Writing & Money: A Brief Syllabus

For my upcoming keynote talk at The Muse & The Marketplace, I’ve been immersing myself in histories of publishing and the evolution of authorship. While I’m quite well-read on what the future holds (see a separate reading list here), and often speak on the current digital-era disruption, I’ve always wanted a more cohesive understanding of how we’ve arrived at our current model of professional authorship. I’m also reading up on the tension between art and business, and finding that the ability of writers to earn a living through their creative work is a fairly new phenomenon, dating back to the 18th century and the rise of literacy, which largely made professional authorship possible.

We’re a long way from the 18th century, of course. Today writers face a challenging dynamic of supply and demand: you can find writing and publishing in abundance—anybody and everybody can write and publish—but attention is scarce. Thus it’s little surprise that we have writers being paid in exposure, not dollars.

My talk on May 3 will explore these issues in detail, and offer some humor and inspiration along the way. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of the most illuminating texts I’ve been reading.

Authors & Owners by Mark Rose explores the invention and history of copyright, which has made it possible for writers to make a living from their work. Writers went for more than 250 years after the invention of the printing press without any formal rights to their creations. How did they earn money? Some didn’t—nor did they want to.

The Author, Art, and Market by Martha Woodmansee is an incredible scholarly work that explores what happened as literature became subject to the laws of the market economy, and shows how and when Western culture began to identify art as something that doesn’t sell—and then turned that quality into a virtue.

The Content Machine by Michael Bhaskar is primarily about where publishing is headed, but his theory is grounded in stories of where publishing has been, and traces important historical milestones of the industry.

The Gift by Lewis Hyde came out more than 30 years ago, and is still in print. It’s said that Margaret Atwood gave a copy to every artist she knew when it released. While not focused on publishing, it explores the tension between art and commerce—or how one can or should go about making a living through one’s art.

Make Art Make Money by Elizabeth Hyde Stevens is like a contemporary update to The Gift, using Jim Henson’s career and values to present a framework for creating your art and making a living, but not selling out. Maria Popova writes about it elegantly here.

This is definitely the most exciting presentation I’ve ever had a chance to research and develop, and I’m immensely grateful to Grub Street for inviting me to speak. I hope to see you there.

Note: While my talk is part of the official conference schedule at The Muse, it is also free to the public. Click here to reserve your seat.

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Jonny Virgo

Jane, thank you for your continued insight and the information you bring. It has inspired me greatly over the past year as I have journeyed towards self-publishing an innovative, interactive novel.

If we take the idea that the publishing industry is currently experiencing a reinvention analogous to the metamorphosis of the music industry a decade ago, would it not be fair to say that the author’s craft must, one way or another, extend beyond the page?
Your e-book posited a number of alternatives for the future of publishing but, in my experience, dealing with these possibilities has had a positive effect on my craft and the art I create. As we live such busy lives, is art’s value now bound up in its ability to generate and sustain attention?

Jane Friedman

Completely: content is not scarce, attention is. Om Malik recently said that a definition of media is anything that sustains attention.

I advocate thinking of one’s story as primary, rather than prioritizing its specific container/expression. Some call this media agnosticism. Others call it transmedia. Whatever you call it, every author should think beyond the book.

Brenda Peterson

Jane, Your writing blog is invaluable and we authors depend upon your expertise. I’m the author of 18 traditionally published books. My first book was with Judith Jones at Knopf and I spent my editorial apprenticeship five years at The New Yorker magazine. I also blog for The Huffington Post. Your essay on writers and the marketplace is particularly insightful and I’ve sent it around to all of my author friends and students.

Thank you for your generosity in helping us all navigate this often arcane and swiftly tilting publishing world. My literary agent, Sarah Jane Freymann, and I have just finished a book YOUR LIFE IS A BOOK: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir due out in October. We’ve credited your blog as one of the essential resources for authors. I’d love to send you a galley. http://www.BrendaPetersonBooks

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Life-Book-Publish-Memoir/dp/1570619301#

Jane Friedman

Thanks so much for the kind words, Brenda. I’d enjoy a galley; if you drop a note via my contact form, I’ll respond with my mailing address.

Brenda Peterson

Thanks so much for taking look at the new book Jane. I will fill in the contact form this afternoon when I come home from teaching.

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[…] Ever wonder how this weird business of being paid to write came about? Jane Friedman explores how professional authorship evolved. […]

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[…] Today, we hear from Scratch Magazine publisher and Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR) web editor Jane Friedman. She is one of the Town Hall panelists and will give Saturday evening’s 7 p.m. Marketplace Keynote Address at the Muse (follow #Muse14 on Twitter), “Writing for Love (and Money).” Her keynote is open, free of charge, to the public (at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel) and Friedman has an advance look at some of her source material at Writing & Money: A Brief Syllabus. […]