Is it possible to become a writer? Hateful commercial issue

How to become a writer - 25 practical tips

How to become a writer?

1. Pay close attention to the endings of chapters; these are important places in the work.

2. Place a cheat sheet in front of your workplace and constantly refer to it - this will help improve your writing skills.

In the cheat sheet, add all your mistakes that you make as a writer, perhaps simply being carried away by the plot and those special ones that you intend to endow your work with.

3. Remember! The keyword is always placed at the end of the phrase.

4. You are the creators of virtual realities!

Nowadays it is very fashionable to talk appropriately and inappropriately about virtual reality, while always referring to something fancy, with a lot of complex devices, a person is almost inside a supercomputer, all entangled in wires, for some reason called chips, apparently for showiness , there are a lot of wires, although I already use a wireless keyboard and a tailless rodent, in a word, for some reason all of us, having lived in the virtual world for a long time, still have it on other planets.

The book is the same virtual world, we are immersed there, knowing full well that in fact the knights of King Arthur were dirty, ragged savages, and not shampooed handsome men in full knightly armor of the 16th century, in suits from the best designers, with perfectly straight and white teeth, speaking the way the writer, that is, you, needs, and not at all “in truth,” as the fool demands... I won’t mention his name, you yourself know him, each of you has such a clingy idiot.

I repeat, it doesn’t matter at all to the reader how it was “in reality”; he willingly joins in the virtual world you created, accepts all the rules of the game, does not pay attention to anachronisms, because this is a game, a sociocultural game, and he has also gorged himself on naturalism in real life , he is fed up with him, fed up with him, he willingly accepts your invented world!.. The reader eagerly perceives the action, follows the lively dialogue, empathizes, although he understands the artificiality of some scenes, the unnaturalness of behavior: “this doesn’t happen in life!” - however, he doesn’t want you to portray it “as in life”, he demands that you create an interesting virtual world for him!

How to become a writer? Create worlds... interesting. Exciting. In which it is interesting to live. In which you will become better. All other requirements are garbage.

5. Set yourself up for long and hard work. For those who endure it, you can almost guarantee that there will be large circulations, and big money, even very big, and recognition, and requests to give interviews for the leading publications on the planet.

6. Write as much as you can. That is, more.

7. You have only two paths in literature. Just like in life. Either you work on yourself, become valuable, and then all the managers rush to you asking you to honor their company with your presence, or you immediately begin to make connections with the “right people,” flatter them (read Carnegie), bow to them, carry them in your teeth slippers, laugh at their jokes, expose your butt, pretend that you really like all this, you are simply delighted... and during the break between acts, won’t you look at my manuscript?

I’ll say right away that less than one percent of seekers follow the first path, while the absolute majority follow the second path.

8. The reader must see himself, his beloved

The reader wants to empathize. Therefore, the main character must be endowed with either those qualities that the reader himself has, or, what is much more effective, those that he would like to have. This is especially convenient in science fiction and fantasy. There, the author gives the hero the ability to read minds, super strength, invulnerability or something else, or even all at once, then releases him into the world to surprise his neighbors and neighbor Lyuska, who until that day had not paid attention to him.

9. Teach while entertaining. Otherwise it won't work. Otherwise, you can only entertain, and this is no longer literature. Clowning, sir!

10. Not only a great novel, but also a story, a short story, even a humoresque can be written in pieces: either from the end or from the middle!

11. How to make an interesting character

I think I've said this before, but it was a long time ago, several years ago, so I'll repeat it. One of the obligatory requirements of literature is not to identify oneself with the hero. Not falling in love, which is common to all beginning writers. With cold impartiality, choose only what is needed for intrigue, plot, and depiction of images.

