As I hinted in my last post, I want to become a published writer. However, I am aware of how difficult it can be to get your work out there. Because of this, I was glad to read the tips given in Moira Allen’s article "9 first sale mistakes to avoid…" Some of the advice given was obvious to me, such as “Don’t sign a contract you don’t understand.” I would not sign something I do not fully comprehend because this could result in me being swindled by a publisher. I also never would sign away rights that I do not want to lose, just as Allen advises. Losing ownership of my precious work could result in it being used or changed in ways that I do not approve of. Although these two tips seemed evident to me, there were others that I found quite helpful. One that I thought was especially significant was “Don’t neglect your market research.” This struck me because I realized that I don’t even know how to conduct market research. It is something I need to learn if I want to become a professional writer who has many published works. But I don’t really know anything about the writing market, so this article gave me an important reminder to explore and study how exactly the market works. Allen also made me aware of some things I had never even considered, one example being “Don’t sign a second contract until you’ve been paid for the first.” I didn’t know it was possible to have a piece under more than one contract at the same time. This is good to know and will help make become more business savvy, although I don’t think I would ever put a piece under more than one contract. Another tip that had never occurred to me was “Don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’” I always imagined myself jumping for joy when I receive my first acceptance letter, just as Allen describes at the beginning of the article. I could never fathom rejecting a publisher's offer, especially my first one. But Allen brings up some good points on why you could possibly decide to decline to a contract. For example, she explains that a publisher may not pay you well or, as mentioned before, may want to do crazy things with the piece’s rights. If this was the case for one of my pieces, I may turn down the offer even if it were my first acceptance. Hopefully this will not happen when I do (fingers crossed) get my first acceptance letter. When that time does come, I will remember the advice given in this article and use it to my advantage.
Allen, Moira. "9 First-Sale Mistakes To Avoid: Asking Questions, Following Up And Saying 'No' Won't Get You Blacklisted By Publishers; In Fact, They'll Mark You As A Professional." Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.) 119.2 (2006): 45-47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.
Allen, Moira. "9 First-Sale Mistakes To Avoid: Asking Questions, Following Up And Saying 'No' Won't Get You Blacklisted By Publishers; In Fact, They'll Mark You As A Professional." Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.) 119.2 (2006): 45-47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.