Quitting your day job....

[RobertEvert]

I feel like dreaming....

For those of you who have made writing your profession, could you tell us about the moment you realized that you could quit your day job?

For example, Stephen King talks about getting the phone call from his agent and making his agent repeat (over and over) the amount of money his first book was making. I believe he was living in a trailer at the time and working in a laundry mat.

I'd love to hear your moments of success!!

[ghost]

I was lucky. I signed my book deal two weeks before my contract ended with my job.

So I didn't have to quit my day job. The satisfaction was knowing I didn't have to run out and find another.

[Stanhy59]

I guess I am lucky in that I don't really want to quit my day job (it's actually a cool gig), more like I would love to have writing fiction at least be some sort of second job.

Which leads me to a question I have had, that ghost reminded me of. Is there any way of finding out what kind of pay ranges that authors make? I don't know if there is a resource out there I haven't found yet? We all know the Stephen King and J.K. Rowling ranges. I'm interested in the bread and butter authors of fiction, and what the low to high scale would be.

[Ken]

Originally Posted by Stanhy59

Which leads me to a question I have had, that ghost reminded me of. Is there any way of finding out what kind of pay ranges that authors make? I don't know if there is a resource out there I haven't found yet? We all know the Stephen King and J.K. Rowling ranges. I'm interested in the bread and butter authors of fiction, and what the low to high scale would be.

... my guess is around 10K. Making a living at writing is really difficult. It can be done. But not often. A stat on how many authors are earning $25,000 or more, yearly, might give a more accurate picture of how writing stacks up from an economic perspective. (No one should be discouraged of course. Money isn't everything. And stats also pertain to groups; not individuals.)

[ChristinaLayton]

Originally Posted by Ken

... my guess is around 10K. Making a living at writing is really difficult. It can be done. But not often. A stat on how many authors are earning $25,000 or more, yearly, might give a more accurate picture of how writing stacks up from an economic perspective. (No one should be discouraged of course. Money isn't everything. And stats also pertain to groups; not individuals.)

This.


I would never quit my day job (If I had one) for writing. For one I don't know if I'm going to be as successful as Stephen King or JK Rowling, which is very unlikely, more like impossible, because you don't see many authors today being as successful as they are, and like Ken said, living off of writing is very difficult. I've always been a full-time writer, but when i get my day job, writing will become a hobby to me, entertainment. I believe when you got a job that pays your bills and puts food on the table, you should never quit it by playing the guessing game with your writing. This is not as glamorous as it seems, much like the music business. People think they got it made when they sign recording contracts, but all that glamour and wonderfulness is only on the outside. Any celebrity can tell you. It's not all fun and games. It's more pain than gain, honestly. Writers, same thing. We can't count how many writers have believed they were going to be the next thing and failed miserably. I don't know what Stephen and JK's secret is, because there are writers out there that are just as talented (in my opinion) and they still haven't made even a tenth of what these two make.

Just my 2 cents.
Christina.

[NeuroFizz]

It's not just the income, but also the benefits--medical, dental, and optical plans, retirement plans, college plans for the kids, taxes. Things like that. And it will depend on a number of factors: age, marital status, dependent children, supporting spouse (with the benefits mentioned above), dependent relatives, current debt load, current and desired standard of living.

[randi.lee]

Originally Posted by Stanhy59

I guess I am lucky in that I don't really want to quit my day job (it's actually a cool gig), more like I would love to have writing fiction at least be some sort of second job.

Same here. I love my day job. Unless it becomes too stressful to do both, I'm sticking with my company.

[Susan Littlefield]

I don't think I would abandon my career for writing. I love the type of work I do as a paralegal. I get to write, write, write, research, organize, and do all kinds of things other paralegals in my profession do not get to do.

I would like writing to be a small side-business. If it's a full-time business, I would be self-employed and I don't think I want that at this juncture.

