay figurine.

They have flowers next to them, not in a vase, but in a bottle.

The window is open.

The night is starry and warm.

Above: The Starry Sky, Vincent van Gogh

The sounds of the city provide the eternal soundtrack.

You can hear the sound of the underground trains
You know it feels like distant thunder
You can hear the sound of the underground trains
You know it feels like distant thunder

You know there’s so many people living in this house
And I don’t even know their names
You know there’s so many people living in this house
And I don’t even know their names

I guess it’s just a feeling
I guess it’s just a feeling (in the city)
I guess it’s just a feeling
I guess it’s just a feeling (in the city)

You can hear the sound of the underground trains
You know it feels like distant thunder
You can hear the sound of the underground trains
You know it feels like distant thunder

Walls so thin, I can almost hear them breathing
And if I listen in, I hear my own heart beating
Walls so thin, I can almost hear them breathing
And if I listen in, I hear my own heart beating
In the city

I guess it’s just a feeling
I guess it’s just a feeling (in the city)
I guess it’s just a feeling
I guess it’s just a feeling (in the city)

(Repeat 4X)

(“This City Never Sleeps“, Eurhythmics)

Though the writer wears thrift store finds, they are stylish enough, retro in a way.

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her
And you know that she’s half-crazy but that’s why you wanna to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer that you’ve always been her lover

And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And then you know that she will trust you
For you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind

And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

And you want to travel with him, and you want to travel blind
And then you think maybe you’ll trust him
For he’s touched your perfect body with his mind

Now, Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
She’s wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey on our Lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And then you know that you can trust her
For she’s touched your perfect body with her mind

(“Suzanne“, Leonard Cohen)

A bowl of noodles sits nearby, already cold because, being so consumed by the process of creation, the artist has forgotten to eat.

Because the art is everything.

This is the artist’s choice.

They are choosing to be a maker, a creater, someone who does something significant.

Above: Bedroom in Arles, Vincent van Gogh

They have no job.

They have no prospects but for this half-made art in front of them.

They have chosen to jump out of the plane without a parachute, dangerously, madly, wonderfully assured that they will figure out how to make a parachute on the way down.

She’s a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She’s a good girl, is crazy ’bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too

And it’s a long day livin’ in Reseda
There’s a freeway runnin’ through the yard
And I’m a bad boy, ’cause I don’t even miss her
I’m a bad boy for breakin’ her heart

And I’m free
Free fallin’
Yeah, I’m free
Free fallin’

And all the vampires walkin’ through the valley
Move west down Ventura Boulevard (Ventura Boulevard)
And all the bad boys are standin’ in the shadows
And the good girls are home with broken hearts

And I’m free
I’m free fallin’
Yeah, I’m free
Free fallin’

Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m

Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m

I wanna glide down over Mulholland (oh-ah)
I wanna write her name in the sky (oh-ah)
I’m gonna free fall out into nothin’ (oh-ah)
Gonna leave this world for awhile (oh-ah)

And I’m free (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’ (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Yeah, I’m free (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’ (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)

Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m
Yeah, I’m free
Free fallin’

Oh! (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’ (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
And I’m free (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’) oh! (Now I’m)

Free fallin’ (free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m
Free fallin’ (free fallin’, now I’m free…)

(“Free Fallin’, Tom Petty)

Follow your dreams, writers.

Reckless abandon.

Give your art your everything.

Tell your story at any cost.

Well, I won’t back down
No I won’t back down
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won’t back down

No I’ll stand my ground
Won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won’t back down

Hey baby
There ain’t no easy way out (I won’t back down)
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down

Well, I know what’s right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground
And I won’t back down

Hey baby
There ain’t no easy way out (I won’t back down)
Hey I will stand my ground (I won’t back down)
And I won’t back down

Hey baby
There ain’t no easy way out (I won’t back down)
Hey I won’t back down

Hey baby
There ain’t no easy way out (I won’t back down)
Hey I will stand my ground (I won’t back down)
And I won’t back down (I won’t back down)
No I won’t back down

(“I Won’t Back Down“, Tom Petty)

It all sounds quite nice.

It is not that this is entirely wrong.

A life in service to art and story is one that features a little bit of sacrifice, at least in the sense that when you choose to do something it means you perhaps close other doors.

Eventually, picking a path means rejecting other paths.

You can go back and return to those rejected paths, but that requires different sacrifices, including the sacrifice of time and effort.

As the idea goes, we have only so much time in our day and so many days in our life, so get busy writing or that time is lost.

