Writers and artists
An old girlfriend of mine said that most Americans had four careers in a working life - or maybe four major work changes. (I cannot remember exactly - it was a long time ago.)
Rather than having four career changes I run four careers in parallel, or four ways of making a living: I am a landlord of my house in London, which I have been woring on these last few days; I have a contract with a major tour operator to direct (manage) extended tours around Britain and Ireland; I work as a freelance London blue badge guide and I write.
The last two are the ones I would like to concentrate on, but which provide me with the smallest parts of my income, the first two providing the bulk of my earnings. In fact, writing is more of a hobby. I do make a little money at it but Ialso spend money on it to the extent that it is barely profitable and I probably do little better than break even, although it takes up a good deal of my time when not 'working' (as a guide/tour director) or on the house in Brixton.
Man years ago I decided to leave the safe environment of the civil service and go into the commercial world as a guide and later tour director. That meant self-employment and the necessity of respecting what the market demands. If it is looking for an amiable bloke who can crack a few jokes, then that is what you have to supply. If it wants an intellectual powerhouse, then that is what you offer. In fact, it wants a bit of both so you balance the two.
What it does not seem to want is The Diary of a Tourist Guide, which I have been working on intermittently for many years, a series of reflections on life inthe tourist business which I have honed and polished into about 100 short articles that were designed to work as a newspaper or magazine column then a book compilation. I have changed the title to Even t he Old Bags Laughed (which I will use for a book title) shortened the length, tried to sell it as a humourous then an intellectual exercise, hawked it around, showed it to agents and editors, but must finally realise that I cannot sell it. In market terms, it is a dead parrot.
Which is a shame because I think it is actually quite good and has potential to become popular. I may be deluding myself but I think that it could be a winner and people would enjy opening the paper and reading that tour guide bloke on Wednesdays (or whenever) and then buying the book for £7.99 at Christmas.
All is not lost, however. There is some money in the bank and, rather than buy a fancy new car or pay off part of the mortgage, I will publish it in the New Year at my own expense and sell it to the people who come on the tour next year together with The Guide Book. You never know, I may not exactly buck the market but prove the people who felt they knew best that I knew better. Unless that is some reader sees the potential and wants to make an offer...
Rather than having four career changes I run four careers in parallel, or four ways of making a living: I am a landlord of my house in London, which I have been woring on these last few days; I have a contract with a major tour operator to direct (manage) extended tours around Britain and Ireland; I work as a freelance London blue badge guide and I write.
The last two are the ones I would like to concentrate on, but which provide me with the smallest parts of my income, the first two providing the bulk of my earnings. In fact, writing is more of a hobby. I do make a little money at it but Ialso spend money on it to the extent that it is barely profitable and I probably do little better than break even, although it takes up a good deal of my time when not 'working' (as a guide/tour director) or on the house in Brixton.
Man years ago I decided to leave the safe environment of the civil service and go into the commercial world as a guide and later tour director. That meant self-employment and the necessity of respecting what the market demands. If it is looking for an amiable bloke who can crack a few jokes, then that is what you have to supply. If it wants an intellectual powerhouse, then that is what you offer. In fact, it wants a bit of both so you balance the two.
What it does not seem to want is The Diary of a Tourist Guide, which I have been working on intermittently for many years, a series of reflections on life inthe tourist business which I have honed and polished into about 100 short articles that were designed to work as a newspaper or magazine column then a book compilation. I have changed the title to Even t he Old Bags Laughed (which I will use for a book title) shortened the length, tried to sell it as a humourous then an intellectual exercise, hawked it around, showed it to agents and editors, but must finally realise that I cannot sell it. In market terms, it is a dead parrot.
Which is a shame because I think it is actually quite good and has potential to become popular. I may be deluding myself but I think that it could be a winner and people would enjy opening the paper and reading that tour guide bloke on Wednesdays (or whenever) and then buying the book for £7.99 at Christmas.
All is not lost, however. There is some money in the bank and, rather than buy a fancy new car or pay off part of the mortgage, I will publish it in the New Year at my own expense and sell it to the people who come on the tour next year together with The Guide Book. You never know, I may not exactly buck the market but prove the people who felt they knew best that I knew better. Unless that is some reader sees the potential and wants to make an offer...
posted by tourguideddie at 12:06 AM
1 Comments:
Well Eddie, we loved your Tour Guide book, because it refreshed in our minds, facts you had told us along the way on our tour. I intend to loan your book to my sister (who loves reading about the things we saw on tour), as well as my niece, who lives in Canberra and is does editing for a living. My niece also did a UK tour a few years ago, and if very interested in all the points of interest you explained to us.
Keep on writing, and let us know when your next book is published.
Loades-with-an-E
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