[Carlene]

Comparing making money writing my husband, (he's the smart one - I'm the pretty one), compared writing to acting. He said there are a very few at the top who make LOTS of money - the rest are waiters.

[Phaeal]

Originally Posted by NeuroFizz

It's not just the income, but also the benefits--medical, dental, and optical plans, retirement plans, college plans for the kids, taxes. Things like that. And it will depend on a number of factors: age, marital status, dependent children, supporting spouse (with the benefits mentioned above), dependent relatives, current debt load, current and desired standard of living.

So totally this. And I look at it this way, my writing money can now sit in the bank until I decide what shiny things to spend it on, instead of being "wasted" on the mundanities, like, oh, bills and taxes and food and heat, etc.

[Phaeal]

Originally Posted by Jamesaritchie

Yeah, those all matter, but millions are already living without medical, dental, optical, or retirement plans.

Speaking as someone who must daily turn away people because they have no insurance or the kind of insurance that you can buy for yourself on a limited income, I would say this is nothing to shrug off.

[callalily61]

I happen to give a huge honking damn about medical insurance, paying the mortgage and power bills, and feeding and clothing my family.

I write better when I'm *not* worried where my kids' next meal is coming from or whether I'd be able to afford a doctor visit should they get sick.

I'm not as successful as many authors I know, but I agreed to certain responsibilities when I got married and had kids. I like to keep my promises.

[Mr Flibble]

I don't have to worry about health insurance, medical bills, dental (or much - a check up and treatments are pretty cheap cos it's subsidised). The joys of a national health system! My retirement plan is not linked to my job.

Also I only work part time. I've been considering jacking it in (it's a replaceable job, like James said). One more thing to get into place first, then I'm outta there. Will it be for good? Who knows. Maybe only for a year or two. But that one last thing, and then I'm probably going to give it a go.

[thethinker42]

In my case, I didn't have a moment where I realized I could *quit* my day job. I had a moment where I realized I didn't need to *find* a day job.

I moved overseas in 2008 because of my husband's military orders. Naturally, I had to quit my job to do that. When I got there, I couldn't find anything, so my husband and I agreed I'd write full-time and see if I could make it work as a career.

In late 2011, we moved back to the States, and my income for that year was comparable to my last day job, so we agreed to see how 2012 went, but I didn't have to look for a job once we were settled into our current location.

In 2012, my income was triple what it's ever been with any job I've ever had. We have benefits via the military, and I'm not qualified for any job or career field where I could make anywhere close to this much, so basically, I'd be stupid to give this up for a day job. The moment I realized that? Coolest. Feeling. EVER.

[Mara]

I'm unemployed, sometimes afraid I'm unemployable, and am a pretty good writer who is still fighting to overcome some pretty major emotional damage that's really cut into my self-esteem. So, writing is a pretty good option for me, I guess, since I don't have a lot of other ones right now.

If there was an option, though? I'd probably take it. I'd rather have security right now.

EDIT:
If you can't tell, I'm kinda desperate to make this work. So, seeing people who aren't Stephen King talking about being able to make a living off of it is kinda helping. Thanks.

[callalily61]

James, I take all kinds of chances with my craft: writing in different genres, subbing to big markets because I'm starting at the top, pushing my creative limits. But I will not gamble with my responsibilities to my family.

I don't know where you live, but in NYS getting any kind of private health insurance is ruinous. And if you have even the mildest of pre-existing conditions, forget it.

[Susan Littlefield]

In California, health insurance whether private or from your employer, is outrageously expensive. If you don't have insurance, good luck on getting a doctor.

My insurance is okay, I don't have retirement via my job, but I work with a great group of people and use my writing skills every single day at work.

Jumping off a cliff does not necessarily mean quitting that day job, it might be taking other creative chances. It could mean writing something you've never written before, sacrificing something else in order to sit down and write, anything.

[blacbird]

Originally Posted by Jamesaritchie

And it really doesn't take very much money to buy excellent private health insurance.

