Writing a novel can be one of the most wonderful and fulfilling things one might do. Being creative. Creating characters that come to life on the page. Telling a story. It’s all great fun and satisfying.
The one thing it is not for nearly everyone who embarks on a writing journey is a way to earn a living.
Yes, people have done it—and might even still. But you can’t count on it. Readers are fickle. Your genre or sub-genre may be popular when you set out to write your novel, but by the time you’re ready to publish readers may have moved on to the next popular thing.
Not long after I set out on my writing career, a very popular, very successful author in my sub-genre gave a talk where she said, “If you’re looking to earn a living, there are many much easier and more lucrative ways to do so.” I have taken these words to heart throughout the 20+ years I’ve been writing.
There have been times when I’ve been tempted to quit. When I look at my sales numbers and think that this just isn’t worth it. But when I hit the ruts in my road, I pause and reevaluate why I write. It’s to do all those things I mentioned in that first paragraph: being creative, creating characters, and telling a story. I love to do it. Even more, I can’t imagine not doing so.
I have known authors who have retired from writing. They’ve simply stopped. I can’t imagine how they are able to do this. Even when I think of my retirement plans (which I think I’ve written about here before), writing is still a part of my life.
But am I making a living with my writing? Nope.
Am I earning good money? Not really.
Does this make me sad? Well, yes. I work very hard at writing my novels. I put in hundreds of hours of work—both the actual writing and the research to ensure I don’t get my facts wrong.
But I am not counting on my writing to support myself. I don’t need it to pay my rent or get food on my table for if I did, I would have starved to death long ago.
There are people who do write to support themselves and right now they are struggling. The number of books published on Amazon has risen exponentially with the rise of AI and the slop it churns out. So even if an author was able to support themselves with their writing, they can barely do so anymore.
I feel for those authors. But I also can’t understand how someone can rely so heavily on a market so volatile.
If you are an author struggling to make a living with your writing, I wish you the best of luck. If you are a new author, don’t quit your day job.
Either way, don’t forget why you write. Remember the joy and satisfaction that comes from having written. And the pride you felt when a total stranger says that they read your book and loved it. That is why we write.
Writing a novel can be one of the most wonderful and fulfilling things one might do. Being creative. Creating characters that come to life on the page. Telling a story. It’s all great fun and satisfying.
The one thing it is not for nearly everyone who embarks on a writing journey is a way to earn a living.
Yes, people have done it—and might even still. But you can’t count on it. Readers are fickle. Your genre or sub-genre may be popular when you set out to write your novel, but by the time you’re ready to publish readers may have moved on to the next popular thing.
Not long after I set out on my writing career, a very popular, very successful author in my sub-genre gave a talk where she said, “If you’re looking to earn a living, there are many much easier and more lucrative ways to do so.” I have taken these words to heart throughout the 20+ years I’ve been writing.
There have been times when I’ve been tempted to quit. When I look at my sales numbers and think that this just isn’t worth it. But when I hit the ruts in my road, I pause and reevaluate why I write. It’s to do all those things I mentioned in that first paragraph: being creative, creating characters, and telling a story. I love to do it. Even more, I can’t imagine not doing so.
I have known authors who have retired from writing. They’ve simply stopped. I can’t imagine how they are able to do this. Even when I think of my retirement plans (which I think I’ve written about here before), writing is still a part of my life.
But am I making a living with my writing? Nope.
Am I earning good money? Not really.
Does this make me sad? Well, yes. I work very hard at writing my novels. I put in hundreds of hours of work—both the actual writing and the research to ensure I don’t get my facts wrong.
But I am not counting on my writing to support myself. I don’t need it to pay my rent or get food on my table for if I did, I would have starved to death long ago.
There are people who do write to support themselves and right now they are struggling. The number of books published on Amazon has risen exponentially with the rise of AI and the slop it churns out. So even if an author was able to support themselves with their writing, they can barely do so anymore.
I feel for those authors. But I also can’t understand how someone can rely so heavily on a market so volatile.
If you are an author struggling to make a living with your writing, I wish you the best of luck. If you are a new author, don’t quit your day job.
Either way, don’t forget why you write. Remember the joy and satisfaction that comes from having written. And the pride you felt when a total stranger says that they read your book and loved it. That is why we write.