Time to Start Again...

The sun is shining, welcoming in the new tax year, and it's time to reset the dream to earn enough from writing to pay the living costs (after things went somewhat askew last year). I have a few things to share that make me feel somewhat optimistic about my earnings in the next twelve months...

The most significant first: my agent is happy with the latest draft of my novel, so she will be pitching it to the editors at the big publishing houses soon. Hopefully, this one will have more success than the last one, but it means that I should learn its fate before the end of 2025.

Since my last blog, I’ve also made a little more progress with my new novel project, which is now at 15,000 words. However, I received a message from my agent today which will stall it in the short-term (though I should still be able to complete a draft this calendar year) while I redirect my attention elsewhere...

After a long wait, Fiction Express have been in touch about the prospect of me writing for them again (in September). They would prefer to move away from the Shakespeare concepts that I’d previously pitched to them. Instead, they’ve given me a new theme to explore, meaning I’ll be spending the next few weeks developing a story outline that will hopefully appeal to their readers in Spain and Latin America. The best part about this news (if I can pitch a story they like) is that it will be a source of guaranteed income for this tax year – about a third of what I need.

In other writing-related (albeit non-profit) news, I’m involved in a discussion panel on Wednesday, which is connected to an anthology in which I’m published, Microbes to the Rescue. It’s a free online event involving discussion of three stories and the aims of microbiology more generally. Free tickets for the event are available here.  The anthology itself is available here.

It's a busy start to the new tax year!

2023 Roundup

As the year draws to a close, I can safely safe that 2023 has been my most successful year as a writer. Not only have I signed with an agent, but I’ve proven that I can earn some money from publication. I’m still far from earning enough to cover my living expenses, but this year has given me plenty of hope for next year.

Here’s a roundup of every tangible success from the year:

 

Free to Access Online Publications:

‘The Slumbering Dragon’ (first prize)

‘Enduring Love’ (first prize)

‘Lost Property’ (short list)

 

Anthologised and Available to Purchase:

‘Baby on Board’ (short list)

 

Other Competition Successes (but not published):

‘From the Ashes’ (first prize) – and will hopefully be anthologised at some point!

‘Another Man’s Treasure’ (long list)

 

To anyone who has read and engaged with any of my stories, I can only say a huge thank you. Writing is a solitary process, and it’s been an entirely new (and humbling) process to connect with readers. You are the community who really makes this occupation meaningful.

In 2023, I entered 29 competitions (which translates to a success rate of 20 per cent). I’d like to increase this number in 2024 with the hope of similar fortunes.

While I can’t control what happens with the novel, I can edit the sequel (now drafted) to make it more effective. I’m in the process of sharing it with readers to help me gauge where I need to make improvements. I hope that process will be complete by the middle of the year.

If I can’t find a publisher for my first novel (even with an agent), one thing I can try is to appeal to a very different reading market. I have a concept for a new novel (adult fiction) that I hope to write before the end of 2024.

Another exciting thing which I mentioned in the last blog for next year is the possibility of writing for Fiction Express. If I complete three or four projects with them, that should give me enough money to cover my living costs for the year. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, to earn enough to live and keep writing. Anything beyond that is a huge bonus. It seems like the destination is in sight.

Whatever you hope for 2024, I wish you a successful and fulfilling year ahead!

 

Doors Opening

My agent contacted me today with some potentially exciting news: an organisation had contacted her to see if I was interested in being involved in their writing projects. The organisation is called Fiction Express, and it aims to encourage young people to develop a love of reading. Over a half term, they release a chapter of a new book each week, and the young people involved have the chance to read and vote on where the story will go next. 

From the writer’s perspective, it sounds like an intense experience, but I have been involved in short story competitions this year that have also required very tight turnarounds, so I’m up for the challenge. I also believe, at this stage in my career, that it’s important to say ‘yes’ to any opportunity that comes my way. This is the first thing that I’ve seen in addition to my own personal novel projects where I believe I could earn enough to cover my living costs for the year. 

It’s great that my agent has passed this on to me, and I feel again so incredibly grateful that she decided to offer me representation. I’m officially on the DKW website’s list of authors, which is a big confidence boost as well. I think that the organisation may have approached my agent because of that profile, so it’s excellent that even though the novel may not yet have interest from publishing house editors (only three rejections so far), having an agent is opening doors in other ways. There have been times when I’ve weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of going for traditional publication versus self-publication, and this is one of those moments of definite ‘advantage’ for the traditional route, something I didn’t know about until now. 

 Anyway, I’ll finish by taking the opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!