Another week, another Friday Favorite! In this series, I share my favorite books, authors, and writing-related tools and resources. This week, a favorite writer’s resource I’d like to share is The Business of Being a Writer by the indispensable Jane Friedman!
Note: I am not being paid for this recommendation and do not receive any compensation for any purchases made as a result of this post.
The instant I heard of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I’ve long been a fan of Friedman’s approachable, crystal-clear writing style, and her blog is a treasure trove of reliable writing and publishing information. Published in 2018 by Chicago University Press, The Business of Being a Writer is no different, and I’ve loved and learned from every paragraph. This jam-packed book is a perfect guide for writers trying to figure out how they can fit into a saturated marketplace and make a living. You’ll find chapters on topics like “The Art of Career Building,” “Literary Publishing in the Twenty-First Century,” “Book Publishing: Figuring Out Where Your Book Fits” and “The Basics of Book Launches.”
While the sheer amount of information Friedman provides alone makes this book worth reading, it’s Friedman’s open, growth-oriented mindset towards the business side of writing that keeps drawing me back. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the rigorous business demands that are placed on the modern writer. On top of the creative stuff, we also have to become adept at pitching, marketing, identifying and finding our audience, building a platform, creating an effective online presence, and creating multiple streams of income.
"A bit of friction, some kind of barrier—a net on the tennis court!—is healthy.” -Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer
It’s a lot to learn, it’s intimidating to know where to start, and it's discouraging when success doesn't happen quickly. But Friedman makes this challenge seem not only surmountable but beneficial. In the introduction to Part One, she says, “Too few are open to the possibility that the business side calls for as much imagination as the artistic process itself. . . . To be sure, business can and does ask for some compromises, but that’s not always to the detriment of art. A bit of friction, some kind of barrier—a net on the tennis court!—is healthy.”
I love that Friedman encourages a can-do attitude without minimizing the many difficulties of earning a living as a writer. As a writer and editor still in the early years of my career, I’ll be returning to this book again and again for much-needed perspective as well as information, and I’ll be recommending it for years to come!
THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER is available for purchase here.
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