​In my mind, the single biggest distinction between a professional and an amateur writer is their way of thinking. Here are some of the most significant differences I’ve observed over the years in my day to day life as a full-time songwriter.
 
Amateurs think “Somebody is going to steal my song.” 
Professionals think, “I’m going to write my idea better than anyone else. If they write it better than I did, more power to them.”
 
Amateurs write when inspiration hits and only when it happens, and they brag about it.
Professionals write anyway.

​​Amateurs think about what they want to write and what they personally feel close to and write about that whenever the inspiration hits them.
Professionals also think about what audiences want to hear.

In any music community I am a member I am always trying to remind everyone around me that we rise by lifting each other up. As some of us improve, the bar gets raised and others improve trying to reach for that bar. This is the healthiest way of competition inside a community that literally benefits everyone. In some ways, the music business is a cut-throat competition, with some similarities to the hunger games. Some people look at it as a “kill or be killed” proposition. This kind of behavior would create what I call dirty competition. These people try to destroy their competitors instead of trying to improve themselves and get better than the rest. If everyone just try to be better than the others rather than destroying the others, the whole team will get better and better and it’s great for everyone.

Playing “kill or get killed” kind of game stifles creativity and it creates crappy music. Our philosophy at Flipside is that if we lift each other up, better music starts to be created. ​

Of course, any full-time writer prefers to have a proper deal with a publisher and knows their music career is going somewhere. As a general approach, there are two common types of deals that publishers make with writers, but you don’t have to limit yourself to those two options if you can think outside the box.  Here are the two common types of deals plus some ideas for creative options.
 
Staff Writer. In this kind of deal, the writes exclusively for one publisher. Basically, the name is self-explaining. The writer will be the staff of the publisher company and mostly writes on demand when the publisher has an opportunity for the writer and can pitch the song to some artists or producers. Also, the writer will be writing the songs and when they have something, they can provide it to the publisher and if publisher finds it interesting will push and pitch it for the writer. One important note about this kind of deal is that there is a quota of songs per year that must be written by the writer and accepted by the publisher. ​

​Music Publishers seem to be the “holy grail” for songwriters trying to get that first cut. Somehow, many people have the idea that if they could just “get a publisher,” all of their problems would be solved, and the cuts would start rolling in. While having a great publisher can be very beneficial, “getting a publisher” isn’t the most important piece of the success equation by any means. And, notice that I said having a GREAT publisher can be very beneficial. Having a bad or just mediocre publisher is often worse than not having one at all. So, proceed with caution and do a lot of background checking before agreeing to work with any publisher on an exclusive basis. Having said all of that, and as a publisher myself, here are a few things that publishers are looking for in a writer. Working at becoming all of these things before you meet with a publisher is going to increase your chances of that publisher wanting a working relationship with you.