Above: Scene from The Shawshank Redemption

But there is a line.

A very important line.

It is one thing to take your work seriously and give it your all.

It is another where you sacrifice a normal life and its essentials in its pursuit.

To cut to the chase:

You should not be ashamed of your day job.

Been working like a dog gone crazy
I’ve been giving everything I’ve got
I need something short and sweet to save me
A little something that can hit the spot

I’ve been living like a man in a prison
I’ve been living like a monk in a cave
I need a woman with a good position
I start searching at the end of the day

Pack it in and go to town
When the sun goes down (down, down, down)
And do the tomcat prowl
When the sun goes down (down, down, down)

I’ve been punching out a clock since 15
I’ve been living on a working wage
You keep paying me, and I’ll keep lifting
I keep a-lifting ’til the end of the day

Then pack it in and go to town
When the sun goes down, mmm, yeah!
Do the moon dog howl
When the sun goes down (down, down, down)
And do the tomcat prowl
When the sun goes down (down, down, down)
Howl! (Down)

Gotta find a way to ease that pressure
Gotta find a way to ease that pain
Gotta find myself some buried treasure
Gotta find it before the sun comes up again

It doesn’t matter if you’re sane or crazy
It doesn’t matter if you’re weak or strong
It doesn’t matter if your past is hazy
It doesn’t matter, you can all come along

Pack it in and go to town
When the sun goes down
And do the tomcat prowl
When the sun goes down (down, down, down)
Sun goes down!

Pack it in and go to town
When the sun goes down (sun goes down, yeah!)
And do the tomcat prowl
When the sun goes down (howl!)

Do the moon dog howl
When the sun goes down

(“Tom Cat Prowl“, Doug and the Slugs)

Why are day jobs a good thing?

Starvation is not a good condition for making art.

Being worried about where your next paycheck is going to come from does not make it easy to effortlessly create art.

Half the time I would want to spend writing I would instead just looking for jobs.

It was easier to write when I was working jobs, despite jobs taking up the lion’s share of time.

And, on the flip side of it, having those moderately stupid and occasionally terrible jobs also reminded me that this was not what I wanted to do for a living.

So it gave the impetus to push, to look for different, to look for better, and to keep on writing every moment I could spare.

Before work, during lunch breaks, after work, I would write.

And eventually I seized an opportunity to write freelance and did that for just over a decade.

But I still didn’t quit my day job for years into that freelance gig.

When I did, ıt was a difficult transition:

I had to learn to budget, to really chase deadlines, to chase jobs.

And when I transitioned from freelance to writing novels, that was tough, too.

Last night, I had the strangest dream
I sailed away to China
In a little rowboat to find ya
And you said you had to get your laundry clean
Didn’t want no one to hold you, what does that mean?
And you said

[Chorus]
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down
Oh no, I got to keep on moving
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break-a my stride
I’m runnin’ and I won’t touch ground
Oh no, I got to keep on moving

You’re on a roll and now you pray it lasts
The road behind was rocky
But now you’re feeling cocky
You look at me and you see your past
Is that the reason why you’re runnin’ so fast?
And she said

[Chorus]
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down
Oh no, I got to keep on moving
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break-a my stride
I’m runnin’ and I won’t touch ground
Oh no, I got to keep on moving

Getting to go fulltime as a writer was, for me, an epic and profound privilege.

I only got to do it in part because the freelance work became so much that I had to either cut it or the day job out.

You need food to live and a roof over your head.

You need the security of health care.

Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin’ his pennies for someday
Mama Leone left a note on the door
She said, “Sonny, move out to the country“
Workin’ too hard can give you
A heart attack (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)
You oughta know by now (oughta know)
Who needs a house out in Hackensack
Is that what you get for your money?

It seems such a waste of time
If that’s what it’s all about
Mama if that’s movin’ up
Then I’m movin’ out
I’m movin’ out

Sergeant O’Leary is walkin’ the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore’s down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
He’s tradin’ in his Chevy for a Cadillac (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)

You oughta know by now
And if he can’t drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders

It seems such a waste of time
If that’s what it’s all about
Mama if that’s movin’ up
Then I’m movin’ out
I’m movin’ out

You should never argue with a crazy mind (mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-)
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money

If that’s what you have in mind
If that’s what you’re all about
Good luck movin’ up
‘Cause I’m moving out
I’m moving out (mmm)
Ou, ou, uh huh (mmm)

I’m moving out

(“Movin’ Out“, Billy Joel)

There is zero shame in a day job.

