Christopher Duncan - Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity

HAVE FUN, GET PAID

HOW TO MAKE A LIVING WITH YOUR CREATIVITY

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Christopher Duncan

Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity

Copyright 2013 by Christopher Duncan

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ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4302-6100-1

ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4302-6101-8

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For my niece, Katy Stites, a creative creature in her own right. I learned these things the hard way. I hope this makes your path smoother.

Contents

About the Author

Christopher Duncan is a creative creature whose work includes writing, speaking, consulting, music, video, and the occasional encounter with technology.

In previous lifetimes, he made a living playing guitar in smoky bars of dubious integrity and also paid the bills as a software developer. A reformed serial entrepreneur, he went on to run a sales and marketing company and bears the battle scars of several dot-com adventures.

He can be reached at ChristopherDuncan.com .

Acknowledgments

Everyone cringes at the awards ceremony when someone walks up to the podium holding a scroll that would have been the envy of ancient Egyptian scribes. Surely there are few things as tedious as listening to an endless stream of names, no matter how heartfelt the gesture. Even so, rarely does a creative project see the light of day without the help and support of others. To leave the stage without at least tipping your hat would be impolite at best.

In this day and age, when its easy to self-publish and the Internet allows you to speak directly to your audience, theres an ongoing debate about the value of publishers. By the time youve turned the last page, youll understand the importance that I place on people and relationships. Nowhere is there a better example of this value than in the process of writing a book. Its easy to sit at the computer and write. Im perfectly comfortable with that. Delivering a quality product is another thing entirely. For that, I need a little help from my friends.

My editor, confidant, and at this point a good friend is Jeff Olson. His were the first set of eyes that saw a new chapter. His perspective and notes helped me see things Id missed and allowed me to look at the familiar in new ways. The fact that hes as much of a wise guy as I am made the entire process a lot of fun. Thats important when youre creating.

Jana Weinstein had an even harder job. As my copy editor, she had the unenviable job of keeping me from looking stupid in public. Dont get me wrong, I was awake for at least half of my high school grammar classes, but without her help you would doubtless suffer from my dubious grasp of the English language.