Is your planet in the same solar system as the one on which the rest of us reside?

caw

[RobertEvert]

Originally Posted by NeuroFizz

It's not just the income, but also the benefits--medical, dental, and optical plans, retirement plans, college plans for the kids, taxes. Things like that. And it will depend on a number of factors: age, marital status, dependent children, supporting spouse (with the benefits mentioned above), dependent relatives, current debt load, current and desired standard of living.

Very true. The medical insurance alone...in the US at least...is worth going into the office a few times a week.

[Beachgirl]

Originally Posted by RobertEvert

I feel like dreaming....

Be careful what you dream about.

I used to dream about writing full time, right up until my very well-paying, hard to replace day job was eliminated and it became a reality. Unless you're one of the very few authors who hit it big, full-time writers worry about the same things most self-employed people worry about. Things like health insurance, taxes, and paying bills.

And writing full-time is still a job. I now sit in front of my netbook for 10 hours a day instead of sitting in an office. Granted, now I choose where my office is going to be each day (and some days it's at the beach, just because I can), but it's still work. If I don't write, I don't get paid. And I, like most writers, really like getting paid.

[slhuang]

I don't write as a living, but I do work in Hollywood. I've never had a traditional day job, but when I first got started I had day-job-gigs I didn't want to be spending all my time on, and the way I realized I didn't need them anymore was that I ran out of time to do them. It's a metric that worked for me!

I do pay through the nose for my health insurance though, and it's been a nightmare. And judging from the number of views a blog post of mine about the difficulties of getting health insurance as a freelancer got, a lot of people feel the same way. For some people it's not bad, but in the U.S. it's heavily dependent on the state you live in and the condition of your individual health. So do take it into consideration.

[GrouchPotato]

Many years ago I read that earning a living as a writer (in the U.S.) is less likely than earning a living as a gambler.

I was able to make a career as a freelance writer but only because my wife and I also made a career, so to speak, of living within our very limited means. When I've taught writing, the first pearl of hard-earned wisdom that I share is, "learn to cook, because you won't be eating out".

I am in awe of housewives who write bestselling novels in between doing the laundry and sending the kids off to school. My best work requires my total and constant attention. When I'm in full creative gear I have no social life or other distractions. This would be impossible if my wife didn't help by answering the phone, fending off friends, and acting as my beta reader.

Needless to say, we don't have kids.

Is it worth it?

Yes, at least it has been for us.

[Calle Jay]

While I'm by far not a huge 'success', I do make my living as a writer and have since Oct. 2011.

It's not easy, by any means, nor is it impossible, though. Now that I have to look at my passion as my way of helping pay our family's bills there is added pressure. I have to sit down four days a week and generate a product for the market. It almost requires two different mindsets working simultaneously. One=artist, two=businesswoman.

I didn't have a 'can quit' moment, either. It was more like 'our kid has allergies so severe she can't be a in daycare situation safely' OMG moment and I had to find a way to make my talents pay. I got very, very lucky (and have a very supportive DH who works hard and carries the insurance/benefits).

I also worked my tail off from Jan 2011 until that day in Oct ten months later. And I still work my tail off. I probably always will.

[Phaeal]

Originally Posted by Jamesaritchie

No, but fear stops far more than lack of talent. So many just assume they're going to fail, assume they'll have so little money they can't afford to pay the bills or buy insurance, are so afraid of taking a chance that they die still doing little more than making ends meet. That's a poor way to live. This would scare me far more than taking a chance.

Depending on the individual's circumstances, this attitude could range from the romantic to the irresponsible.

Besides, holding a decent job while writing doesn't mean you're not taking a chance. Whatever time you spend writing is time you could have spent making money or enjoying life in another way -- you're betting that time will lead to publication and income.

In other words, we all take chances, and we all weigh the odds according to our situations. To accept the possibility of failure is not dismiss the possibility of success. It's not an act of cowardice to provide for all contingencies. It's an act of good sense.