Q&A Thursday

Two big questions I've been kinda avoiding edition

Hey friends,

As opinionated, know-it-all, and attention-seeking as I am, I have kinda been avoiding talking about two things on this newsletter: Twitter and publishing certificate programs. So let’s pull the band-aid off and talk about them both today.

V asks: I have a question that I hope you can answer, but if not I totally understand! It borders on career advice and admittedly, you don't know me from Eve! But hopefully, you've got some insight: I've always dreamt of being a writer, and in August I finally turned in my first manuscript (a non-fiction book) to my editor! Yay! Champagne for everyone! However, first book deals for relatively unknown writers don't pay the bills for long, so I've had to continue to work a day job...which I just got laid off from because of the recession. As a Millennial who graduated from college in 2011, this is my third recession-induced career setback in 11 years. Feeling a little lost, I'm thinking about applying to the Columbia Publishing Course to get into publishing, but my last 'return to school' (for a Master's in History at Columbia) hasn't seen a huge return on my student loans yet. Are programs like CPC actually a foot in the door in publishing, or am I going to be wasting money again if I go? 

Congrats on your book!! I’m sorry you got laid off. Ooof. It’s no surprise you are feeling lost and I’m happy to give you whatever insight I can provide. Soooooo, publishing jobs are hard to come by and don’t pay well, which is not a great start to answering your question. You might have heard that union employees at HarperCollins are on day 6 of their strike for better pay. (✊✊✊UNION STRONG ✊✊✊) (Here is a link to their strike fund!) You may or may not know that starting