Writer's Guide to Quitting: Read Zhu Yuxun's "A Writer's Survival Strategy"

A "writer" looks very tall, but in the end it's just a job. How do you get into the profession of a writer? How much money can you make as a writer? Ordinary people probably have no idea about this. "The Writer's Survival Strategy" is based on the author Zhu Youxun's experience in Taiwan's literary world, analyzes the author's identity from the perspective of the workplace, and provides practical information for those who want to devote themselves to writing. It is a very informative book. This book is based on the background of the Taiwanese literary world. The situation in other regions may not be exactly the same, but it can still be used as a reference.

Not talking about ideals, not talking about art, this book talks about "money" from beginning to end. The so-called entry is the first time to make money by writing; the so-called full-time is to be able to use writing to earn enough money to support yourself. Writers are also human beings, and they also need to eat. Few people are great enough to devote themselves to art. Who would want to create in a situation of poverty and poverty, starvation and cold? Once you realize this, you will find that the writer's profession is not romantic at all, and there are only a lot more bad things than other professions.

The book points out that free creation is an unrealistic fantasy. A writer's writing is a product, and if you want to sell it, it has to meet the needs of your customers. For example, newspapers have limited space, and a manuscript can only occupy a large space, so only extremely short articles of a few hundred words are accepted; each issue of the magazine has a special plan, and there are strict requirements for the subject matter and gist of the article ; In the book, there is less talk about network media. It is common knowledge that network media is updated quickly and needs to be hot. In this environment, what editors need is not big artists, but "easy-to-use" writers with clear labels and stable output. Find writer B and deliver on time and quantity.

Most people would consider publishing a book as their ultimate dream of writing, but this book makes it clear that publishing is just a writer's job. Writers are only one of the members of the publishing industry. Publishing houses, printing houses, and bookstores all want to make money. It is only natural that a book with uncertain market prospects should be rejected. If you are invited to contribute, it is okay, it is common for submissions to sink into the sea. Even if it is accepted by the publishing house, there is still a lot of work to do in the future, such as communicating with editors and studying contracts carefully; when the book is published, the writers have to engage in marketing activities and go to bookstores to hold symposiums.

Suppose a person works hard in the writer's business, how much does he get paid in the end?

According to the information given in the book (the following monetary units are in NT dollars, RMB 1 is about NT$ 4), the remuneration for newspapers and magazines is about 1 yuan per character, and in special cases, it can be 1.5 yuan or 2 yuan per character. Assuming that five articles of 2,000 words are published every month, the monthly income is between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan.

The remuneration for publishing a book is a bit more complicated to calculate. The price of a 300-page book is about 300 yuan, and the first printing of 2,000 copies of a literary book is already at an upper-middle level, and the royalty is about 10%, 300*2000*10%=60,000 yuan. In fact, books are sold at a discount, and only a portion of the royalties can be paid in advance. The final payment cannot be received until the book is sold, and it may even be delayed for several years without receiving the money. Using the most optimistic figure of 60,000 yuan to calculate, two books a year, a total of 120,000 yuan, converted into a monthly income of 10,000 yuan.

A writer who can publish articles in five newspapers and magazines every month and two books a year should be considered very successful, right? But do the math, even in the most optimistic scenario, the monthly income is only 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. The legal minimum wage in Taiwan is 23,800 yuan. Isn't this just hovering on the minimum income line?

So unless it's a big hit, writing alone won't get you enough. In fact, the author pointed out that 60-70% of his annual income comes from speeches, discussions, and reviews of literary activities. In the book, it is written that "writers in Taiwan do not rely on their pen to live, but their mouths." There is also a chapter devoted to how writers can improve their speaking skills and how to master interpersonal communication skills.

Seeing this, I feel really tired for the writer. This line of business is no more noble than other industries. It takes a lot of hard work, and the income is low and unstable. Why bother? What's more, the original intention of those who want to be writers is to love literature, but after embarking on the career path, they can't create as they want, and they have to spend a lot of energy on things that have nothing to do with writing. Even if you cut your feet and fit your shoes to suit the market writing, and get a place in the "literary world", is this really what the young literary and artistic people are after? After reading the book, I completely dispelled the illusion of becoming a professional writer. I realized that there are objective reasons for the small number of professional writers. I feel that this book might as well be renamed "The Writer's Guide to Dismissal." Whether it is to help those who are interested in making career plans, or to prevent unsuitable people from entering the wrong profession, this book can be regarded as a meritorious deed for the society.

Read Zhu Yuxun's "A Writer's Survival Strategy"