The Value of a Professional

The first of the year, I had the coordinator of a writer’s group contact me because I’m involved with SCBWI. She wanted a professional children’s writer to speak to her group but I wasn’t able to help. Pressed for time, I sent a short reply. This is the email I wish I’d sent her:

Thank you so much for reaching out to me in your search for a children’s writer who could speak to your group. You asked for someone who is a professional in the field of children’s writing, which I gathered meant you wanted a published author, preferably of trade books. I think you wanted someone who would present a workshop-style program, teach your members about what it takes to get published, and share his or her expertise. You weren’t clear but it seemed like this could be one to two hours on a Saturday afternoon.

When you didn’t offer an honorarium, I asked about a speaker’s fee. This wasn’t possible, you said, but the author could sell books.

I then asked where you were located because metro Atlanta encompasses quite a lot of territory! My thought was that perhaps a member who lives in your area might consider speaking to your group if he or she were close enough that there would be little travel.

Unfortunately, your group is in an area where we have few members, and no published professionals. So I’m afraid I can’t help you. But I can offer you a bit of advice.

Many authors enjoy speaking to writer’s groups. Writers love writers, right? But when it comes to selling books at these events, I’ve found, for children’s book authors, that writers rarely buy the author’s children’s books. I feel like it’s different for authors of adult fiction or memoir or even non-fiction, but the kiddie books? They don’t sell at events like a writer’s group meeting. (One time, I had an author bring his books to a writer’s workshop. He sold one book and one person stole a book.)

The bottom line is that many published authors (with trade publishers) just don’t want to deal with all that goes into directly selling their books. They rely on booksellers, so offering to let authors sell their books is not a plus. (For self-published or indie authors, it’s a different story. They are generally well-invested in their book and always happy for an opportunity to sell them!)

My organization offers lots of opportunities for writers to learn all about the craft and business of writing for children. There are tons of webinars available—at a very small price—that you really can’t afford not to try one! We have conferences, albeit a bit more expensive, but a bargain considering all that you get. And finally, in areas like Atlanta, we sometimes offer free writer’s workshops, presented by professionals. It might be a trek for your writer’s group to attend, but after all, it’s free for attendees.

It’s not free for the professionals. There’s their time and travel expenses (and usually food and sometimes lodging) to consider. Which is why whether it’s a webinar, a conference, or a free workshop, we always pay our professionals. We value our professional authors (or agents or editors or illustrators). We value the years they’ve dedicated to learning their craft and we appreciate their willingness to share their inside info. We know how hard they’ve worked to get where they are and we're grateful they're able to help others along the way.

I wish you the best of luck, but I also wish you’d consider asking your writer’s group to pitch in and pay for the professionals you invite to speak, even if it’s just gas and lunch. Someday, these very writers may find themselves on the other side of the podium, sharing their expertise. And I hope that by then, they will have learned the value of a professional. And perhaps, they will have learned the value of themselves as professionals and of their achievement—and that they will have received a nice speaker’s fee!

~Cathy C. Hall