And a day job may very well be crucial, because writing – as a hobby, as a semi-pro endeavour or as a fully professional gig – is not always a delivery system for reliable income.

Hell, even when the money is good, it can arrive erratically.

Feast or famine.

During times of famine, a day job will keep you fed.

You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’
And the girls who try to look pretty
And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I’ll be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I’ve been taking care of business (it’s all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

If it were easy as fishin’ you could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you’ll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
People see you having fun just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It’s the work that we avoid, and we’re all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day

And we be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
We be been taking care of business (it’s all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime

Mercy
Whoo
All right

Take good care of my business
When I’m away, every day
Whoo

They get up every morning from their alarm clock’s warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’
And the girls who try to look pretty
And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I’ve been taking care of business (it’s all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime, take care

Takin’ care of business, whoo
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business (every day)
Takin’ care of business (every way)
Takin’ care of business (it’s all mine)
Takin’ care of business and working overtime, whoo

Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
We be takin’ care of business
We be takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business

(“Takin’ Care of Business“, Bachman Turner Overdrive)

Most artists have day jobs.

That is how it works.

Because the alternative is starvation.

If your belly is empty, you are not going to work at your best nor will you make excellent decisions.

Art doesn’t need to be made in discomfort.

There is zero shame in comfort, in paying your bills, in eating food and enjoying the shade that comes from a ceiling, which itself is underneath a roof.

You may even be likelier to make great art while comfortable, because you are not starving or drowning or despairing.

Yes, there is certainly a romance to the scrappy young artist, not kowtowing to The Man – but there is also a lot of power behind an artist who can afford some time and space and more than a packet of ramen upon which to subsist.

You can do both.

You can work a day job and continue to make art.

Great art.

Your art.

Risky, weird, wonderful art.

Above: Vincent van Gogh painting sunflowers (1888), Paul Gauguin

Now look at them yo-yos, that’s the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it
Money for nothin’ and your chicks for free

Now that ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color TVs

See the little faggot with the earring and the make up
Yeah, buddy, that’s his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot, he’s a millionaire

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TVs

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color TVs
Looky here, look out

I shoulda learned to play the guitar
I shoulda learned to play them drums
Look at that mama, she got it stickin’ in the camera man
We could have some

And he’s up there, what’s that?
Hawaiian noises?
Bangin’ on the bongos like a chimpanzee
That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it
Get your money for nothin’, get your chicks for free

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TVs

Listen here
Now that ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it
Money for nothin’ and your chicks for free
Money for nothin’, chicks for free
Get your money for nothin’ and your chicks for free
Ooh, money for nothin’, chicks for free
Money for nothin’, chicks for free (money, money, money)
Money for nothin’, chicks for free
Get your money for nothin’, get your chicks for free
Get your money for nothin’ and the chicks for free
Get your money for nothin’ and the chicks for free

Look at that, look at that
Get your money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my)
Chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Money for nothin’, chicks for free (I want my, I want my, I want my MTV)
Get your money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my)
And the chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Get your money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my)
And the chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Easy, easy money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my)
Easy, easy chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Easy, easy money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my)
Chicks for free (I want my MTV)
That ain’t workin’

Money for nothing, chicks for free
Money for nothing, chicks for free

(“Money For Nothing“, Dire Straits)

Art is enough of a risk as it is without you making it riskier.

Have the day job.

Don’t starve.”

(Gentle Writing Advice, Chuck Wendig)

“You are all set up as a writer now, so go ahead.

Resign.

In a week or two you will get an advance for your sample chapter that pays off the mortgage and buys you a holiday home in the south of France, right?

Take this job and shove it
I ain’t working here no more
My woman done left and took all the reason
I was working for
You better not try to stand in my way
As I’m a-walkin’ out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain’t working here no more

I’ve been workin’ in this factory
For now on fifteen years
All this time I watched my woman
Drownin’ in a pool of tears
And I’ve seen a lot of good folk die
That had a lot of bills to pay
I’d give the shirt right offa’ my back
If I had the guts to say

Take this job and shove it
I ain’t working here no more
My woman done left and took all the reason
I was workin’ for
You better not try to stand in my way
As I’m a-walkin’ out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain’t workin’ here no more

Well that foreman, he’s a regular dog
The line boss, he’s a fool
Got a brand new flattop haircut
Lord, he thinks he’s cool

One of these days I’m gonna’ blow my top
And that sucker, he’s gonna’ pay
Lord, I can’t wait to see their faces
When I get the nerve to say

Take this job and shove it
I ain’t working here no more
My woman done left and took all the reason
I was workin’ for
You better not try to stand in my way
As I’m a-walkin’ out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain’t workin’ here no more

Take this job and shove it

(“Take This Job and Shove It“, Johnny Paycheck)

Wrong.

