The Write Track: How to Succeed as a Freelance Writer in Canada

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“I am an extremely, painfully honest person. I always tell a cashier
when she has made an error in my favor; I always give an overage in
change; I do fudge a little on my customs declarations but only to the
extent of rounding off figures to the lower, not the higher, nearest
zero.” Veteran professional writer Betty Jane Wylie is as painfully
honest about the downside of trying to make a living as a writer in
Canada as she is about money matters.

Wylie is a published journalist, poet, playwright, biographer,
anthologist, children’s writer, radio and television scriptwriter, and
diarist. Her crisp prose is indicative of a wordsmith who is too busy to
waste words. In this book, she discusses everything from how she got her
start in the writing business over 30 years ago to what the business is
like today. The appendixes include two sample business documents (a
publication agreement and a letter of intent), a fee schedule that
explains what a writer should be charging for different kinds of
writing, and the addresses of a few dozen writing organizations.

If you have proven writing skills and a near-pathological desire to
earn a living from them, The Write Track will provide an excellent
kick-start to your career.