12. How many tenses are there in the Russian language?.. Don’t you want twenty-nine?

How to become a writer. Afterwards, since we are talking about such small bricks, I will briefly mention such subtleties that will be available to you much later. Much, much later!.. Just a few words about the tenses that a writer should be able to use better than a deputy or member of the government. Let's look at the past tense. So:

Past long repeated, long past: walked, smoked, loved, drank... Did you write it down?.. Next - involuntary instant energetic: come. Remember, remember, you can write it down, then you will try to apply it... Imperative - came, effectual - came...

The past tense can be either perfective - wave, or imperfect - wave. Have you recorded it? There is involuntary - and wave, voluntary - wave... with your hand, for example. Long-past - waved, introductory: well, wave... A bit too much? Yes, a beginner can neither remember nor use this. I’m just saying this so that you understand: for now I’m only offering you the basics. And then, I feel that many people’s heads are swollen and there is green melancholy in their eyes. And all the sympathy for these people who sing so well and sweetly that you don’t need to learn to write, that’s itself...

Okay, for those who can still learn:

From the present times, it is worth mentioning no more than two: general - the planets revolve around the Sun, the Universe is expanding, and the like, and active - she paints her lips, the eagle soars equally with me, and from the future there are also a couple of times for starters, but in reality In fact, the Russian language is very rich, there are twenty-nine tenses in it... So, the perfect - I’ll wave, the imperfect: I’ll wave. I warn you again, this is already a filigree fine-tuning that few people dare to do. Few people have the strength and time left... and they still have to withstand the pressure of publishers, relatives, readers, and especially an empty pocket!..

I understand why your eyes are so wide. No one ever, either at school or in universities, told you that in the Russian language there are more tenses than these three school tenses: past, present and future, but here I have pushed such an avalanche onto your heads!

13. Division into genres

As you know, in addition to such words as “prose”, “poetry”, “fiction” and others, there are also such seemingly understandable ones as “comedy”, “tragedy”, “drama”.

Why, it seems? Isn't it clear from the very beginning? Ever since school, these names have been stuck between my ears. Something even stuck in my teeth, despite the absurdity of the definitions.

But what is the difference between these genres? I understand that it is tempting to say that comedy is when they laugh, drama is when they suffer, and tragedy is when they die! I mean, the main characters, and the little things don’t count at all. Moreover, it is desirable that they die in beautiful poses and with lofty words on their lips. I myself studied using such textbooks, and now nothing has changed in them.

Nonsense, complete nonsense. From that opera when a tidy housewife is horrified and calls it a tragedy if she breaks a cup. Alas, the heroes may all die, but this is not a tragedy.

But... what then is a tragedy? And tragedy is when both sides are right!

14. Now, by the way, about the literary techniques of a professional. Over time, everyone acquires loved ones, but I will name the most characteristic, the simplest and at the same time the most reliable. Don’t forget about them, they make dry presentation lively and imaginative.

For example, a simple comparison. You can, for example, describe your character’s nose at length and in detail, or you can write briefly: “like a pelican’s,” “like a piglet’s,” and certain images immediately arise in the reader’s mind. This technique is accompanied by another one: exaggeration. It is clear that people do not have pelican noses. There are no human beings this long. You can't even find half a pelican! But still, the image of a man with a long, elongated switch immediately appears.

15. Over the centuries, the golden number of characters has already been found. One - good, great, can be written out from all sides, the reader’s attention will not be lost. The disadvantage is that it must be kept only in populated areas so that dialogues can take place. Two are already better, they can communicate with each other, even when crossing the desert or dense forest. True, communication is somewhat linear: question - answer. Three characters are an excellent option: all three are remembered with ease, but communication gains volume. Four is also wonderful; the reader still keeps four images in his memory, but it’s a little more difficult for the author to write them down. Five... um... a bit difficult. And six of them are just that... if not failure, then unprofessionalism!

In your opinion, where did all this come from: three musketeers, three heroes, three Kipling soldiers, three bears, three little pigs?.. No, religion has nothing to do with it, even the Trinity became a trinity, and not a binary or a quaternary, only because the nameless writer clearly understood this law, which I am laying out for you on a platter.

