tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post1729766030932486959..comments2023-09-16T09:00:31.715-04:00Comments on Telecommuter Talk: Writers Beware: Do Not Pursue Publishing CareersEmily Bartonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13971084813206845680noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-47318973774440213882008-04-02T19:37:00.000-04:002008-04-02T19:37:00.000-04:00What's funny is how many writers are employed in a...What's funny is how many writers are employed in academia -- as teachers of writing, mostly. But I think a profession where you're around words and books is good -- like being a librarian or working in a bookstore -- as long as you don't have to be TOO close to the words and books.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-67606782925743682652008-03-31T20:11:00.000-04:002008-03-31T20:11:00.000-04:00Court, you're right. Science writers can (pardon t...Court, you're right. Science writers can (pardon the pun) write their own tickets out there.<BR/><BR/>Mandarine, you know, I almost emailed you recently. What I'm looking for is a way to blog "backwards" so to speak, so that people can read my posts in order of when I wrote them, starting from the beginning like a book, rather than in order of most-recently-written. Is there a way to do that? (I'd be willing to use something other than Blogger if it didn't cost money and didn't require my having lots of programming knowledge/ability). Email me, please.<BR/><BR/>Danny, well, you know, if a book offer were to come my way, I wouldn't turn it down...<BR/><BR/>MFS, yes, museum work. Imagine all the people-watching one could do, thus collecting plenty of material for stories!Emily Bartonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13971084813206845680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-19744153825407059792008-03-31T16:18:00.000-04:002008-03-31T16:18:00.000-04:00This is so sensible, Emily. There is nothing like ...This is so sensible, Emily. There is nothing like working in publishing to reduce one's respect for the entire business. <BR/>Perhaps a nice job in a museum or something, instead?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-32812108727402155642008-03-31T13:17:00.000-04:002008-03-31T13:17:00.000-04:00Great post, Emily! I still hold secret fantasies o...Great post, Emily! I still hold secret fantasies of publishing my OWN book one day, but after twenty plus years in publishing (and sitting in those meetings you describe), I don't "need" it as much as I used to and I realize that the people making those decisions are just regular schmoes, not some Divine Validators. <BR/><BR/>Of course I realize I'm far from the twentysomething demographic you describe here. I love your attitude but I'm also a little disappointed because I'd buy any book you'd write in a heartbeat! On the other hand, I'm just as happy having immediate access to your online writing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-516815939623441312008-03-31T01:30:00.000-04:002008-03-31T01:30:00.000-04:00This is a very sound piece of advice. If I can be ...This is a very sound piece of advice. If I can be of any help improving the online publishing tools so that I may read your serialized writing (or any other writing), I'd be glad to contribute.mandarinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18413240094728405118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-61948755619748889262008-03-30T21:47:00.000-04:002008-03-30T21:47:00.000-04:00tell all of our readers to study biology, chemistr...tell all of our readers to study biology, chemistry AND writing. They will be utterly employable.<BR/>But as for time to write on the side - there's never enough of that. Never! Great post though - because I still sometimes think I should have been an editor...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-90793179849745854332008-03-30T17:32:00.000-04:002008-03-30T17:32:00.000-04:00YM, I sort of wish someone had given something sim...YM, I sort of wish someone had given something similar to me to read when I was in college. <BR/><BR/>Litlove, oh yes, your acquaintance is right. That is EXACTLY how it works in the world of academic publishing. Oh, and then rival publisher decides to publish the next big important work on big figure about whom all big important works have already been written, it becomes a HUGE success, is made into an HBO television series, and then all the editors are hounded for months to hurry up and come out with next big important work on some other important figure before rival company steals yet another one.<BR/><BR/>Dorr, yes, I should have clarified that. Teaching at the college level is another job pretty-much-guaranteed to stifle enthusiasm to publish (made worse by the fact that, with "publish or perish," it's a built-in part of the day job).<BR/><BR/>Ms. Make Tea, right now, all my authors are teachers, but none of them is writing fiction or poetry. Now I'm, of course, going to have to ask them about Plath's feelings as it pertains to their own work. (Maybe that's why most of them tell me they have a very hard time getting anything written except during Christmas and summer breaks.)Emily Bartonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13971084813206845680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-9874235457036888732008-03-30T15:01:00.000-04:002008-03-30T15:01:00.000-04:00I don't know that being a teacher is the ideal thi...I don't know that being a teacher is the ideal thing for an aspiring writer to be. Obviously some people manage it but I remember reading Sylvia Plath found teaching drained her of words so she had none left for poetry. I'd imagine being a librarian where you are using a different part of the brain in your day job might be ideal...Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04797661728002935006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-90549446324724550632008-03-30T14:41:00.000-04:002008-03-30T14:41:00.000-04:00Well, I hope none of your readers decide to try te...Well, I hope none of your readers decide to try teaching at the college level -- it's likely you won't find a job and grad school will also kill your desire (and maybe even your ability) to write. I think posts like this are very useful because a lot of people don't get to hear from insiders what their profession is like.Rebecca H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10825532162727473112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-16811843642839720922008-03-30T13:49:00.000-04:002008-03-30T13:49:00.000-04:00This makes me think of an acquaintance of mine who...This makes me think of an acquaintance of mine who is big in the university press. Once over lunch I tried to pin him down on what his company WOULD publish as he spent so much time telling me what they wouldn't. He eventually said, 'well, maybe the next big important book on someone like Sartre' and I said 'but you'd turn that down on the grounds that all the big important books on the big figures had already been written!' And he agreed. Gahhh! <BR/><BR/>I know just what you mean.litlovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10952927245186474480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-61761692670415248442008-03-30T11:36:00.000-04:002008-03-30T11:36:00.000-04:00What a fantastic post! It should be assigned read...What a fantastic post! It should be assigned reading for all about-to-graduate English majors!Yogamumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02736784200874589271noreply@blogger.com