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Things I’ve Learned Along the Way
By Paul Kupperberg
© Paul Kupperberg

Last October, I finished writing a novel, on spec, working most of the previous two months on it around paying gigs. My wife read it, pronounced she loved it, and said, “At least now the hard part is done.”

To which I replied, “Writing it’s the easy part. Now I gotta sell the damned thing.”

Oversimplification? Not so much. I worked for many years for a publishing division that was part of a large media conglomerate. I did the bulk of my freelance writing for them and most of the few contacts I made were in the area of licensing. I’m not, alas, a go-out-for-drinks, make contacts and network kind of guy. I play the extrovert very well. I’m funny, quick of wit, and can be charming, but it’s not my natural mode. I think that’s true for a lot of creators. Writing is, by its nature, a solitary craft. If you mind the loneliness, you can’t do the job. I know guys who are talented enough to do the job and do it well — sometimes very well — and are all about the networking. They make buds, keep in touch, go to parties, throw parties, know this that and the other guy. People love them and they wind up with high profile gigs and TV and movie deals for their ideas.

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