With four it is already more difficult, except perhaps the three musketeers with the Gascon who joined them. It's really hard with five! I think you won’t remember many heroes where there are five. No, not five characters, you shouldn’t call Vasya Pupyrkin’s novels, I mean five heroes. And already six... Advice from the old crocodile: do not multiply either heroes or events unless absolutely necessary.

It’s better to paint one episode brightly and colorfully than to talk about three in patter. It’s better to tell the story of one or two or three heroes, but describe them all, give them life, than to list a hundred tough fighters who will differ only in their names.

16. Names should not only be different, but... very different. For example, behind the names: Nozdrev, Sobakevich, Korobochka, Plyushkin, Khlestakov - different people clearly emerge. Here are other examples: Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov, Erofeev... Despite all their differences, they seem to be one person. Like Gordon, Dixon, Rolson, Palsen, Ohlson... Or the names of some fantastic characters: Ultanahbegue, Eltugankhkegeke, Ontakrukegekeza, Kuotkugakabe and so on.

That is, the names must be different even in visual terms: length, different endings, accents

17. Yes, we all write with caterpillars. But this does not mean that they should be abandoned. I just wrote the phrase “Oleg began to look closely at the trees, frowned, looked around, then let his horse go into the thicket” (“Return of the King”). This is normal, everyone writes this way. It’s bad that the absolute majority leaves it this way.

If the caterpillar feature is removed, which immediately reveals the author’s illiteracy, and a three-point view appears, which gives any phrase volume.

18. The most important thing to work on is the novelty of the topic, ideas, or at least images. The image comes last, of course, the theme or idea is more important, but still how difficult it is to find a new image! But when found and successfully registered, it is enough to say only the words “Oblomov”, “Othello”, “Don Quixote”, “Don Juan”, so that the images immediately arise in all their titanic power!.. A person can be called either a quitter or an Oblomov, everyone will understand what is meant. And how many beautiful images, from a professional point of view, did Gogol create? Sobakevich, Chichikov, Manilov, Plyushkin, Khlestakov, Korobochka, Taras Bulba, Khlestakov...

19. Tip: it’s convenient to remove weeds when “it’s not written.” All the same, time passes, the text stands frozen, and the eye glides over the lines, paragraphs, and clings to rough edges here and there. It's time to correct and subordinate the text. And it will be much easier to correct if you know what exactly to erase.

Someday I’ll get together down there and give a more detailed list of weed words that need to be removed and put away.

Follow one rule stubbornly: so that words are cramped, but thoughts are spacious! ©Some of the classics.

20. Contrary to the saying, friends will not tell the truth. Everyone would prefer to maintain good relations... The evaluation of your items should be anonymous.

21. Wells became a classic because each thing had one and only fantastic assumption. “The Invisible Man” is an adventure of someone who has become invisible in a familiar real English town. "War of the Worlds" - the Martians land in England... and that's it. There are no more fantastic assumptions. What follows is a terrible reality. And so in every novel, story, story.

22. The dominance of happy endings - good or bad?

Happy endings are the plague of our time. All too often, everywhere, happy endings of films, games, books, and plays triumph. Which, in fact, is understandable: democracy has won everywhere, that is, the little scarlet little man about whom Dostoevsky and other Russian humanists cared so much. A little man with his little interests, requests, and needs came to power.

Tragedies are no longer available to him; he sincerely believes that in literature everything should be depicted “as it should.” And everything should end with a happy ending and a moral lesson that good always wins, you just have to fight for it.

23. Advice: still try to describe a trip to the bakery. Or not to the bakery. Learn to make everyday scenes interesting. And so that it can be done without shouting, swearing, or tearing shirts on the chest. In these simple scenes, mistakes are more noticeable, blunders that can slip past consciousness in a dynamic action movie, but then still scratch and leave a residue.

If in this language, a real writer’s language, you then write an action film, a horror film, or a fantasy film, there will be no price for such a work. And he will never be forgotten. Just as they don’t forget “The Master and Margarita”, “31 June”, “The Lord of the Rings” and many other books written by language experts.

