Dear Fiction Writers: You're Monetizing Wrong
What I learned from working underneath a movie producer for two years will rock you.
Recently, I had a wonderful thing happen. Someone reached out to me asking for advice on their career. This individual asked me what advice I would give to fiction writers.
Truth be told, I don’t have much luck with my own fiction writing. I’m a nonfiction type of guy. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t know quite a bit about monetizing fiction.
You see, I worked directly underneath an A-list movie producer. (If you watched Machete, you saw his work in action.) Fiction was what this guy was passionate about, and for about two years, I watched him in action alongside my other boss.
After having worked with a person who made millions thanks to the world of fiction, I learned something very important.
Most fiction writers are monetizing their work poorly.
There. I said the thing. The vast majority of fiction writers are stuck clinging to a business model that almost never exists anymore. It goes like this:
Be unknown or one of many, many writers on Medium.
Write a book.
Market said book, maybe do some hawking on social media.
Get book agent.
???
Profit.
Most people do not make that much money publishing a book. Publishers are flooded by people who are trying to write the next Great American Novel. The chances of you getting a publisher to pick up your book are low—even for indie publications.
If you were hoping to get a stipend from a publisher, you will probably get laughed out the door. Stipends and allowances from publishers just don’t happen these days. Unless you are a BIG name, you won’t get squat.
So, you’ll be stuck writing that novel in your spare time. You will need a day job unless you want to be the author who writes smutty novels on Amazon for a following. (Those always sell, but do you really want to deal with that?)
If you choose to market your own book, you are going to have to have a big budget for it. No one will market your book except for you. How do I know? I’ve been there, except with nonfiction books.
When I experienced the shitshow of modern publishing, I was both furious and disgusted. I was over it. As a fellow writer of mine said, “Writing a book is like eating a big shit sandwich.”
I don’t care for eating shit. Do you? No? Okay, you might be like me.
Fiction writing is a skill—and a hard one to master.
This statement seems pretty “out of the blue,” doesn’t it? It’s true, but it’s not a random statement. If you have a hard-to-master skill, your skill will be in demand. You just have to find the right customers and clients.
People often don’t know how to find clients for fiction writing. You actually have several opportunities here…
Upwork
Believe it or not, there are a lot of people looking for writers who have a creative streak in them on this site. Upwork clients looking for fiction writers often have a decent budget and will ask for you to ghostwrite—usually an autobiography or a YouTube script.
If you go this way, prepare yourself with a small portfolio of work. As I mentioned in my SEO portfolio article, using Medium and Substack is a great option for a portfolio home. The same can be said of Vocal.media, though I genuinely don’t know how much longer that business will be up and running.
Show your work. Reach out to clients. Start writing for them. It can take a while, but you’ll start to get a steady income doing this for people. If you’re lucky, you might network with a company that has a fleet of story ghostwriters.
This can help you start your own business and get you enough money to float you while you work on your own projects.
PS - If you decide to produce X-rated content, get a pen name!
YouTubers + Artists
This is one of those venues that everyone overlooks. Right now, I guarantee you that there are some artists and animators who want to create something amazing but know they don’t quite have the chops for a good storyboard.
How do I know? Well, I’ve met several. One of my best friends is an up-and-coming comic book artist who partnered with a writer so they could produce a good story. They eventually want to turn it into an animated series.
It can be hard to find a person to partner with, but if you go on boards like Reddit or start networking at conventions, you can find someone. Some also lurk on Upwork, if they have the cash.
Now, you might be wondering where the money comes in. It’s simple: the credits and your byline. If you both work together, market it, and make a premium product, it will go viral on the streaming site of your choice.
This can get you a real movie deal or a Netflix show. I mean, it worked with Vivziepop and Natasha Allegri (Bee and Puppycat). It can work for you. The best part? It means you already come prepped with your own team.
Approaching Movie Producers
Are you feeling ballsy? Are you willing to take a real risk? Well, movie producers and streaming companies are currently looking for writers. This is where the big bucks are. Writers Guild members make salaries similar to doctors or higher.
I mean, look at the Writers Guild Salaries page. Some fuckers make $4,000,000 a YEAR. I honestly had no idea how much a script could be worth until my boss mentioned he paid $50,000 for a script he never turned into a movie.
(Yeah, I choked on my coffee hearing that.)
This is going to be a lot more difficult, but it’s doable. There are several ways to do this:
Go on IMDBPro and search for production companies. You will need to send an inquiry letter, your script, and any credentials you have.
Check the submission policies and follow them to the letter. Do not, under any circumstances, send unsolicited scripts to a company that doesn’t want them. This can get you blackballed by them!
Be prepared to have a producer grill you, question you, and alter your script. I’ll tell you exactly what I was told when I worked underneath a major name from Wilhelmina Models: “If they’re berating you, it means that you actually have a shot. If they never even call you back, you’re done.”
If you make the cut, you’re golden. I suggest you really pore over your script before you even consider breathing near a producer. If you get declined, accept it gracefully or try the YouTube route.
Pro Tip - Some of the greatest films were repeatedly rejected or killed by movie houses. For example, Nimona was almost killed off about three times. It was also panned by Disney due to the gay elements. Sometimes, you have to kick the door in before you can get in.
“But Wait! I Want To Publish A Smash Hit Book!”
And you can. But here’s the thing: you can’t trust that publishers are going to bother with your book. And most of us (myself included) do not have the time nor budget to write a book and market it while still doing their day to day shit.
The three paths up above give you money, clout, and connections to make it a hit and get publishers to take you seriously. I mean, really, do you think Jeanette McCurdy would have gotten publisher attention so easily or gained that many fans if she was not the costar of iCarly?
Clout matters. Fame matters.
And publishing a smash hit book requires a little bit of both these days. Luck is a rarity—and most people won’t be so lucky as to have what happened with JK Rowling or Steven King occur. So, you might as well sharpen your portfolio and reach out to the right people.
It’s not easy and it requires a ton of skill, but you can make a living writing fiction. It all boils down to how hard you work, how hard you network, and how much you’re willing to do to make it happen.