By Tamela Hancock Murray, @Tamela_Murray

Writers spend much time and effort creating books, and those who are serious about making a living — or at least supplementing household income — invariably reach the proverbial fork in the road when they must ask, “Do I have what it takes?” If you have reached this point, here are a few questions you may find helpful:

1.) Are you willing to rise every morning to face a blank computer screen or intense edits?

2.) If so, do you have adequate family support to pursue a career where you work out of your home and resulting income will be irregular?

3.) Are you willing to write and then rewrite, and then rewrite, and then rewrite, your book?

4.) Do you cope well with deadlines?

5.) Are you getting positive feedback from publishing professionals?

6.) Are you ready to form a partnership with an agent, editor, and publisher?

These are just a few questions aspiring writers should ask. Which questions did I miss?

Your turn:

Have you quit your day job to be a full-time writer? Share your experience.

In your experience, what is the most challenging aspect of making a solid income as a writer?

Have you changed your writing to capture a market? How?

Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency is a literary agent and is ACFW’s Agent of the Year for 2017. She brings to her clients her past experience as a bestselling novelist and author of nonfiction as well. Her fiction has been recognized with an RWA Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Tamela has been a literary agent since 2001, joining The Steve Laube Agency in 2011. A native Virginian, she holds a BA with honors in Journalism from Lynchburg College, and lives in Northern Virginia. She and her husband of over 30 years are the parents of two bright and beautiful daughters. An avid reader, Tamela feels blessed by the Lord to have a career in Christian publishing, where she enjoys long-term relationships with key publishing professionals in every top CBA publishing house.

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