The Writer and Money

Thoroughly enjoyed this post - erudite wit and a perspective that I largely empathise with.

I'm a new self-publisher. First month I earned enough to buy some new pencils; second month I bought a nice cake for my family; last month I earned more than I do in my day-job. That unsettled me and made me contemplate things that I hadn't had to previously.

I like the fact that I can earn money from what I love to think of as a hobby that I am passionate about. But I'm not sure that I would relish the pressure that I would feel under if I were writing for money to feed and house us. I'm not sure that would work for me. The process would lose its sparkle and become the new grind.

A good comment is worth its weight in unicorn sperm for me. A good comment makes me happier than money. Really. But that's probably because I don't need it.

Like Francis Rossi, I'm for maintaining my status quo.

Hey Matt, well said. You ought to consider adding a donate link to this post and see if it disproves your point(s) ;)

Although fiction is my first love, the pressing need to support my three children has seen me writing everything from a complaints procedure for an ISP to a catalogue for a smoked salmon company, and much much more including masses of features writing, reviewing etc. Being able to write literate prose, and adapt one's style to requirements, is a skill that is marketable, thank goodness. Many great writers wrote advertising copy, and that really hones precision of expression. And being used to being paid to write, it makes little sense to me to see it as a kind of special something that does not need to be paid. Sadly this mindset feeds into the pool of sharks who make money out of desperate 'writers' who want so much to be published 'for love' that they will pay for the privilege. I agree with the self-publishers on here too - treat it as a business, be organised and savvy, and find your audience if that works for you. If you have been much rejected, and then find your own audience, then that is very good news. If you can't find an audience, then that may be the way you discover you don't have a marketable talent, and choose to do something else to make a living. Much better to see it as a profession, and if it doesn't work as one, make some pragmatic decisions about how you use your talent to fulfil your responsibilities. Just like plumbing, or flying a plane, or anything else. It is a bit of a luxury, and usually depends on inherited money or being kept, to write without being paid full time. Now, part time is a different thing, and that is what I manage when my mind is free enough - even if only for a poem in a half hour of inspiration or a day's short story. Novels are the real luxury.

#13 wins it for me. (Nothing at all to do with being librarian responsible for arranging such events. If you're ever up north and fancy selling half a dozen books after a talk in a nice library with some friendly readers...)

i love this...thank you...only today I was trying to explain how I could still claim to be a responsible human, a man,, a father and still stick to something that didnt earn money and didnt show signs of so doing . You know it's hard to express a commitment to doing it the way you feel and from a deep place without sounding like a twat (in a velvet cape in a long disappeared quarteir of Paris, in a cafe that was never very friendly or inspiring and dint exist anyway) who goes on about bei an artist....I digress..in short...good stuff thank you...also I really enjoyed the Radleys...thoroughly Amd without reservation. Bravo.

I found your piece charming and ironically true. Am at a loss at the angry comments. I
I have made a modest living from writing just what I wanted in the way that I wished.
But I have never written for money although by the bye my earnings have supported my life and my rather modest lifestyle. With over Without being pious (a word much used here...) The real reward comes from being read. My PlR stats are a great joy.
You must be delightful delighted at the varied response to your interesting responses. W.

Really enjoyed this post, brilliant and v funny. Not sure I agree with it all, I mean, I write for money because I have children to support -- if it doesn't pay at least some sort of living wage, I can't afford to do it, but the motivation is the joy of it.

If you speak to a middle class philistine they will always ask writers the money question whilst heaping their coffee table with yachting magazines which they seldom read.
If you speak to a reader they will always ask what else you have written, more interested in your mind than your bank account.What is worse?
Being accused of vanity publishing when you have spent a grueling year writing your very best novel or being judged by numpty's from the age of your car number plate?
If you can care two monkey's about either scenario, give up, or Join the club!

Brilliantly written! What a perfect jest. The peril of being a writer and also having to pay bills continues to plague my every moment.

I find most of what you said in this article to be utterly false. You should try self-pubbling and see if it changes your mind about any of it.

There are thousands of writers earning a decent living from their novels and short stories. They self-publish on Amazon and other online sites, and manage to wear both business and writer hats at once.

But if the above is truly what you believe, then you probably will not earn a living with your writing.

I suggest you check out Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch for advice on being a writer and a businessperson. They're not the only businesswriters I know of. Many get by without an agent or a publishing house, or use a mix of both.

wow they are really talking about you over on the other side of the pond:

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/04/2013/the-writer-and-money/#comments

While I can appreciate that these sentiments are true for you, it's a fallacy to ascribe this to all writers.

