Laurawrites.net

Do you think you need to be rich to start professional writing? Do you believe you need college degrees and a stocked home office? If so, you will be surprised.

Writers go about their professional progress on a daily basis with no extra money at all. Starting out, all you will need is a computer, an Internet connection, some paper and writing instruments. That’s it.

Writers across the nation live on shoestring budgets daily. J. K. Rowling, Stephen King, and many other wildly popular authors were all living in poverty during their early writing careers. The last major statistic placed authors who earned their livelihoods solely from writing at 30% of all professional authors. What does this mean? It means that 70% of professional authors can’t survive on royalties or advances alone. They either rely on the income of their spouse or must work full-time at a regular job. Is this to say financial independence can’t be done via writing? Not at all. You should always strive be as successful as possible, but you should have realistic expectations.

Despite these statistics, you will meet a host of companies and individuals who will want your money, everything from major writers’ organizations to seedy agents and editors. A writer can easily invest tens of thousands of dollars in books, seminars, workshops, classes, research materials, supplies, and equipment before seeing a single page of their work published.

You should never be manipulated into a financial area you aren’t comfortable with. No, you aren’t “serious” if you spend a thousand dollars on a book doctor who loved your work. You’re usually far more intelligent if you don’t. Never spend more than you have to get into writing. One of the major concerns when writing this book is to prevent writers from going bankrupt before they begin. Don’t spend it unless you absolutely need it. It’s common sense writing for today’s expensive world.