I had the chance to go back to school this week.

Ten years ago, I taught at Centralia High School, near where I live now in Lewis County, Washington state. However, life and other opportunities drew me away, and I haven’t been back since. I still know many of the teachers though, and last week, counselor Jim Parker asked me to come back on Tuesday and talk about writing as a career.

So, you like working for minimum wage

I did actually start with that, but as a joke. Okay, maybe it wasn’t entirely a joke. Many authors have to have a regular job to support their meager earnings from writing. Only a few make the big money. I don’t make a fortune, but I’ve been fortunate, to earn a living writing books that I enjoy.

The Internet, print-on-demand, ebooks, and audiobooks are changing the world of writing. I spoke for nearly an hour, and in that time explained how, as a mid-list indie author, I run a small publishing company, and use all those formats to distribute my books.

Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords and Apple, iTunes are all my business partners. It’s fun, but it is also a full time job.

Students asked questions before, during and after I spoke. I’m sure some of them were late for their next class. I had a great time and hope to speak with students again in the future.