Firstly, an unknown writer won’t get an advance for a sample chapter.

How does the publisher know you can continue writing at that quality until the end of the book?

How do they know your rip-roaring story won’t fizzle out in a few chapters?

The best-case scenario would be an encouraging letter or email saying they like the sample and would be happy to look at the finished book when it is ready.

No commitment.

No money.

Months later, when you have finished the book and sent it to them, you will then have to wait weeks for a reply.

Sometimes months.

If they make an offer to publish, you still won’t see any of that advance until the contract is signed.

Even then you still won’t see any of that advance until the contract is signed.

Even then you will only receive a portion of it.

(The rest is reserved for when the book is published, probably 18 months later.)

So your payment might be as much as two years away.

That is if you are fortunate enough to get an offer from the first publisher you send it to.

Will that royalty advance change your life?

Enormous advances hit the headlines, so understandably that is what you think you will get.

But 99% of publishing deals do not involve huge sums of cash.

An average advance in the industry is unlikely to buy you a new sofa let alone a new house.

The dilution of the publishing world that followed the dramatic success of eBooks and the ease and affordability of digital self-publishing has resulted in even lower advances as publishers attempt to shield themselves from competition that seems to grow exponentially.

You will still be able to buy a sofa with your advance, but these days it is likely to be from the charity shop.

The cynical side of me would therefore say that the best way to make a living as a writer is to get another job (or keep the one you have already).

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There has to be room for dreams and ambitions.

You write because you have the imagination and creativity to make something out of nothing.

If you have the power to perform such alchemy, the ability to monetize your output must be within your grasp.

Just don’t do anything to harm your original source of income until you have proven that not only can you replace it with cash derived from writing but that you can do so consistently.”

(How to Be a Writer, Stewart Ferris)

You may write for your own enjoyment or for the challenge of it, but it is not until your work is published – made public – that you can truly call yourself a writer.

Presumably you write in the hopes of making some money.

I work all night, I work all day to pay the bills I have to pay
Ain’t it sad?
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That’s too bad
In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn’t have to work at all, I’d fool around and have a ball

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world
It’s a rich man’s world

A man like that is hard to find but I can’t get him off my mind
Ain’t it sad?
And if he happens to be free I bet he wouldn’t fancy me
That’s too bad
So I must leave, I’ll have to go
To Las Vegas or Monaco
And win a fortune in a game, my life will never be the same

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world
It’s a rich man’s world

(“Money Money Money“, ABBA)

If, however, you have to begin by writing for publishers who can’t afford to pay you, you will still gain valuable experience, compile a clipping file and increase your confidence for more lucrative assignments to come.

“Everything in life has to start everywhere and that somewhere is always at the beginning.

Stephen King, Stephanie Meyer, Jeff Kinney, Nora Roberts – they all had to start at the beginning.

Above: Stephen King

It would be great to say becoming a writer is as easy as waving a magic wand over your manuscript and “Poof!” you’re published, but that is not how it happens.

Above: Stephenie Meyer

While there is no one true “key” to becoming successful, along well-paid writing career can happen when you combine four elements:

• Good writing
• Knowledge of writing markets
• Professionalism
• Persistence

Above: Jeff Kinney

Good writing is useless if you don’t know which markets will buy your work or how to pitch and sell your writing.

Above: Nora Roberts

If you are not professional and persistent in your contact with editors, your writing is just that:

Your writing.

But if you are a writer who embraces the above four elements, you have a good chance at becoming a paid published writer who will reap the benefits of a long and successful career.

As you become more involved with writing, you may read articles or talk to editors and authors with conflicting opinions about the right way to submit your work.

The truth is, there are many different routes a writer can follow to get published, but no matter which route you choose, the end is always the same:

Becoming a published writer.

DEVELOP YOUR İDEAS, THEN TARGET THE MARKETS.

Writers often think of an interesting story, complete the manuscript and then begin the search for a suitable publisher or magazine.

While this approach is common for fiction, poetry and screenwriting, it reduces your chances of success in many non-fiction writing areas.

