Sunday, May 28, 2023

Making A Living

Every writer I know wants to be able to earn his or her living writing.  I don't know a single one who says, "Gee, if only I could still work at that warehouse or analytics job after I start selling books, that'd be great!"  No, we all want to wake up hen the sun is warm and sit down to pound out our next masterpiece(which everyone will, of course, adore).  That's just not reality, though.

Depending on your source, the average author earns either about $43,000 per year, about $10,000 per year, or about $6,000 per year.  Much of the discrepancy comes from whether or not the author in question is traditionally or independently published.  Most folks assume all writers, especially the ones they see in the bookstore, are James Patterson or JK Rowling rich, but just like not every basketball player is LeBron James, most writers don't find that kind of exceptional success.  Doesn't mean they should stop trying, but the top 1% are the top 1% for a reason.

Beyond that, look at the ranges of those salaries.  Even at the top end($43000 per year), you're lucky to live somewhere decent and eat more than bologna and water.  The average US salary is a shade north of $60,000, which isn't swimming in money.  Think of the average person you know.  Do they have a Rolls?  A Rolex?  Go on cruises every year?  And the average author makes well below that off of their books.

If you can accept that and try to grow, great!  But it's the folks out there who think they deserve more just because they're writers that grate my groin.  Success is almost universally tied to hard work, and even then it's iffy.  So know your limits and what you need to do wacky things like eat or have a car.  Otherwise, you'll stay stuck in your fantasies while your reality is one of poverty.

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