Avoid fireworks in your texts. And without computer graphics.

24. Write down: affirmation is always stronger than denial! Always. Don’t fight this pattern of our psyche, use it.

25. Focus only on readers! Once again: focus on readers, readers, only readers! You must conquer them, only them. No one remembers anymore, and no one is interested in whether Bulgakov or Olesha received any literary prizes, but “The Master and Margarita” and “Three Fat Men” are read, read, published and republished, but many laureates of that time remain supergeniuses and beacons only for each other in that bad time.

As in any profession, in writing, innate talent is of secondary importance. Writing ability is one of the key elements of success, but it is far from the most important. Life experience, education (and here we are not talking about university education, but personal education) and, of course, practice have greater weight.

Like any art form, writing is based on clear rules. Of course, some writers develop these rules themselves over time, but they are much easier to learn. And if you want to make a living as a writer, then be prepared for the fact that, despite the romanticism of the profession, you will have to push yourself into a clear framework of deadlines and topics.

So, let's start with professional advice for aspiring writers. After all, who to learn from if not from those who have achieved recognition in the desired field.

Stephen King

The King of Horror knows how to write a truly masterpiece book. It is impossible to tear yourself away from his works, and the smoothness and harmony of the narrative, even among people far from the craft of writing, evokes admiration. And here are some tips for aspiring writers from Stephen King:

Neil Gaiman

A very talented English science fiction writer can also tell a couple of significant and useful tips for beginners. His advice is quite simple, but at the same time very useful:

Ray Bradbury

The beloved creator of more than eight hundred literary works gives a couple of brief pieces of advice to aspiring writers. The science fiction classic believes that:

Kurt Vonnegut

One of the most important American writers also has a few instructions on how to write short stories correctly and, most importantly, well:

Ernest Hemingway

Despite the fact that Hemingway himself said that talking about his craft is a completely useless concept, he still had some thoughts on this matter in his works, interviews, articles and letters:

Mark Twain

An eccentric and truly brilliant writer gives beginners very sharp and ironic advice that will definitely be damn useful to each of you:

Chuck Palahniuk

The creator of the legendary book “Fight Club” gives his colleagues practical and effective advice, which we think is worth listening to:

1. Writer's Handbook

The beginning is always the most difficult stage in a writer’s career, since, due to lack of experience, he simply does not know how to correctly format his manuscript. Writer Elvira Baryakina created a book in which she put all her knowledge about how to write and how to present her work correctly so that it becomes successful.

2. How to become a writer

Another manual book from an experienced and one of the most published science fiction writers. In this book, Yuri Nikitin conveyed his invaluable experience, which includes many years of communication with other writers, lectures at the Literary Institute and a lot of secret writing techniques.

3. How to write books

After the master of horror was hit by a car, he had to rethink his views on life. It was during this period that his book was published, in which Stephen King tells young writers about the intricacies and features of the writing craft. It's hard not to agree that there is a lot to learn from King.

4. Golden Rose

In this book, Konstantin Paustovsky talks about where a writer can get inspiration, what role his inner world plays, and how the accumulation of “golden dust” of invaluable experience and life adventures occurs, from which the “golden rose” - a book - is created.

5. Stylistics and literary editing: Textbook

Of course, few people will be delighted with the study of boring theory, but any type of art is structured in such a way that theory is its cornerstone. Therefore, in our list of useful books for writers, we include a textbook prepared by scientists from two leading linguistic schools - Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In fact, to become a writer, all you have to do is write. But there is another piece of advice: don’t give out your business cards to everyone and advertise your name. For example, he is a famous writer, he creates exciting books, one of which is the journalistic work “Extraordinary: A Story of Success.” In it, Malcolm talks about the so-called 10,000 hour rule. Simply put, he noted that all successful people have in common the fact that each of them devoted more than 10,000 hours to their business. Therefore, if you devote an hour or two a day to your writing career, you are unlikely to see your creation on the lists of the most exciting bestsellers of the year. But how do they become writers? This article is dedicated to this topic.

