Interview- TEFL Hero Jon Marks on the life of a full-time TEFL writer

It’s been a while since I’ve used the TEFL hero category, and I’ve even stripped some people of the honour (and Sandy MacManus has been pretty close a couple of times), but I’m glad I kept it going because Jon Marks deserves it for saving my life yet again last term with activities from the Puzzle Time books (free sample pages here) and  IELTS Resource Pack (ditto here). He also provides several books worth of incredibly professionally produced photocopiable worksheets for free at ELTgames.com . Another reason I was glad I kept the category was because that was the reason he got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago, and possibly what buttered him up to give an interview when I suggested it. For the inside scoop on ELT publishing and how to make it there, read below:

“I believe you are a full time ELT materials writer. How did you manage to get to that much desired position?

It took a while and quite a lot of rejections. Looking back at my early stuff, I can see now why most of it was rejected. The focus was too narrow. The material would probably have worked for like-minded teachers in similar teaching situations, but that’s not what publishers are looking for.

Can you give us a brief history of how you got there- first steps, big break etc?

To begin with, I started sending ideas for books to publishers. These were rejected, but did lead to some invitations to contribute to projects that were already underway. For example, I was asked to produce half-a-dozen pages for a book called Build Your Business Vocabulary (LTP, now published by Thomson). My first full books were my Puzzle Time series for young learners (Delta Publishing). It’s often a question of luck – I happened to send some YL material to Delta at a time when they were looking to expand their list in that area. It doesn’t matter how good your book proposal is: unless it lands on the desk of a publisher who is already on the lookout for that kind of thing, the chances of getting it into print are very slim.

Why did you decide to go the full time writer route, rather than combining it with a teaching/ teacher training/ ELT management job?

I have no interest in management. I did combine writing with teaching for several years, but when the opportunity came to write full time, I took it. It seemed the logical next step for me.

Are you financially better off than you would’ve been if you’d just climbed the teaching/ management ladder?

Yes I am. The question of why most EFL teachers are so badly paid is too big to go into here, but it was certainly part of my motivation in developing my skills as writer.

Bad pay is one of our favourite subjects here at TEFLtastic! Fancy doing a whole guest piece on the topic??

Don’t get me started! Really – it makes me frustrated and angry that the life-chances of so many hard-working and talented EFL teachers are being held back by inadequate pay.

I’m guessing the stuff you do for ETP doesn’t exactly keep the wolf from the door, is it just to keep your profile up to lead to other work?

You’re correct that writing for trade journals isn’t about the money. I contribute to ETP because I enjoy it, and because there’s room for ideas which aren’t suitable for developing in other ways. I have no idea if it raises my profile. It can’t do any harm though.

Similar philosophy behind ELTgames.com? Looks like it cost a fortune to set up and can’t see how it could possibly pay!!

The website hosting costs a few dollars a year, but other than that, the cost has been zero because I did the web-design myself. One motivation was that I wanted to learn how to make websites. That was a couple of years ago, and I’ve since done several other websites. Income from the advertisements pays for the hosting, but that’s about all.

Do you think all full time writers need/ will need another skill like that?

Perhaps, but at the same time, the more specific your area of expertise, the more likely it is that people will think of you when a job needs doing. The web design is just a hobby, really. I doubt very much that I would offer my services in that area to a major publisher. They already have people for that.

How did Langwich Scool come about?

I suppose the honest answer is vanity. It was my first website, and it’s all about me, me, me!

And how did the cartoons first start?

I’ve had cartoons appearing in various minor publications regularly since I was 16. It’s an enjoyable little sideline, but to make a living as a cartoonist I’d have to be a lot more talented and dedicated. Very few people indeed can make a full-time living from cartoons.

Being able to draw must be a huge boon when it comes to getting ELT writing work. Do you think it’s worth learning for that reason?

I actually first got into materials development through drawing. I did illustrations for LTP (the independent ELT publisher mentioned above which no longer exists). Other than that, I wouldn’t say it’s been a huge boon, although in some cases it’s been helpful. As I said above regarding web design, major publishers already have people for that.

LTP seems to me to be the classic case of how the punters suffer when a big publisher swallows a smaller one- distinctive books written and sold by people who are dedicated to them replaced by an amorphous mass of new editions with the good stuff lost in the mush. Agree? Same for writers?

I do agree. LTP books were distinctive and innovative. A blandness and one-size-fits all ethic characterises much ELT publishing these days, and it’s not getting any easier for independent publishers to complete against the marketing might of the big names. However, there are still plenty of independent publishers around, and many of them are very successful at providing materials for more specific needs than the big names tend to cater for.

