the craft. a writer. an author.

Photo: Cindy Elizabeth for Torch Literary Arts

During the Torch retreat, we had the opportunity to hear from the director of Northwestern University Press Parneisha Jones as one of the guest speakers. It was clear from her introduction that she was a dynamic woman especially as one of the two Black women currently leading a university press. But she said something important that I’m still thinking about weeks later. “There’s a difference between a writer and an author.”

Many of our conversations that week teetered on this thin line between the art and the business. Which we’ve also discussed on the podcast. But I think as creatives, we’re constantly trying to find the balance. We’re afraid, at times, that if we admit that there’s a business element to our writing it will suffocate our creativity. But I loved Jones’ distinction here which one of the fellows asked her to clarify.

I’m paraphrasing, but essentially, it was this idea — you don’t need anyone’s permission to be a writer. Hello? Our namesake here. “If every day you wake up and think about writing, then you’re a writer, girl.” Sister Act 2 anyone? But seriously, the moment you put the pen to paper, you are a writer. You don’t need to be published. You don’t need to be critically acclaimed or revered. You are a writer because you can be and you don’t need anyone else to validate that for you.

However, becoming an author is a bit of a different process because it’s not solely about you and your work. Now, there is a team involved in not only the content of that work, but what happens with it after it’s created. As I tell music artists all the time, you become a community leader, regardless if you’re writing fiction or nonfiction because you need an audience that’s going to care about what it is you have to say.

Publishing is a team sport. So that comes with others having input on your work. Your editor. And that comes with decisions on how to market your work. Your marketing and publicity team. Now you have other things to consider because someone has invested in you. The advance.

I’ve talked about a couple hiccups on my own road. One was a plot point that I didn’t love and decided to take out of my story. With no problem. The second was being told that I would now be published as trade paperback and not hardcover like my contract originally stated. Heartbroken. I mean we work our whole lives to get that damn dust cover. The third was getting an initial cover I was not crazy about. But I spoke up for myself. Got some other options. Decided what was best, made some tweaks, and honestly people still talk about how much they love the cover.

The thread here is that I had to understand that it wasn’t about me throwing a fit any time the “business” had a different approach or thought than I had. First off, I’d never published a book on a major publisher before. My team, however, had worked on books on books on books. So I had to trust that the things they were telling me, might have had some weight. And I learned a lot. I know I’ll have different questions now. I know I’ll probably pony up some of my coins for some additional publicity and it’s not somehow a knock on the internal team.

I mean B&N stopped even prioritizing hardcovers from debut authors and my team likely knew that was coming. Publishing in paperback gave me a better shot at being picked up by more stores. Cheaper.

My point here is that sometimes you don’t even know what could be working in your favor at the direction of your team. It also highlights why it’s important to go with a team you trust because two people can’t be in the driver’s seat, you know what I mean? So you have to be able to trust that the people working on your book want it to be successful as well.

Writing is art, my friend. We get to be as weird and thoughtful, and far left as we want to be in that discovery of who we are as a writer. Being an author is an intersection of art and commerce. So, we have to identify, what are our core values? What are we unwilling to compromise? Who are we willing to let into our personal process?

This is why I always like to iterate that wanting to be published at a big five is a choice. One thing is not necessarily better than the other. It may be best for you to go with a university press who likely cares a bit more about the quality over the quantity. Or you may want to self-publish to maintain sole control on how your work shows up in the world. But it’s your choice only and important to remember that you were a writer before anyone ever told you you weren’t.

Writing/Job Opportunities

The RICJ Racial Justice Writers Room offers a unique opportunity for participants to develop stories that effectively change the narrative and practices of reporting on race and racial issues. Additionally, cohort members will connect with media professionals experienced in racial and social justice reporting, gain access to print and digital writing opportunities, and complete a racial justice story for publication. Applications are open through August 25.

Insider is hiring a Senior Credit Cards Editor. ($100-120k)

Audiomack is hiring a Social Media Manager. (Tri-state, $50-70k)

Mother Jones is hiring a News and Engagement Writer. ($60-70k, union)

NBC Universal is hiring a Writer, Ecommerce. ($65-85k)

HipHopDX is hiring a Weekend News Editor and Writer. ($20-30/hr, 4 days)

Loyola Marymount University is hiring an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing. ($80k)