Of course, it's not just the number of hours you spend writing that matters, it's also about having some basic skills and then constantly improving them. You must be able to correctly express your thoughts, and do it vividly, so that the plot and character of the work are interesting. Remember that erudition and observation are your best friends.

After you've studied all sorts of articles on the topic of "how to become a writer," or before you start writing a future bestseller, you need to find source material accordingly. In any case, it is better to write about familiar topics, about what you are familiar with. Immediately get used to the fact that you will have to read a lot of literature, study new information, and devote a lot of time to collecting material. Without this, your future book may turn out to be chaotic, and the reader most likely will not catch the very idea that you tried to convey to him with your work.

Imagine that you are writing an article, only a very long one. Systematize everything you do, work in a way that suits you. But at the same time, remember that you cannot just say three words “I want to become a writer” and immediately find yourself the winner of the Golden Pen of Rus' literary award. You definitely need to work, try, study the works of other writers, constantly develop your powers of observation and individuality. Unique books become bestsellers, the best in their genre, which have something that others don’t have, so develop your own style, your own handwriting.

Having written a work, there is no need to rush to submit it to the publishing house. Re-read the text several times, edit it, bring it to what you think is an ideal state, and only when you are absolutely sure that this creation is ready to “go out into the world”, submit it for printing.

This is how a good book is written. But we still haven’t answered the question of how writers become. We only explained the process itself. How do you become writers? In fact, there is no specific secret that will help you write gripping mysteries or heart-wrenching novels in a matter of days. Everything takes time and the right approach, everything is only in your hands. Therefore, stock up on patience, relevant literature, positive emotions and start working, so you can definitely become a modern James Joyce or JK Rowling.

People read books, sometimes experiencing interest, and sometimes delight. Other literary works are quickly forgotten. Sometimes stories and novels remain unread. But in any case, the author, whose name is printed on the cover, seems to be a romantic person. To an ordinary person who goes to work at nine o'clock, it often seems that this is an enviable lot - to work when one pleases, not to listen to the boring comments of the boss, to receive large fees and to live in a special world where fantasies reign, fictional characters conflict and mysterious events occur. In order to get there, you need to know how writers become. But the writers themselves are in no hurry to share this secret of theirs, although in words they seem to be hiding nothing.

If you can, don't write

When sitting down at a desk, everyone who has chosen literature as a profession must remember this responsibility. But it is not enough to make this choice yourself; the love for art must be mutual.

The writer is also the reader

It is very difficult to pick up a fountain pen or sit down at a computer keyboard one day and try to express in letter format the totality of surging feelings. Everything interferes and distracts, words are difficult to fit next to each other, thoughts seem hackneyed and all the time there is a feeling that someone has already written this. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if the new author has read a lot himself. Beginning writers often immediately want to become Dostoevsky or Chekhov, but not everyone succeeds. In this sense, it is interesting to observe the metamorphosis of Anton Pavlovich’s consciousness, which can be traced in his writings from the first volume to the last. From “Letter to a Learned Neighbor” to “The Bishop” there is “a distance of enormous size” (as another classic puts it). A more encouraging effect comes from reading contemporary writers, but not everyone can stand them for long.

Hateful commercial issue

The great Russian poet spoke about inspiration and a manuscript that can be sold, and it’s hard to disagree with Alexander Sergeevich on this. But in our age of continuous marketing and management, supply significantly exceeds demand. Not all aspiring writers listen to the aforementioned advice about not taking up the pen unless absolutely necessary, so all editorial offices without exception are overwhelmed with manuscripts, most of which are doomed to oblivion. A talented author will need the main personal quality for any person - patience. At the same time, you need to remember that the book should be interesting. Publishing houses are commercial enterprises, their goal is to make a profit, their products must be sold. Before sitting down to the table, you should soberly assess the reading potential of your future work and draw up a psychological portrait of a possible reader. Managed? Happened? Then let's get to work!