Instead, choose categories that interest you and study those sections in Writer’s Market.

Select several listings you consider good prospects for your type of writing.

Sometimes the individual listings will even help you generate ideas.

Next, make a list of the potential markets for each idea.

Make the initial contact with markets using the method stated in the market listings.

If you exhaust your list of possibilities, don’t give up.

Instead, reevaluate the idea or try another angle.

Contınue developing ideas and approaching markets.

Identify and rank potential markets for an idea and continue the process.

As you submit to various publications, it is important to remember that every magazine is published with a particular audience and slant in mind.

Probably the number one complaint editors have is the submissions they receive are completely wrong for their maagazines or book line.

The first mark of professionalism is to know your market well.

Getting that knowledge starts with Writer’s Market (or The Canadian Writer’s Market – for Canadians, eh?), but you should also do your own detective work.

Search out back issues of the magazines or the backlist of the book publishers you wish to write for, pick up recent issues at your local newsstand or recently published titles at your local bookstore, or visit magazines’ and publisher websites – anything that will help you figure out what subjects specific magazines and book publishers publish.

This research is also helpful in learning what topics have been covered ad nauseum – the topics you should stay away from or try another angle.

Continue developing ideas and approaching markets.

Identify and rank potential markets for an idea and continue the process.

Paperback writer (paperback writer)

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It’s based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job
So I wanna be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

It’s a dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn’t understand
His son is working for the Daily Mail
It’s a steady job
But he wants to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

Paperback writer (paperback writer)

It’s a thousand pages, give or take a few
I’ll be writing more in a week or two
I could make it longer if you like the style
I can change it ’round
And I wanna be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

If you really like it you can have the rights
It could make a million for you overnight
If you must return it you can send it here
But I need a break
And I wanna be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

Paperback writer (paperback writer)
Paperback writer (paperback writer)
Paperback writer (paperback writer)
Paperback writer (paperback writer)
Paperback writer (paperback writer)

(“Paperback Writer“, The Beatles)

Prepare for rejection and a lengthy wait.

When a submission is returned, check your file folder of potential markets for that idea.

Cross off the market that rejected the idea.

If the editor has given you suggestions or reasons why the manuscript was not accepted, you might want to incorporate these suggestions when revising your manuscript.

After revising your manuscript mail it to the next market on your list.

Take rejection with a grain of salt.

Rejection is a way of life in the publishing world.

It is inevitable in a business that deals with such an overwhelming number of applicants for such a limited number of positions.

Anyone who has published has lived through many rejections.

Writers with a thin skin are at a distinct disadvantage.

A rejection letter is not a personal attack.

It simply indicates your submission is not appropriate for that market.

Writers who let rejection dissuade them from pursuing their dreams or who react to an editor’s “No” with indignation or fury do themselves a disservice.

Writers who let rejection stop them do not get published.

Resign yourself to facing rejection now.

You will live through it.

You will eventually overcome it.”

(The Writer’s Market, Writer’s Digest Books)

In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I’ve changed my face, I’ve changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose

Don’t give up
‘Cause you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not beaten yet
Don’t give up
I know you can make it good

Though I saw it all around
Never thought I could be affected
Thought that we’d be last to go
It is so strange the way things turn

Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

Don’t give up
You still have us
Don’t give up
We don’t need much of anything
Don’t give up
‘Cause somewhere there’s a place
Where we belong

Rest your head
You worry too much
It’s going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don’t give up
Please don’t give up

Got to walk out of here
I can’t take anymore
Gonna stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That river’s flowing
That river’s flowing

Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs

Don’t give up
‘Cause you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not the only one
Don’t give up
No reason to be ashamed
Don’t give up
You still have us
Don’t give up now
We’re proud of who you are
Don’t give up
You know it’s never been easy
Don’t give up
‘Cause I believe there’s a place
There’s a place where we belong

(“Don’t Give Up“, Peter Gabriel)

“There is more to becoming a successful writer than mastering the rules of grammar and syntax and being gifted with the ability to put to paper an interesting string of words.

These are necessary prerequisites, to be sure.

But to join that elite group of published writers – which consists of only 4% of all those who write – one must have endurance, perseverance and marketing savvy.

Whatever you do, don’t give up.

Richard Bach had his classic, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, rejected 16 times.

Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was turned down 121 times.

