Professionalism (7 P’s of Publishing: 2 of 8)
One interesting thing about writing is that there are so many different courses and workshops that teach a writer the craft of writing. But there’s not nearly as many resources out there to assist a writer with the behavior that is associated with being a professional.
And, just for the sake of clarity, I’m not talking about a pro as being someone who receives money for the work they produce. I’m talking about the way a writer behaves and interacts within the writing and publishing communities and with fans; about reading and understanding different publishing-related contracts, meeting deadlines and commitments, operating within the conventions of an expected format or genre; about dealing with reviews, critics and adversity and maintaining an overall positive reputation.
The digital world created opportunities well beyond the restrictions that previously existed for writers. But it also, inadvertently, exposed a far wider realm of levels of professionalism, or perhaps lack of professionalism than ever before.
Perhaps, in the old school “gatekeeper” process of finding an agent and publisher and of getting work published, the large steps, restrictive processes and longer waiting periods allowed a writer the opportunity to acclimatize themselves to moving from hobbyist writer to professional. This isn’t to say that…
