Kris Rusch; Kara Boulden

Kris Rusch is one of my all-time favorite people and writers. Mystery folk know her better at the Edgar-nominated and much praised writer Kris Nelscott. She is even better known world-wide under her own name as a writer of fantasy and science fiction. For several years she was editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction--the class act of the field--and with her husband writer Dean Smith gives popular and valuable seminars about writing and the business of writing.

Kris started a new blog today and it strikes me as one of the most fascinating projects anywhere on the net. But let Kris tell you about it.


The Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Introduction

by

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

This post marks the beginning of an experiment. I will post sections of a work in progress—a book tentatively titled The Freelancer’s Survival Guide—here, on my website.

The book hasn’t sold. I haven’t tried to sell it. I haven’t even written it yet. In fact, the book hasn’t been much more than a glimmer in my eye for a decade. But now’s the time to do this project.

Here’s why.

The global economic crisis has put tens of thousands of people out of work. Some will regain their old jobs. Some will train for new jobs. And some will attempt to freelance—whether it’s as a consultant or an E-Bay Power Seller or as a writer.

Most people never intend to freelance. They fall into it, usually to make some extra money while looking for work. Other people quit their day jobs in the hope of becoming their own boss. They all find that working for yourself is much harder than it sounds.

I’ve been planning to write a book about the business of freelancing for more than a decade now. The normal way to write such books is to write a proposal (maybe some sample chapters), then query publishers to see if they’re interested. If they are, they’ll draft a contract, pay an advance, and set a deadline for the book. A year after the book gets turned in, it’ll see print.

The entire process can take as much as two years. By then, I hope, this crisis will be a thing of the past. Yes, some people will still be out of work. But most of the people who have lost their jobs in this recession will have new employ, and most first-time freelancers will have run screaming back to the nine-to-five world.

The moment for this project will have passed long before the book ever gets finished, let alone before it sees print.

for the rest go here: http://kriswrites.com/

-------------------Kara Boulden

http://kriswrites.com/ Graphic artist Kara Boulden was nice enough to create a portrait of me. (God knows why.) I wish I'd had her design some of my book covers--you know, the ones you never want to show anybody--and wish the publisher had just sent out with blank covers instead. She would've done a mighty fine job unlike the winos who got paid to do them. Thank you, Kara.

http://kriswrites.com/
http://karaboulden.blogspot.com/