Haven’t seen a book from a UK-based publisher from you for a while. No plans?

I’m currently developing a series of books for a Korean publisher. I haven’t really thought beyond that.

Do/ will all full time writers need to cast their net wider in that way?

EFL teachers have been writing books for the domestic markets of their adopted countries since the beginning of ELT publishing. All that’s changed perhaps, is that the internet makes it easier to write for the domestic markets of other countries as well.

How do you approach writing books for a country/ age range/ type of teaching you don’t have any/ much experience with?

I don’t think the country issue is a major factor: you can research the background. I haven’t yet been invited to write materials for an age range or type of teaching I haven’t experienced personally. I would be very cautious about doing that.

How much does TEFL theory influence your materials?

As a writer you have to keep abreast of the main developments in methodology, although you don’t necessarily have to incorporate them all into your work. Some writers are very committed to one particular methodology. Others take a more general mix-and-match approach, and I’m very much in that camp.

Any room for PPP?

Did it ever really go away? My guess is that in the majority of ELT classrooms something at least loosely resembling PPP is done on a regular basis. I suspect that many teachers actually bring elements of PPP into play when using printed materials even when the writers have assiduously avoided that approach.

Any particular books, writers or other people influenced you?

A key part of the process of becoming an ELT writer is using books in the classroom and evaluating them as you go along – noticing what seems to work well and what doesn’t work so well. In that respect, all the books I’ve used have influenced me, even the ones I didn’t like very much.

How have you seen ELT publishing change since you started writing? Are those good or bad things?

It’s much harder to find a market for supplementary communication activities (principally photocopiable resource books), because there’s so much stuff available for free on the internet. Not all the material on the internet is great, but then nor is all the material in photocopiable resource books. It pains me to say it as a writer-for-hire, but I think the explosion of free material on the internet is a good thing on the whole. It benefits teachers and students alike.

Any predictions for the future of ELT publishing?

A pretty obvious one: more online learning and online delivery of teaching materials.

Is it possible for someone who doesn’t teach to write materials for classroom use?

Good question. The majority of ELT books on the market are written by full-time or nearly full-time writers. We certainly need to be aware of the risk of getting out-of-touch with the realities of the classroom, and it’s helpful to do some teaching whenever circumstances allow.

How did you end doing a series of books for young learners and a book for IELTS?

Both are exam related – the young learner books are based on the Cambridge Young Learners English Tests. I seem to like writing for exam preparation, for some reason.

Best and worst ELT publishing experiences?

Pretty much everything I’ve done has come with both frustrations and rewards. You just hope that there will be more of the latter than the former.

What kind of person would make a happy and successful full time ELT writer?

Somebody who genuinely wants to do this type of work and who is content with the lifestyle that goes with it: freedom, a reasonable amount of creative satisfaction but not a lot of social contact.

Any advice for those that want to get to that point?

Save as much money as you can. There will almost inevitably be periods when you have little or no work, and you’ll need a financial buffer to get through those.

Not tempted to get in on the TEFL blog thing?

No. Perhaps my websites are a kind of blog in their way – my ideas on the internet.

Favourite and least favourite TEFL books and why

I liked the original OUP English File series a lot – fresh, versatile and it even had a few sly jokes in it. I think it’s still available, although New English File (inferior, in my opinion) has been around for a while. I’m not a fan of material which requires elaborate preparation. Regardless of whether it’ll work, it just not realistic to expect teachers to spend hours making or acquiring props beforehand.

What kind of books etc would you write if you had no restrictions from the publishers?

More material aimed at students who are intellectually engaged with the Arts, current affairs, Science, Philosophy etc. I understand why so much ELT material assumes a rather limited frame of reference, but such material can be dull for the livelier-minded student.

Not tempted by self publishing?

Yes and no. Producing the books would be fairly straightforward and enjoyable. Dealing with marketing and distribution somewhat less so. Ask me again in a couple of years…

Tags: Interviews

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 9:04 am and is filed under Cambridge Young Learner Exams, Delta Publishing, EFL exams, ELT publishing, English Teaching Professional, General English textbooks, getting into ELT publishing, Getting published, Grammar games, IELTS, links, Photocopiable worksheets, PPP (Presentation practice production), Teaching English in Korea, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL games, TEFL heroes- Jon Marks, TEFL pay, TEFL Tradesman, textbooks, Writing ELT textbooks and materials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.