What to write about?

What kind of fiction are they reading today? It is believed that every publishing house has a specialist who knows the answer to this question. His job title is publisher. Theoretically, he can predict the speed of sale of the circulation, its volume, in other words, what determines the “commercial potential of the product.” Probably, publishers often make mistakes, but it is very difficult to verify this.

Children's writers are rare in our time; it is not for nothing that books by Suteev, Nosov, Prishvin and many other classics of the genre endure numerous editions, and the demand for them does not fall. The most popular genres are melodrama, detective, mysticism, fantasy and some others that fall under the definition of youth culture. Today they are read by housewives (not all of them, of course), students and Soviet-era intellectuals who have not been killed by the perestroika-shootouts of the last two decades. Modern writers, if they want to become famous, simply must take this fact into account when choosing the stylistic direction of their works. They must create for their readers. There will be no others, and even these are becoming fewer and fewer...

How to write

All our fellow citizens went to school. This means that everyone can read. And write too. But this does not mean that the profession of a writer is publicly accessible. This needs to be learned, it is an art. And like any art, it consists of two main parts - talent and craft. There is also a third ingredient - labor, but more on that later. You can dream of being creative since childhood, especially if you have the ability. But where to study to be a writer? The answer to this question seems obvious: of course, at the philology department! The teachers there certainly know how to express thoughts! Yes, they do, but most often about how not to. Graduates of literary departments have an excellent command of theory, know how to correctly compose phrases, and are familiar with the rules of linguistics, punctuation and, of course, spelling. That is why, apparently, they themselves most often do not write anything.

Non-professionals

Both writers of the past and modern writers, as a rule, come to art from completely different professions. Detective stories are written by former law enforcement officers, melodramas are created by teachers or engineers. Chekhov was a zemstvo doctor, and Tolstoy was an officer. Does this mean that they did not learn a trade? Not at all. They simply comprehended its subtleties, not sitting at a student desk, but in completely different places. Self-education is the best type of education. There is a special conversation about how writers become today. Literature has become a business, not everyone is allowed into it, and the artistic merits of the works are not always the criteria. But Ivan Shmelev spoke about the old times. “How I Became a Writer” is a story filled with humor, but it also has very serious moments. It truthfully describes the first semi-children's “creepy” story, the fee received of 80 rubles (quite a decent amount for those times) and his own name on the treasured page of the Russian Review, which seems alien. It is clear to the reader that since the events described, much water has passed under the bridge, and many changes have occurred in the author’s worldview.

About words, living and dead

As a rule, work on a literary work begins with an idea. There are moments in every person's life that deserve to be talked about. Not everyone has a need for such a presentation, but if there is a need, it is worth thinking about the technical side of its implementation. How writers become can be judged by what they are required to be able to do. Firstly, there is such a thing as a good syllable. It presupposes compliance with certain rules, among which we can mention various rather formal points and the most common mistakes made by novice authors (for example, in the case of a hat that fell off while “driving past station N”). As a textbook, you can use a good book, “The Living and the Dead Word,” written by Nora Gal.

There is also such a thing as originality. It manifests itself in the peculiarities of the characters’ speech and their recognition. A woman speaks differently in life than a man; the dialect of a villager differs from the speech of a city dweller. However, there must be a measure in this, otherwise it will be difficult for the reader to understand the text. Good taste and exciting storytelling will give the book undoubted merits, and in this case it will become loved by many.

Descriptions of some professional moments sometimes require deep knowledge. For example, the actions of a pilot at the controls cannot be described by the author if he himself has never flown an airplane. Lack of professionalism is immediately visible, so it is advisable to avoid such moments so as not to become a target for fair criticism. However, it is also not worth distracting the reader with highly specialized questions, unless, of course, you are writing a work of art and not a textbook.

