The Ultimate Guide to the Writing Life - Andrew Crofts

More than quarter of a century ago I wrote a book called “How to Make Money from Freelance Writing”. It was published by Piatkus and was reprinted and updated a number of times, sometimes under the title “Freelance Writer’s Handbook”. Royalties still trickle in today, even though the working landscape for freelance writers has changed in many ways.

Even though my income derives entirely from book writing these days, I have always kept a keen interest in books about the writing and publishing industries in general, always on the lookout for new ways to keep the money flowing in and tips on marketing.

The latest one to catch my attention is “The Business of Being a Writer” by Jane Friedman and it by far the best I have come across for a long time.

I have been aware of Jane Friedman for some time, following her on Twitter, reading her articles, that sort of thing, so I was pretty confident that it was going to be good when I ordered it. I was not disappointed. Every university and every creative writing course should give their graduates a copy of this book to help them make the transition from lecture hall to reality. It is absolutely comprehensive, up to date, matter-of-fact and optimistic without being unrealistic.

Jane Friedman is undoubtedly the ultimate expert on the subject.