Being a writer is a risky business . It ’ s gambling really . As a long term , self-employed author , my expectation is a 1 in 5 publication or performance rate .

Instead of feeling resentful , about the loss of income from projects that didn ’ t get up , but took hours of creative concentration , I decided to ‘ account ’ in a different way . Accountants talk of balance sheets , profit and loss or cash flow . For a writer , returns are often delayed and don ’ t always equate to hours spent . Then there are the intangible benefits of the curl of pleasure in crafting well or creating a story , which significantly affects certain readers .

Variables such as timing of proposals , markets , collaborators , formats , fashions , contacts , rewriting , corporate publishing mergers and even your title affect your publication chances . Not all changes are under your control . Sometimes correlation between your effort / return is hard to assess and it ’ s difficult to remain motivated . That ’ s the real issue .

Here ’ s what I ’ ve learnt :

1 . Nothing is wasted : parts of projects can be cannibalized and used later even in an article on ‘ what not to do ’. Acquired skills can be applied when negotiating the next project . Recycling into other mediums can improve the 1 in 5 gamble .

2 . Keep records of your own ideas and agreements , as often others forget who contributed what . You may know it is legally and morally yours , but finding the right files or contracts from five computers ago to prove it , can be VERY time consuming .

3 . You need advocates who support your project within the bigger organization . Don ’ t put your own money into the project , unless prepared to write it off as experience . Your investment is time and intellectual property . If they have ‘ & associates ’ on their business card , it ’ s just them .

4 . Update consistently . Go to digital ‘ Dummies ’ classes , which are offered free by sellers of equipment .