Writer

Writers produce a variety of types of creative work, including novels, short stories, children’s books, plays and poetry.

They also produce feature articles for newspapers and magazines, non-fiction work, such as biographies or educational books, and material for radio, television and film.

They often need to supplement their income with other work, as only a small percentage of writers make a living from writing.

Writer need to: choose their subject matter based on personal interest or be given a commission by agents or publishers; come up with themes, ideas or plots; research, draft and revise their work; submit drafts to a publisher, either unsolicited or through an agent; and rewrite work (sometimes several times) if necessary after getting feedback.

Established writers also attend book signings, readings and discussions of their work, or run workshops for other writers.

They are self-employed and deal with their own tax and National Insurance.

Freelance writers negotiate and agree a set fee for each piece of work. The Writers' Guild negotiates minimum rates for TV, radio, film and some theatre. See the Guild's website for details.

There are no collective agreements between writers and publishers as there are for broadcasters, producers and theatres, so the Writers' Guild does not negotiate rates of payment for book writers.

To succeed as a writer you do not necessarily need qualifications but will need to be able to develop ideas that will sell, have good research skills and be able to express ideas in a style suited to your intended audience.

For book writing you can download a factsheet on getting work published from the Booktrust website - this includes a list of books about writing and getting published.

For fiction, most publishers will only consider noncommissioned work through an agent - lists of agents and information on submitting your work are in The Writers' Handbook and The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.

For other types of writing you could approach publishers direct - it is important to research which publishers might be interested in your work.

You will usually submit one or two sample chapters and an outline of the complete work and will likely wait several months for a reply - be prepared for rejection or not receiving a reply.

For radio/TV you can find information on writing and submitting scripts by visiting the BBC Writersroom website. Competition is strong for TV work - it will be useful to have a track record in another area, e.g. having a radio or stage play performed, but it can be difficult to get producers or broadcasters to look at your work if you do not have an agent.

See The Writers' and Artists' Year Book for details of agents who will consider unsolicited material.