Bookwriter

Article From: The Weekend Australian
Caption: Irina Dunn. Picture: Graham Crouch.
Irina Dunn. Picture Graham Crouch
By: Alison Aprhys

‘Turn back while you can!" jokes Will Elliott when asked to give advice to the increasing number of people who aim to make a career out of writing fiction.

However, Elliott can afford to laugh now, as his first novel, The Pilo Family Circus, won the 2006 ABC Fiction Award, a $10,000 advance and a contract with ABC Books.

The award (which seeks the best original unpublished quality fiction manuscript written by an Australian resident over the age of 18) gave Elliott a much-needed confidence boost. So did subsequent critical acclaim.

"Actually, part of me wants to suggest chasing your dream, taking the road less travelled and all that jazz, but it helps to be aware of the realities," he says.

Like many writers, Elliott understands that hard work and sheer determination are critical.

"Talent, though a prerequisite, is not the key to making it to print - persistence is. That and work ethic are the rare magic ingredients, not talent."

Elliott suggests The Art of Fiction and On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner, and The Novel Writer’s Toolkit by Bob Mayer, as "some good how-to-write books".

"There’s lot of people who think they have a book in them," says Jerry Fisher, executive director of the Australian Society of Authors (ASA).

But he balances this with caution. "Publishers are innately conservative. In saying that, they have to make money and in Australia we have a vibrant [writing and publishing] industry."

Fisher represents 3000 members, the majority of whom are published.

But simply being published does not guarantee riches or fame.

"The average writer’s income is $11,000," he says, pointing out that many have to seek other employment to make decent living.

His advice to aspiring authors?

"Read. And get honest feedback on your writing beyond your friends and family."

Publishing veteran Richard Smart says, "My advice is, if you reckon your book is any good you have to keep bashing on doors."

Smart, who edited the new edition of the Australian Publishers Association’s (APA) An Introduction to Australian Book Publishing, is a publishing consultant, a director of the APA and convenor of the independent publishers committee - which, he says, represents around 70 per cent of the association’s membership.

With 45 years’ experience, Smart has no illusions about breaking into the industry, and chairs introductory courses for the APA aimed at people new or aspiring to book publishing.

"The odds of getting published are heavily stacked against you and, despite this, publishers’ slush piles are overflowing," he says.

He believes that writing something great is one third of the battle.

"The other two-thirds are getting [the book] through the door and then getting it out of the door, because sometimes a manuscript will be accepted, then for all sorts of odd reasons will never see the light of day."

Valerie Khoo, of the Sydney Writers’ Centre, says, "Always do some research and find out if there is a market for your idea. You need to look at the competition and see if you are filling a gap."

"A popular SWC seminar is How To Get Your Book Published,’’ says Khoo.

"It’s a two-hour overview of the book publishing process and gives information, such as why book proposals are vital and the other important steps."

More than 800 people have attend courses since 2005.

Along with talent, Khoo says discipline is the key to success.

"You can be as creative as anything, but you have to have the discipline to sit down and write, to actually write.

"Some people think just because they write fiction, that they can wait for inspiration to strike."

Sophie Hamley, literary agent at Cameron Cresswell, agrees that writing can be a tough gig: "My books are closed at the moment because we have such a backlog."

Hamley looks for writers who don’t reinvent the wheel.

"It always comes back to the writing ... if you are a great writer and can write a good story well told, a story with a strong narrative voice that also, hopefully, illuminates some aspect of life."

Irina Dunn, executive director of the NSW Writers’ Centre, says 90 per cent of its members are published.

Dunn is also the author of The Writer’s Guide: a Companion to Writing for Pleasure or Publication. Dunn oversees some 3000 members and 70 courses the centre offers annually.

"Firstly, anyone wanting to write fiction should not be thinking of making a living, it’s completely unrealistic," she says.
"The average Australian author earns around $13,000 a year and so most will supplement this with other work, be it driving a cab or teaching."

Even so, she cautions against signing a contract without having it checked through the centre’s contract advisory service.

Encouragingly, income aside, Deb Callaghan, director of Callaghan Literary Management, says that good fiction, fiction that people really want to read, will always find a market.

Callaghan believes that there is more opportunity to be published in writing non-fiction, "partly because in non-fiction there are hundreds of genres and topics, whereas fiction solely lies on the quality of the writing".

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