The Business of Writing Parts 1-3

By Elizabeth Ducie

I am a scientist by education and training; I actually like maths, project planning and system management. However, most writers I meet are the complete opposite. They are horrified at the thought of having to stop creating in order to do the paperwork, the administration, the boring bits of running a business.

For the past few years, I have presented workshops on the Business of Writing at the Swanwick Writers' Summer School. In 2012 and 2013, I produced a series of blog posts on the same subject and I occasionally still discuss business issues during my weekly posts.

The Business of Writing brings all that material together in one place, then expands and extends it. The aim is to provide a simple route by which writers can set up and run their own small businesses. It identifies the basic minimum standards that must be achieved, while freeing the writer to spend the maximum possible time writing.