DIY MFA Radio 129: Let's Talk About the Money - Interview with Manjula Martin
Hey there word nerds!
Today I’m thrilled to welcome Manjula Martin on the show. Manjula is editor of Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living from Simon & Schuster. She’s the creator of the blog Who Pays Writers? And was the founder and editor of Scratch magazine, an online periodical focused on the business of being a writer. Her work has appeared in various publications like the Virginia Quarterly Review, Pacific Standard, SF Weekly, The Billfold, and The Toast, plus, she is the managing editor of Zoetrope: All-Story.
Today, Manjula and I will be talking about writers and money, how to make ends meet, and generate revenue from your writing.
In this episode we discuss:- Why it’s so difficult—but so important—for writers to talk about money. Also why it doesn’t have to be difficult.
- Different options and strategies for how writers can make a living beyond a book deal.
- The pros and cons of working for free, and the broader implications this has on the publishing landscape.
- Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and leveraging them to help you make a living.
Manjula Martin is editor of Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living (Simon & Schuster, January 2017). She created the blog Who Pays Writers? and was the founder and editor of Scratch magazine, an online periodical that focused on the business of being a writer. Her writing has appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Pacific Standard, SF Weekly, The Billfold, The Toast, and other publications. She is the managing editor of Zoetrope: All-Story and lives in San Francisco.
You can learn more about Manjula Martin at her website: https://manjulamartin.com/.
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a LivingA collection of essays from today’s most acclaimed authors—from Cheryl Strayed to Roxane Gay to Jennifer Weiner, Alexander Chee, Nick Hornby, and Jonathan Franzen—on the realities of making a living in the writing world.
In the literary world, the debate around writing and commerce often begs us to take sides: either writers should be paid for everything they do or writers should just pay their dues and count themselves lucky to be published. You should never quit your day job, but your ultimate goal should be to quit your day job. It’s an endless, confusing, and often controversial conversation that, despite our bare-it-all culture, still remains taboo. In Scratch, Manjula Martin has gathered interviews and essays from established and rising authors to confront the age-old question: how do creative people make money?
For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/129