I am living the life many dream of. That of a freelance writer of books, blogs, and poetry. One book earned an award; another has garnered the praise of high-level scientists; and still another book has earned the respect of historians in my hometown. I don't relate all this to impress. Rather, to set the context for my next statement: Almost no one in my life understands that being a writer is a "job"—and a full-time one at that. Each invitation I receive on a weekday requires an assessment of my work schedule. Just like other demanding jobs I have held over the preceding three-plus decades.

When I published my first book in 2014, I was clueless about the Position Description (PD) for the endeavor upon which I was embarking. As a service to writers everywhere (as well as for their families), following is a Writer’s PD. A position I learned on-the-job.

Writer’s Position Description

Basic skills include: Good command of language, grammar, and punctuation. Well-read in a wide array of literature. The ability to produce documents and presentations via computer. The ability to perform research using credible sources, as well as conduct interviews related to the subject matter. Strong organization skills. A self-starter with huge amounts of initiative.

Skills needed beyond the basics:

- Knowledge of, and the ability to work with, editors, agents, and publishers.

- Knowledge of publishing options; including how to create a Book Proposal or pitch an article. If self-publishing, must be able to produce manuscript according to printer specifications.

- Knowledge of social media platforms; for Facebook, must create an Author Page, and populate it in a way that attracts your desired audience. You must also manage Facebook Ads in order to reach your desired audience.

- Knowledge of the Internet, specifically the creation and regular maintenance of an Author Website, with a Blog and links to E-commerce so that visitors can find your book(s).

- Blogging skills; including the creation and maintenance of a mailing list of interested parties, usually using a third-party contractor.

- Marketing skills; including how to promote one's work to media, libraries, and booksellers, as well as reaching your desired audience, domestic and worldwide.

- Event Planning skills; including venue identification and booking, invitation coordination, as well as all other details, including food and beverage selection and purchase, set-up, and breakdown on the day of the event.

- Publicist; though related to marketing, you must act as one's own publicist, which means finding, then making contact with, people who will help promote your work. This could be high school principals, college professors, and/or those who run podcasts or blogs with an audience that aligns with yours.

- Public Speaking. You must be able to speak to audiences, big and small. Building this skill may require training (and lots of practice). You must learn to “know your audience” (this changes across venues) and create an appropriate speech/presentation (often with a powerpoint).

- Other duties as assigned; included in this category is a an array of tasks that can spell success. For example, the need to read in your genre cannot be overstated, so that you will know what is fresh and what is cliched. Other examples include: attending conferences (which almost always includes travel), networking, and continuing one's education through organized or informal training.

- You must be able to do all of the above, motivated by sheer will and the love of writing; versus monetary rewards. Much of a writer’s work, especially in the early years, brings zero remuneration.

Did I forget a task? Leave a comment. Thank you for reading! Onward!

Melanie Holmes