Calling this year tough would be an understatement. I probably made more money from writing than last year but it definitely didn’t feel like it. I struggled with money for many months out of the year, despite plentiful work. But I feel proud of the work I did accomplish in spite of difficulties.
Every year I choose a focus word but have had trouble selecting one this time. So I’ve got two. The first is passion. I want to focus on passion in all aspects of my life, especially work. If something isn’t bringing me joy, I don’t need to do it. If running social media for my site isn’t making me happy, it’s time to let someone else handle it.
Which brings in the second word: abundance. I’d like to have an abundance mindset (rather than a scarcity mindset) and actually behave like a boss, not an employee.
As with previous years, these posts were inspired by those of Lola Akinmade, especially the pie charts. You can see these past posts below:
2014 – 2015 – 2016 – 2017 – 2018 – 2019
Reaching Benchmarks
It’s safe to say that 2019 was the year of highs and lows. I told myself I would be shrewd this year, carefully choosing the projects I worked on. And to be fair, I did turn down a job that would have made me sacrifice my flexibility, something I worked so hard to attain. I also dropped a client that required a lot of emails back and forth to get information.
But I also reached my goal of selling beyond my advance for my book. I also had a handful of great book signings and events and got to speak at the Decatur Book Festival.
I got the recognition I thought would make me kick my impostor syndrome when I won two Lowell Thomas awards this year for my book and other website. I was also voted for a board position in the Eastern chapter.
But during that same week, I had about $300 in my bank account. In the second half of the year, I was ready to quit in search of a “real” job with reliable income and benefits. But an email from an editor I work with made me want to keep going. So here I am, ready to tackle 2020.
Where My Work Went
Midway through the year, I lost one of my regular gigs for some reason, likely some changes in leadership at the tourism board I was working for. It hit me hard, especially as I’d just negotiated a raise and I was given little notice. I relied heavily on my website income.
I wrote a handful of stories for Discover Atlanta’s website and many more for Explore Georgia. I continued work for Eagle Creek, the luggage company, and also worked on stories for the Hilton and Diamond Resorts websites. I also worked on a Charleston guide for Tourbird, a Google product that has since folded.
I submitted a story for Playboy over a year ago, but it has yet to run. But I did get paid for it, so that’s something. I wrote three stories for The Dyrt about outdoors destinations and one for Southwest Georgia Living. I covered a hotel opening for Frommer’s and placed two stories late in the year for Fodor’s.
I also got in with a few new outlets this year. I wrote one story for October, a beer publication that is a part of Conde Nast, and two for The Points Guy. I wrote half a dozen for 10Best/USA Today, including a few that have been republished by MSN and newspapers!
See almost all of my work on my Contently page and follow along on my professional website.
My Pitching Process
In past years, I was assigned a majority of the stories I wrote but as I said earlier, my contract with my anchor client ended in July. They strung me along for a while before I gave up hope on renewing. So instead, I had to rely on pitching heavily, sending over 170. Thankfully the number of pitches that were accepted increased.
But that doesn’t include all the rejections I got this year. I pitched but did not successfully place stories with BBC Travel, Vice, CNN, Roads and Kingdoms, Atlanta Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, Our State, Smithsonian Magazine, Rolling Stone, Town and Country, The Atlantic, The Cut, and Architectural Digest. Just so you don’t think it’s all fun!
Writing Goals for 2020
Be thoughtful about how much money comes in and out.
When I get to the end of the year and assess my income, it looks like a reasonable amount, but I still seem to have to pull from all accounts to pay my taxes. I’ve created a separate work bank account that I hope will help me keep myself organized.
I also will have some big things to pay for this year (more on that soon), so it’s especially important I make a minimum amount every month. So far that looks like pitching more than ever and supplementing with advertising income from This Is My South. I’m also teaching some classes and courses to help diversify. And I’m waiting on those checks from my book!
Send a book proposal.
When I came home from Australia in 2011, I knew I wanted to write about my experience there beyond the fifty or so blog posts. At some point, I started writing a book using the journals I’d kept and those same blog posts. In 2017, I went to Nicaragua to work on the same book. And apart from a weekend in Asheville, I’ve pretty much abandoned it.
To be fair, I wrote another book during this time and was fully entrenched in the publishing and promoting process. But now it’s time to pick it up again. In fact, I’d like to actually finish it this year and sent out a book proposal to prospective publishers. I got accepted into a two-week residency program, so no more excuses.
I also participated in Nanowrimo this year and even though I didn’t reach my goal, I wrote pretty steadily up to 25,000 words. I love the idea of writing a book beyond my comfort zone.
Don’t be afraid of diverse revenue streams.
I have a complex that if I have to take a part-time job to support myself, I’m not a real writer. But that isn’t true at all. I’ve read countless anecdotes about highly successful people that kept up side gigs because you never know what’s going to happen in this industry. And as I mentioned previously, I’m working on offering classes.
Set office hours.
This is especially hard for a workaholic like me. But soon I’ll have my own office with a separate space where I can close the door at the end of the day. My hours don’t necessarily have to be 9-5 every day, but a set start and end time is ideal. And I have to stop answering emails beyond those times. Otherwise, I’ll keep doing tasks that aren’t that urgent just to fill time. I’d much rather spend it reading a book or binging a true-crime show.
I am interested to read your playboy story!!!