Preliminary criticism

Every author thinks that with his work he has made humanity happy, and this is completely normal. After all, it would not have been worth taking up the pen otherwise. Another question is to what extent the opinion of a young (not necessarily in terms of age) writer corresponds to objective reality. Not everyone has the talent of a writer, but you can determine its presence by letting different people read your own opus. It should be borne in mind that good acquaintances, friends and faithful buddies are rarely able to say cruel words like “you, brother, are mediocre,” or “old man, you wrote a story that is boring to the point of yawning.” Therefore, it is best to choose those readers who are more free to express their opinions. An excellent option is a school literature teacher (and an excellent reason to visit the teacher, especially on Teacher’s Day or another holiday). The problem is that she doesn’t always have time, but if the author showed success in her subject at one time, she will certainly read it, and even with a red pencil in her hand, and this is invaluable help. There are also work colleagues (if they are not subordinates, of course). In general, the author holds the cards here; he knows better who can be a preliminary censor and who cannot. And you also need to be a psychologist to understand whether the reader liked the work or not. Our people are cultured, even too...

About volumes

Writing a couple of stories is not all. We can say that this is nothing at all. Before you become a famous writer, you have to work hard. This means that only the writer who can offer the publishing house a full-fledged book, or preferably several, has a chance of publication. And this is a dozen and a half printed sheets (each approximately 40 thousand characters with spaces), up to half a million characters in total (different publishers have different requirements). Two or three short stories can be published in an almanac, but publishing an independent book in this case is out of the question. Therefore, you need to be patient and work, and without a 100% guarantee of success. Another reason to think about whether it is necessary to make such sacrifices...

How to achieve mastery

Any skill is achieved through exercise. Pop performers believe that singing in restaurants is an excellent vocal school. For an aspiring writer, journalism or copywriting can become such a crucible of skill and professionalism. The ability to coherently express one’s thoughts in the form of text becomes a habit bordering on automatism. An experienced article writer will never use the same words in adjacent sentences (except as a special technique), will pay attention to style, maintain the rhythm of the narrative, and at the same time develop his own style, characteristic of every original writer. These skills are very important and will come in handy when creating works of art, regardless of genre.

How to publish a book?

And so the book was written. The last doubts have passed, I want to publish it. The author already knows in general terms how others become writers, and he wants to try it himself. It seems quite natural to want to send a manuscript to some publishing house, and the hope for a positive decision from the editors regarding publication is just as justified. Novikov-Priboi, Jack London and many other Russian and foreign writers did just that. They received fees, at first very modest, and then quite serious. O. Henry, for example, published his first stories while in prison.

But the experience of past centuries is not yet a reason for excessive optimism. The manuscript is considered for a long time, and very often the answer contains a standard text stating that it is “not of commercial interest.” Should I be upset about this? Of course, it’s a shame, but you shouldn’t fall into despair. In the end, the publishing house is understandable. Book printing is a business, and all business people are reluctant to invest money in projects that have dubious financial prospects. And printing these days is not a cheap business.

The path to fame is tortuous and difficult, but chances to overcome it still exist. Firstly, there is more than one publishing house in our country. And secondly, you can achieve success in another way (if you are confident that the book will be a success among readers). The advantage of our time is that, having spent your money, you can print everything, choosing the cover, format, and illustrations yourself. If you need the services of an editor, you will also have to pay for them. By the way, many Russian writers in the past published for the first time at their own expense. There is nothing wrong with this approach. In addition, if you are lucky, you can find a sponsor who will pay for the printing services. In case of success, it would be useful to return the money spent to him, and even with interest, because by laying out “hard-earned money”, a person (or organization) is taking a risk. At the very least, it is worth stipulating the terms of sponsorship in advance.

It is best to choose a publishing house that has its own network of bookstores, otherwise a situation may arise that leaves many aspiring authors in awe. A writer receives a large pile of packages of his own works and does not know what to do with them. In this case, you have to independently engage in the sale of literature, negotiating with trading organizations about sales. There may be a lack of experience; in addition, many stores are accustomed to working with their own suppliers and sometimes refuse cooperation simply so as not to confuse the accounting department. In general, there are many difficulties, and most importantly, you have to overcome them on your own.

