Now, I don’t mean to be a Debbie downer here, but lately I’ve heard and seen a few things that make me realize that many people still cling to fantasies about writing careers. Statements made by aspiring writers lately have made me blink with surprise. It’s helped me understand why the conventional wisdom is still that “it’s hard to make a living as a writer.” It is hard, but it’s achievable, as long as you make sure you’re fighting the right battles.
So, without further ado, a list of myths debunked:
- It’s not “fair” how little writers get paid. I blame this on corporate life and people’s reliance on salaries. Most jobs are several steps removed from moneymaking. You show up to work, you make a salary, and only when there’s an extreme change in the economics do you get either a huge raise or laid off. Otherwise, you tend to go from year to year making a set amount of money. Writers, on the other hand, see huge see-saws in their income, or sometimes never make more than a trickle. Here’s the hard truth, though. What you make as a writer is absolutely “fair.” You make a percentage of the price of your books, so if you sell a lot of books, you make more money, fewer books, less money. The publisher only makes money if your book sells as well. You get exactly what the market values you at. Harsh, but also obvious, or so I thought. Yet whenever I hear people complain about how “unfair” it is, it occurs to me that people think there’s some hidden revenue stream that is being stolen from the author. There isn’t. You get what you earn, period.
- This first novel will make my career! Hey, we all hope that’s true, but the old adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket holds true here. Let me list all the things that may prevent the current novel you’ve written from making your career.
- It doesn’t get accepted for publication – most first novels don’t. Every pro writer has a trunk novel or five sitting around.
- It gets accepted, but your editor gets fired and you end up with one that doesn’t like your book.
- It gets terrible cover art.
- It gets no marketing (this is going to happen, okay? That’s not a maybe.)
- It doesn’t find its fanbase.
- It ends up a pawn in the current publishing power struggle. I had one friend whose novel didn’t appear on bookshelves because Barnes and Noble and her publisher were having a fight. Another friend ended up part of the anti-Amazon movement. Her novel, published by Amazon, was up for preorder on one of the major sites, but when they saw how well the preorders were selling, they dumped these preorders early, then pulled her book off their site for several weeks to prevent her making a major bestseller list. This kind of stuff happens a lot.
- It gets the best of everything and performs like a typical first novel. Which is to say, it doesn’t sell a lot of copies. My first novel sold 4,000 copies – and that’s not a failure. That’s actually doing well for a first novel. Whenever I see someone with their first novel manuscript and stars in their eyes, thinking they’re going to be the next breakout hit, I just shake my head. The key to making a living is writing multiple novels and carrying on and on and on until you build up an income.
- An agent called me! They are just the best person ever and I am hiring them! Yeah… it’s weird to me how people don’t see writing as a business, but rather as a fairytale. So many authors end up in bad contracts because they thought they were lucky to be offered any contract at all. It is a business. Learn it. Don’t walk into your first contract wide eyed and willing to do anything people ask. Read the fine print. Learn the meaning of the fine print. Talk to other people who are in the industry, and behave like a professional, not like a little kid who just got the golden ticket.
- A publisher accepted my book! They are just the best publisher ever… I don’t want to repeat myself, but the same goes here. What’s more dangerous is that publishers are not aligned with you, economically. The first contract they offer to an author is not one anyone should sign. It’s meant as the opening position in a negotiation. But a lot of authors sign it anyway.
- This is an LDS publisher, so they’re going to be wonderfully ethical. This is a weird one. LDS businesses are still businesses. The fact that the publisher is owned by LDS people does not mean they are serving in callings to help you get a career. And there is *plenty* of unethical behavior in LDS publishing. Again, treat it like a business deal, because that’s what it is.
And finally, the worst myth of all:
- It’s all down to luck, whether I make a living or not. Whenever I hear this, I say, “Good luck with that.” There is an element of luck in any career, and writing is no exception. Luck might get you a breakout bestseller, or it might get you dumped from a major publishing deal. The problem with seeing the entire process as luck based, though, is not recognizing what you can do to get what you want. I know a lot of people who make a living as writers. I am one of these people, and do you know what we have in common? We all set out to make a living as writers. We figured out how many books we had to write, how to get them published, how to navigate the market, and how to plan ahead for the inevitable fluctuations. Most of us tend to wear cheap clothes, drive only used cars, and rarely ever eat in nice restaurants. Many of us held onto our day jobs for a good long while before taking the plunge, and we know we might have to take them up again someday. But we make our livings as writers. If you want a luck based income stream, play the lottery. Publishing is not a lottery. Learn the ropes and forge ahead.
All important things to keep in mind.
I remember years ago being startled to discover how few authors were making a living as full-time writers in sf&f. I get the sense that for some writers, a part-time writing career makes more sense given their life circumstances, productivity, etc. That option may create less financial pressure, but presents other challenges, such as how to keep your name out there and find and keep readers. The part-time writers I know are just as strategic about their writing career as full-time writers.
Yep, and knowing what kind of career works best is more than half the battle. If you count everyone with a book published by a reputable publisher, the average income for a writer is under $10,000 a year. But although the percentage who make six figures or more is tiny, it’s still a large number of people, whom I’ve always found to be supportive and very open about how it is they do what they do.
To add to your point no. 1, Emily: the market dynamics for books, especially fiction, are very strange and volatile and subject to a variety of forces. Your novel is a product, but it’s not a product in quite the same way that a carton of ice cream or a pair of shoes is. Product launches for any product are difficult–but they’re even more difficult with publishing. And they’re less predictable.
This is true, and given the long timelines in publishing, the market usually changes quite a bit between when the publisher said yes and when they have to ask readers to do the same.