I once received a letter from a 10-year-old girl about a math assignment. The math teacher asked all the kids what kind of profession they wanted to enter, and how math would play a role in that kind of work. The girl said she would get extra credit if I answered. I wanted her to get extra credit
This girl wanted to be a writer, so she was asking how much math writers need to use in their work. It was a valid question for most people–just not for potential writers.
No one becomes a writer because they are good at math. And the very little they use is calculated for them on the computer. You need to know how many words you have written? A quick glance will tell you. You don’t understand your royalty statement? Well, cheer up, because most royalty statements are not user-friendly anyway. Your agent should be able to answer your question, and if the agent doesn’t know, she can ask the publisher. Someone will know the answer. Knowledge of math is not a requirement for the author. You want to understand the vital importance of a sell-through, which involves percentages? Ask your agent. Once you get it, you will know it forever. So I can’t really say that it plays no role at all in a writer’s career, but it doesn’t in the actual writing.
I was very pleased to receive this letter. It was a good question and one I was able to answer honestly. I hope she got the extra credit. What I loved about it was that this girl had the sense to actually find someone in the business and to reach out and ask. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Ask. Send that email. Call that number. Don’t ever assume you won’t be able to get to someone. And don’t be so sure they are too busy or too surrounded by buffers to be interested in you.
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