The Business of Writing by Kathie Giorgio, author of Don't Let Me Keep You

 

Motherhood is a symphony, from the first movement, through crescendo after crescendo, to the finale. Hildy Halverson, a genius in math and science, is pushed by her parents to step into a male-dominated field and change the world for women. But Hildy, enamored of the scientific force of the human body, and her own body’s ability to create and sustain life, decides to go against contemporary expectations. She marries young and raises a houseful of kids. Hildy wants her children to choose their own life paths. As each child is born, she tells them, “You can be whatever you want to be, and whatever you want to be will be great.” Despite her efforts to not influence her children, Hildy does so, often in unexpected ways. Each child is introduced in that first private moment between Hildy and her new baby. This is followed by a chapter revealing that child’s life, years later. Woven throughout is an underlying grief over the death of the sixth baby soon after birth. That grief is more pervasive than any of them expect. In this ambitious novel, the struggles and joys, fatigue and exhilaration of motherhood, are captured in the full panorama of family life. Hildy lovingly raises her children, then lets them go, finding herself along the way.

 

THE BUSINESS OF WRITING 

Just last night, I attended a special event in the Milwaukee area called China Lights. Held outdoors in a park devoted to beautiful flower gardens, there were amazing and intricate lit fabric-based figures, all from Chinese artists. One display showed the Chinese zodiac characters. I saw that I was born in the year of the rat. I wasn’t too happy with that, until I saw the list of possible vocations. Writer, it listed first. And then, Sales. Well, that’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it. The business of writing means you also have to be able to sell yourself and your work. And, if I have to be a rat to do what I love so much, then so be it! In the last 14 years, I’ve written and sold 15 books – 8 novels, 2 short story collections, 4 poetry collections, and 1 collection of essays. All of the books are with traditional presses. I’ve also had hundreds of short stories, essays, and poems appear in magazine and anthologies. So clearly, I’ve found the time to write…and to get what I write out into the world. It can be done. You can sink your teeth into the business of writing – but still have plenty of time for the artful, creative side of things.

As creatives, we are used to our work being with words, and with time spent on making those words just right. We want to say things, say them well, and say them in a new and lovely way. But then, after our creative work is done and polished to a high shine, we have to remove our writer hats and put on our business hats. This is not an easy thing to do, and many writers find it very uncomfortable. While in the process of sending your work out into the world, you have to take the time to research the markets and find appropriate places that are looking for what you do. This is tedious and much less fun than the writing itself. So for many writers, this is where it stops – the finished product goes into a file cabinet, and the writer is off on another adventure.

But here’s the trick. Do your marketing just one day a week. Just one day! If you finish something new, or if something you’ve already submitted gets rejected, don’t run immediately to the marketing sites and get it back out. Pick one day per week to do it all. Do you have one day a week where your creative energy runs a little low? That’s the day to choose. Also pad that one day with rewards. Do you love going to coffee shops? Then pack up your laptop, go to your favorite coffee place, order your favorite drink, sit in your favorite spot, and sip while you figure out where to send your stuff. Maybe buy a cookie or a muffin! But only if you open your laptop and start submitting. Doing marketing on one day a week means that you still have all the other days for your creative work. And…on a week when there are no rejections, you get a bonus day of writing! But still give yourself that latte and muffin!           

Now as your career grows, keep following this one day a week. Once you have books out, you will be wanting to get out to bookstores, book festivals, writers conferences, and the like to sell your book. These days, publishers expect writers to be very involved in getting the word out about their books. We no longer just sit back and wait for the publisher to tell us where to go and what to do. So it’s absolutely essential that you become proactive.

 Again, this can be part of your one-day-a-week marketing. Send out new material and then look for places to appear with your book. Most festivals and such have applications to fill out. You can also search each week for new places to apply for. If you don’t have a publicist, then work up your own media kit, talking about your current book and any previous books you may have. Include a list of possible topics that you’d like to talk about. And then send them out. Don’t forget libraries – these are wonderful resources for book events, and they also likely have a list of local book clubs you can pitch to as well.

 Now of course, I’m sure you know that if you’re going to be a professional writer, you have to dip your toes into social media. Actually, you have to wade in up to your knees. Most publishers want you to have a website with a blog, and they want you to be involved in several social media platforms. These change, according to the times, and according to your genres, so pay attention when you read that new book by your favorite author. Often, in the author’s bio, the author will list where you can find them in social media. That will give you a hint that maybe, you should be there too. With the blog, you’re going to want to post at least twice a month, if not once a week. Make sure you choose a topic for your blog that you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be about writing. One of my students has a very popular blog about how he retired as an ER doctor and immediately adopted a border collie puppy. His blog is about all the walks he takes with his dog, and about the way they are at the opposite ends of life’s spectrum. It’s a fun, and often inspirational, read.

But when you think about the business aspect of writing, take a deep breath. You got into writing because you love the creative life, you have imagination, and you want to be writing. The good news is that the business part of writing does not have to overtake you. You can control how much each week you work on selling your poems, stories, essays, memoir, and books. And you can control how much each week you work on getting your book out into the public world. If you choose one day – and stick with it – it will keep the business of writing from feeling like it’s taking over your world and your creative life. When  you put it down to one day, your focus is fully on it, and you will be amazed how much you can accomplish...and then return to the fun stuff.

 

About the Author

Kathie Giorgio is the author of a total of fifteen books: eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, the Silver Pen Award for Literary Excellence, the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, and the Eric Hoffer Award In Fiction. Her poem “Light” won runner-up in the 2021 Rosebud Magazine Poetry Prize, and her work has also been incorporated into many visual art and musical events.  Kathie is the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio. She lives with her husband, mystery writer Michael Giorgio, and their daughter Olivia, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Three of her adult children, Christopher, Andy, and Olivia, live close by, along with her solo granddaughter, Maya Mae. One adult child has wandered off to Louisiana and lives among the mathematicians and alligators.

You can follow the author at:

Website: http://www.kathiegiorgio.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathiegiorgioauthor/

X/Twitter: @KathieGiorgio

Instagram: @kathiegio1