Dick Wimmer’s Irish Wine: 162 rejections

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul: 144 rejections

James Lee Burke, The Lost Get-Back Boogie: 111 rejections

Lisa Genova, Still Alice: 100 rejections

Kathryn Stockett, The Help: 60 rejections

Stephen King, Carrie: 30 rejections

John Grisham, A Time to Kill: 28 rejections

Frank Herbert, Dune: 23 rejections

Joseph Heller, Catch-22: 22 rejections

William Golding, Lord of the Flies: 21 rejections

Richard Hooker, M.A.S.H. : 21 rejections

James Joyce, Dubliners: 18 rejections

Bad news don’t ruin my appetite
Don’t let the papers tell me if it’s wrong or right
I just do what I do and I do it
Day by day by day by day by day

Live a life and I take it slow
Made mistakes but oh that’s the way it goes
I just know what I know it
Day by day by day by day by day

Day by day I’m feeling stronger
Day by day I’m lasting longer
Day by day you help me make my way

I speak up when I feel it’s right
I jump up when I know that I got to fight
Until then I just take it
Day by day by day by day by day

Day by day I’m feeling stronger
Day by day I’m lasting longer
Day by day you help me make my way

With you don’t worry ’bout it
With you don’t worry ’bout it
With you don’t worry ’bout it
Day by day by day by day by day

Sometimes they deny it and I
I feel strangely blue?
Sometimes they deny it and I
Like the evil I get from you

Day by day you show me a better way
Day by day you help me to find a place
Day by day you help me make it
Day by day by day by day by day

Day by day I’m feeling stronger
Day by day I’m lasting longer
Day by day you help me make it
Day by day by day by day by day

Day by day I’m feeling stronger
Day by day I’m lasting longer
Day by day you help me make it
Day by day by day by day by day

Day by day I’m feeling stronger
Day by day I’m lasting longer
Day by day you help me make my way

(“Day by Day“, Doug and the Slugs)

The point is clear.

If you have the talent and the passion for writing, don’t ever give up.“

(Writing for Dollars, John McCollister / “The Most Rejected Books of All Time“, Emily Temple, https://lithub.com)

“The professional writer is the amateur who didn’t quit.”

(Richard Bach)

Above: Richard Bach

Here are a few ideas for writing:

• the feature article
• the short story
• creative non-fiction – memoir, biography, autobiography, historical events
• travel writing
• blogging
• writing for children
• the novel
• stage plays
• screenwriting
• creative writing classes
• literary festivals and conferences
• contests and awards

You do not need to be a permanent member of the Penniless Parliament of Threadbare Poets.

The people have spoken.

Just a little more time is all we’re asking for
‘Cause just a little more time could open closing doors
Just a little uncertainty can bring you down

And nobody wants to know you now
And nobody wants to show you how

So if you’re lost and on your own
You can never surrender
And if your path won’t lead you home
You can never surrender

And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
‘Cause no one can take away your right
To fight and to never surrender

With a little perseverance
You can get things done
Without the blind adherence
That has conquered some

And nobody wants to know you now
And nobody wants to show you how

So if you’re lost and on your own
You can never surrender
And if your path won’t lead you home
You can never surrender

And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
‘Cause no one can take away your right
To fight and to never surrender
To never surrender

And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
No one can take away your right
To fight and to never surrender
To never surrender

Oh, time is all we’re asking for
To never surrender
Oh, oh, you can never surrender

The time is all you’re asking for
Ooh, stand your ground, never surrender
Oh, I said
You never surrender, oh

(“Never Surrender“, Corey Hart)

Sources

• Wikipedia

• Google Photos
• “Takin’ Care of Business“, Bachman Turner Overdrive

• “Paperback Writer“, The Beatles

• “Suzanne“, Leonard Cohen

• “Day by Day“, Doug and the Slugs

• “Tomcat Prowl“, Doug and the Slugs

• “This City Never Sleeps“, Eurhymthics

• How to Be a Writer, Stewart Ferris

• “Never Surrender“, Corey Hart

• Get Started in Creative Writing, Stephen May

• The Canadian Writer’s Market (McClelland and Stewart)

• Writing for Dollars, John McCollister

• “Take This Job and Shove It“, Johnny Paycheck

• “Free Fallin’ “, Tom Petty

• “I Won’t Back Down“, Tom Petty

• “Dancin’ in the Dark“, Bruce Springsteen

• “The Most Rejected Books of All Time“, Emily Temple, lithub.com, 22 December 2017

• Gentle Writing Advice, Chuck Wendig

• “Break My Stride“, Matthew Wilder

• Writer’s Market (Writer’s Digest Books)