New opportunities

Modern writers have access to means of achieving fame that the great writers of the past did not have. Every day, in any weather and almost around the clock, hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of people sit in their houses and apartments and search the Internet for something interesting to read. On specialized sites, any person who considers his work talented can present it to the general public. A novice writer should not immediately think about a high (or any) fee, so there is an easy way to evaluate the success of your own work by publishing your works on some popular page completely free of charge, relying on reviews. Once you are convinced that the reader is interested in the work, you can try to sell the manuscript on paid sites.

Ask others: how to become a writer? What does this require? The overwhelming majority will answer: literary talent. What is talent? Innate data? To some extent - yes. But just as perfect pitch does not make a person a musician, so natural abilities for literature will not make the author a Master.

If talent were the key factor, then Tolstoy would have written War and Peace at the age of sixteen: why wait if everything is already with you?

The role of innate abilities

Writing ability, or rather, the tendency to express thoughts in writing, is an important, but far from the only condition. Life experience, education and skills play no less a role.

It is impossible to put on skates for the first time and immediately win an Olympic medal. In the same way, it is impossible to sit down at the table and immediately, without preparation, write a good book.

The role of training

Many people think that if you read a lot, then this is a guarantee that you can write well. But no one plays the piano after attending someone else's concert; no one learns to draw after looking at an album of reproductions of great artists. The same thing happens in the field of literature: if we want to learn to write, we need to go through a learning stage.

Theory and practice

Like any art form, literature is based on clear rules. Some writers master them intuitively - and this takes years, but the same amount of information can be obtained much faster - from textbooks.

Of course, theory alone is not enough: practice is required. We all start from scratch: we learn letters, put words into sentences, but some people stop developing at the level of a school essay, while others go further.

What is success in literature?

The golden rule of success: each of your works should be better than the previous one. Then sooner or later you will reach your goal - simply because you do not leave the distance. This can be achieved only in one case - if you passionately love your job. Love not just to write, but to grow on yourself and constantly learn new things.

Survival in the art market

The master does not work for money, not for fame - he works out of love. But art always takes a lot of time, and the author has to solve the eternal dilemma: if you earn money, then there is no time to really write, and if you write and don’t earn money, who will feed the family?

What does an aspiring author need to know?

Today the book market is overstocked: there are many more books and writers than it can consume. Therefore, it is incredibly difficult to stand out from the crowd. You will spend years writing the Book of Your Whole Life, you will spend months, if not years, submitting it to a publishing house, and it will be published in a circulation of three thousand copies and will disappear into the flow of books. So iron nerves- an absolutely necessary quality for a writer: otherwise you cannot survive in this profession.

It would seem that there is little happiness in being published in a tiny edition for ridiculous money. But it is by no means easy for a newcomer to get into print, even if he has an excellent manuscript. The only thing that will help him is knowledge of the publishing market. Then he will act with precise calculations, understanding who and under what conditions can buy the rights to his work.

Extremely important businessman skills. A manuscript is a commodity, and you need to be able to sell it. And not only for the publisher, but also for the reader. If you do not actively promote your work, it is quite possible that only book warehouse workers and a few hundred random buyers will know about its existence.

How can The Writer's Handbook help you?

The Writer's Handbook is something I've learned over 15 years in literature. You will not find abstract theories here - all advice has been repeatedly tested by experience. My point of view may not coincide with classical literary criticism, but I am not speaking here as a literary critic. My goal is to provide useful information.

Of course, I am not saying that you should write only one way and no other way. The writer's reference book is guidelines that are worth paying attention to, and the author must decide for himself which direction to go.

This site is for those who want to make a career in literature. Those who are in love with their profession, those who cannot imagine life without drafts and original copies. For those who are ready to learn, overcome difficulties and accomplish the impossible.