If you're a writer you can't just write. You have to research, keep some records, and, you have to sell your work. While each item might take only a few moments, the accumulation of these things takes up to 20% of a freelancer's time. Unfortunately, these things don't earn you any money by themselves. In order to maximize your success, you need to know about these obstacles and minimize them to give you the most writing time possible.

Content Research

You might be checking out the latest RPG book, playtesting something you wrote, or just chatting with the local game store about what people are playing, but it's probably game-related research. Writing for games requires that you be aware of current rules, be able to judge trends in rules design, and be able to avoid redundancy in your writing. Offering a publisher a feat too similar to an existing feat just gives him something to cross out. That's wasted work, and you could have saved yourself some effort by being more familiar with the game.

You might also have to do some research if your topic is set in a particular era or geographic location. When did people start using surnames in England? What was the population of Sweden in 1500? What are the prevailing theories for achieving interstellar travel?

Depending on the degree of accuracy your market demands, historical or scientific research can occupy quite a bit of your time. Take copious notes, bookmark websites, and remember to cut it off when you've answered your question. Most writers are also prolific readers, and find it easy to get lost and begin reading for pleasure.

Market Research

If you have an idea for a new game setting, you might need to look for a publisher in search of a new setting. Most publishers are dedicated to a particular setting or two--their own creations which might have been part of the motivation for starting a publishing company. Selling a new setting to some of these publishers is difficult.

However, the D20 era has seen the creation of many publishers that specialize in supplements of some kind. Some of these companies are looking for a game and/or setting around which they can establish long-term growth. Providing them with a setting makes you the first go-to person for supplements and other material, as well.

Market research includes time spent looking for submission information for other publishers, which is usually Internet browsing time. It would be convenient if all of that information were gathered in one source, similar to the Writer’s Market. I'm working on that, but don't hold your breath. For now, bookmark likely markets and take some notes.

Record Keeping

Because the amount of time you spend in record-keeping is roughly the same whether you're writing a short review or a full core sourcebook, the percentage of time it take shrinks as you work on longer pieces.

I keep a Word document that records what I’ve submitted, when I submitted it, who I’ve submitted it to, the publisher’s reaction (acceptance, rejection, request for rejection, or whatever), the expected payment for that work, and any other notes. Most people use a spreadsheet for keeping the same record; you can use whichever works for you. On the same page, I also keep track of recurring pieces (like this column), works in progress by market, and ideas for future projects.

Keeping the record allows you to nudge an editor if some kind of response is overdue. It happens. If you don't keep track, you can ask too soon, and risk putting the editor off. If you never ask, you might be missing out on a paycheck for a work that got lost. That happens, too. Knowing when you sent it and what the editor recommends for follow-up time helps everything moving smoothly.

I keep specific guidelines for each publisher I work for in the same folder as this record, a generic freelance invoice for late payments (I haven't needed that for the RPG industry, but it's useful for other stuff), copies of contracts, and templates, templates, templates! I have character stat block templates, spell templates, feat templates, prestige class templates--anything that I write often.

For somebody I write for regularly, I also create an article template that includes that publisher's preferred font, number of columns, my personal contact information, etc. While I might write the document in whatever format is easiest for me to use, I fill it into the template for submission. That saves me from having to reach or search through their guidelines for the details every time I want to send an article. Because I might have up to a dozen articles at a time on a single editor's desk, that time adds up. Queries

Writing queries and then waiting on a response means extra e-mails and longer turn-around time on checks. If you're writing regularly for a market that normally requires them, ask if you can submit articles without the query step or take some other shortcut. If your topic-selection skills are strong (that is, if the editor normally approves your query, even if he doesn't always buy your article), it shouldn't be a problem.

Contract Management

Reading, signing and delivering contracts also takes time. However, it could be very important time—as important as the time you spent creating the work in itself, because what you sign could slash your earnings or increase them.

When you send a work to a publisher, he crosses things out, adds things, and asks for you to change parts of it. It's a request for revision, and it's a standard part of the process that we probably all know all too well. When the publisher sends you a contract, you do the same thing, right?

You can.

Contract negotiation is a big topic, and I'd hate to do it an injustice by giving it only a paragraph or two of its own. Let's save that for another time. For now, suffice it to say that a contract is an agreement between two parties. Whatever you agree to do you can do, as long as it isn't illegal.