The title of Janey’s talk reflects a desire that she often hears, including by women like us, who want to find a creative way of reflecting on life’s experiences. Janey said that such ‘creative writing’ has many benefits, but writing as a career – when you have to earn a living – is a different thing altogether. As a full-time writer for 36 years she focused her talk not on ‘how to write’ but on what a would-be author needs to know about the book business. In short what you are up against if you decide to make writing your career.

Janey wove the commercial aspects of the book business and the importance of personal networks and self-presentation, into a story involving three characters: Jennifer, an aspiring young author, Will, her literary agent and Emily who becomes her editor. We are first introduced to Jennifer who has talent, determination and a novel already in draft. She needs a literary agent (enter Will), who she fortuitously finds through her brother. This is lucky because literary agents are bombarded with scripts every day. Will likes her draft and he takes her on; she writes a fourth draft under his direction. Will’s job is then to ‘sell’ the idea of Jennifer (who is attractive, an advantage) and her novel to a publishing house. He is ambitious, skilful, and he knows the business. He succeeds. A publishing company picks up the novel after they decide it has real potential. Emily, as Jennifer’s editor, is now able to make her a financial offer: an advance of £100k for two books. Success! It sounds as though she is on her way to a successful writing career…but is she?

At this point Janey switched our attention to the financial aspects of the book business. She had already mentioned that Will’s company, as her literary agents, would take 15% of her UK and Commonwealth earnings and 20% of any translation rights. But that was just the beginning. On any book sale, hardback or paperback, about half of the recommended retail price (RRP) goes to the retailers; then there are printing, editing, publishing and distribution costs. The rest is divided up between publishers, literary agent and author. The author’s share is based on a sliding scale, but it is not high (7.5% of a paperback RRP up to 50k copies; 9% thereafter). If Jennifer’s novel is to make back the £50k her publisher’s have agreed to pay her (let alone a profit on top of that) then it will have to break through the ‘normal’ ceilings for a first novel and become a top seller. Emily’s firm have taken a punt and think it will do this. But what if they are wrong? What if, despite their best marketing efforts, the novel does not attain the sales they predict?

Janey noted that there is nothing worse for an author than being given a big unearned advance. If the novel does not make the sales expected then the author’s future dims. Jennifer may find it difficult to find a literary agent and a publisher a second time; Will and Emily will shift their attention to the next rising star. But, as Janey said, even though only a few authors make big money there are many types of author and many ways of getting one’s work into print. Her final message to us: ‘Perhaps we should satisfy ourselves with simply saying, as I do nowadays: ‘Of course, what I really want to do is READ’. I think the aspiring writers amongst us quietly agreed.  (Summary: Sarah Ladbury)