Writers are not meant to be poor and should certainly not set that as their bar. Also, the process of writing and publishing has changed so much, that a writer can indeed write for a market (a group of people) and produce a book or series fast enough to engage that market while it's still popular.

I don't necessarily think writers should ONLY write for money, sacrificing their vision and creativity in the process. I made good money ghostwriting real estate books, done solely for the money, and I hated it.

I make even better money (and actually, a rather comfortable living), writing books I love. I write because I love writing, but I make decisions about the business of writing because I also love making a comfortable living as a writer. I have many friends who are also writing what they love and making a nice living at it.

Not everyone will make money, it's true. It depends on a lot of factors. How fast you can write quality books, your publishing choices, your genre, your marketability, etc. But that doesn't mean we 'should' be poor or that we can't think like business owners when making decisions about what to write, when to write and how to market it.

More and more authors are choosing to publish with small publishers who can publish books faster than the Big 6, or even publishing under their own imprint and doing quite well. I have a handful of close friends making a nice 6 figure income in this business (myself included).

It's important to approach this as a business, unless it's just a hobby and the writer doesn't care about making money. This isn't a hobby for me, it's my full time career, so I approach it as a business and have found it to be quite lucrative, creative, fulfilling and fun.

This is satire, right?

I'm going to read this as either tongue-in-cheek or sarcastic, perhaps simply a few days too late for April Fools publication. You may write for the fun of it or because it satisfies some basic inner need, but you pursue publishing to gain readers and earn some reward for your effort, i.e. money.

As a technical writer by day I certainly write for money. As a fiction writer by night I hope for an audience that appreciates my work enough to offer me money so I can spend more time writing solely for them.

Great article. I say write for the love of writing. Only once this is done can you sell them for the love of money.

Um, you should see the comments you're getting over on Passive Guy's blog. Or maybe not. http://www.thepassivevoice.com/04/2013/the-writer-and-money/#comments

Wow. Well said...especially the jokes. I have nothing to add except CHEERS! to the people who enrich, but are NOT rich... *clink*

Awesome post, saw it on Twitter, retweeted and enjoyed immensely.

Thanks Matt - great blog - agree with every word! It had to be said!

I agree with Neil Baker. I've made loads of money from TV writing, a much more modest amount from books, nothing from blogs. Living off royalties and residuals at the moment while negotiating hard for an advance for a novel that I wouldn't look at for TV...

You pays your money!

I usually agree with everything you say about writing, Matt, but not in this instance. I am perfectly happy to think about earning money from my writing, and to consider my novels as representing income for my family. I don't think this affects the actual writing in any way. I also dislike what I felt was your inference that writers who do write books with any kind of commercial mind-set are 'a bit superficial', and not proper writers, proper writers being those who only write for the good of literature and not with the expectation of being paid for it - how grubby of them. Being a writer is a profession, and professionals should expect to be paid fairly for their work like any other professional. And I didn't understand this: "The average waiting time between signing a contract and seeing some money from it is six and a half years." That has to be a joke, I presume. My average waiting time is usually about 6 weeks. But maybe you weren't being serious. As I said before, I usually enjoy and appreciate your posts. Many thanks, Victoria

4, 6 and 16 had me laughing out loud - thank you so much for this wonderful article.

I write to make my fans happy. I earn money, but money isn't the reason. I love creating characters and giving them something wonderful to discover about themselves. And if I can make a fan happy, then I've done my job.

Great piece. I once heard Alan Bennet make the distinction between 'being a writer' and 'writing.' I guess I make more money out of 'being a writer' ie, school events etc. And you're right, the writing happens anyway!

I basically love this article and will be quoting it to everyone I know. Thanks Matt.

You seem to think "writer" is synonymous with "person who writes novels". There are many forms of writer, each with a different relationship to money.

Neil

Edgar ALLAN Poe, please.

Well said! I spent seventeen years writing nine novels before the tenth one finally sold--and though my agent got me the kind of advance that you just don't see anymore, I didn't get rich off of it by far. As for my third published work, that came out over two years ago and I've yet to see a royalty check generated from it. Writing is most definitely something you do because you can't imagine NOT doing it. Financial success, if it comes, is just a happy by-product.

Great piece! But I think you seriously overstate the amount of money most writers earn.