Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #805490 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Jim Frey, author of How to Write a Damn Good Novel
"Most career-bent writers are destined to struggle. Read Denney’s book and save yourself much of the anguish."

Angela Hunt, author of The Canopy
"Wow!The definitive primer on freelance writing. If you think the writer’s life is for you, you must read this book."

Deborah Raney, award-winning author of A Scarlet Cord and Beneath a Southern Sky
"Jim Denney has written a book that every writer and every aspiring writer should own. Extremely well-organized, up-to-date information."

Customer Reviews

The Business of Writing.
Quit Your Day Job is inspiring. I couldn't put it down.

Is it the topic or the writer?
This books earns the four stars by being interesting and helpful. It's well-written (naturally!) and puts what could be very dry business information into a format that creative types will be able to stomach.

My biggest problem, the reason I can't give 5-stars, may not be the authors fault really. The title and the synopsis lead you to believe this book is going to provide practical, how-to information about becoming a writer that makes enough money writing. The reality is laid out quite early on in the book. The first step, the unescapable step, is poverty. And not just any poverty, but poverty that you buy in to with a small fortune. His map to success starts with saving up an entire year's worth of your current salary (!!!), then living like a pauper for 1 to 2 years. During that time, you may not receive enough correct feedback to discover if your books are not selling because you are a bad writer, or simply haven't sold YET.

Now granted, this could be the reality. Perhaps he is just telling it like it is. But really, does such a dire starting point merit such an upbeat title? How to quit your day job boils down to saving up enough money to pay your own salary to yourself for an entire year. Nice work if you can get it, but I don't know many people that can store up a years salary in any reasonable amount of time. Can you?

Practical, Usable Help for Any Writer
Based on his 20-plus years experience as a writer who has supported himself and his family writing books from his home office, Jim Denney offers us, in his own words, "a combination of encouragement and motivation on the one hand and a bucket of cold water in the face (reality) on the other." In page after well-written page, he presents the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about this often mysterious, unseen realm that connects writer to reader.

The author of more than 60 books, many of which have been collaborative efforts, Denney lets us in on the secrets of pleasing publishers, working with other creative minds, contract negotiation and more.

Wondering if you need an agent? Denney gives you the tools to make an informed choice.

Need guidelines for structuring your writing day? Turn to chapter 5, "the Seven Essential Habits of a Working Writer," and you'll know just what to do next.

If your "real job" gets in the way of your dream to write for a living, you'll learn how to make the transition in "Taking the Leap."

When writing is your passion, your gift and your calling, it's good to know you aren't alone. If you identify with the kid Denney describes in "A Holy Calling," as I did, you'll benefit from the fellowship of his final chapter, "Soul Survival." Whether your personal demons are named Finances, Deadlines, Self-doubt or Rejection, he'll teach you how to knock each one of them down and press on toward the mark of excellence in writing.