Anyone thinking of giving up writing?

[Iwillneverknowtidiness]

Have namechanged for this.

Also not sure whether it would be better in 'self-employed' as it's a job question probably more than anything.

Title says it all really - getting increasingly disillusioned. The writing isn't hard, it's the people I often have to deal with.

I've been doing this for 5 years though - I don't think I'm qualified for anything else any more. I left the job I was qualified for ten years ago, then went into something else, then this.

Anyone else been here?

And I know that all of my posts will probably be full of typos and someone will say that I'm not qualified for this job either, but this is my time off, go easy!

They don't handle children's books.

Writers' Handbook is better.

Sorry - thought your fiction was adult stuff!

I've started writing an adult book, I thought it was a great plot but it's just not working. I may stick to tiddley people.

I think about it every so often. This is my eleventh published year and my eleventh book will be coming out in the US in February and nothing is getting easier. It is a struggle with every single project. I have changed agents numerous times. I have had at least four publishers. I have just had my option book knocked back yesterday (can you tell?!). Now I'll have to fight to sell it elsewhere. Sometimes it's just so bloody tiring. But, like you said, I can't see what else I'd be good at. Occasionally I think about retraining as a nutritionist, but the truth is, I like the attention and the media. Am just a shameless media whore!

Do you have any editing skills? Maybe you could do something like a grad. dip. in editing or similar and take on editing or appraising work? I have a grad. dip in editing and publishing and used to do quite a bit of appraising.

Had you thought of going into teaching, for example on a universityor FE Creative Writing course? They employ based on publishing credits rather than academic track record, so you probably would have a good chance.
Or writing something non-fiction? Kind of like journalism but longer :) That can be a very rewarding field (thinking of books like Mr Whicher or Guns, Germs and Steel or Longitude).