Some sobering real-world numbers

T_T

Good thing I plan on keeping a day job.

So don't be a midlist writer. The real world is whatever world a given writer makes it.

Jamesaritchie said:

So don't be a midlist writer. The real world is whatever world a given writer makes it.

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Some things however are beyond the writer's control.

Bubastes said:

In case anyone missed this, some real-world numbers from a midlist mystery author (via BookEnds Literary Agency blog).

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2011/06/ellery-adams-bares-all.html

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That's one set of real world numbers. A scary set, I think, but only a single data point.

Glad I don't have any great ambitions as a writer.

While I've long known being on the best seller lists is statistically impossible for most writers, I found the statistics by a "successful" author rather dismal.

Thanks for sharing.

What seemed to be missing was 'number of books written per year'. Based on the general figures, less than two?

Those numbers are better than I expected.

I think I could do two shortish books or one long one in a year, in addition to my day job, which makes $18,000 per annum sound all right.

Though another zero or two before the comma would be nice, too.

Honestly, I don't think it's very useful to draw conclusions from one writer's experiences. Or from averages, for that matter. I mean, I always find the information interesting; I just don't think it means anything. Each writer's career is so specific to that writer, and the numbers vary so greatly from writer to writer, that these things say not much at all about anybody else's prospects.

My own experience has been very different.

Hey, that's more money than I make at present. :/

The numbers per book don't look too depressing to me.

Ellery Adams said:

Average amount of advance spent on promotion — 25% of advance

Average money my publishers give me for promotion — 0

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So, that's the writer spending money to do promotion, on top of the promotion that the publisher is already doing?

I don't find it depressing, personally. Yes, it's one way a career can go. It's a lot less money than I make at my day job now. But when I do leave my day job, if I were to make $18k a year from writing in addition to being a TA and a military reservist, I'd be OK. I'd make a decent middle class salary altogether without seeing the inside of an office building, and I might be fine with giving up my current shoe-shopping and restaurant-hopping spendy lifestyle for an office-free my-own-schedule lifestyle.

No, it's not the same known salary and stability of a professional day job, but we all know that. The risks have their rewards, even if you never make the NYT best seller's list. Or at least, that's how I feel about it.

Just have to say, too - I love when published authors do posts like this. They're so helpful - especially when I've just seen another writer I know land a major (and I do mean MAJOR) deal, I like being reminded of the other possibilities (besides failing to ever publish anything, of course).

It is nice to see a snapshot from writers out there, but of course, everyone's career is different.

Numbers are nice. It makes the whole thing that tiny bit less murky.

I love stats like this. Cool of the author to share.

Maybe I'm alone with this but I think $18,000 is poor money indeed for a "national bestselling author".

And I very much appreciate her willingness to share.

Why is this depressing? There are so many different ways an author's career can go. So many. In fact, no one's is the same. Yours could be worse or better. You never know unless you keep writing.

I thank her for sharing that.

MartinD said:

Maybe I'm alone with this but I think $18,000 is poor money indeed for a "national bestselling author".

And I very much appreciate her willingness to share.

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It's higher than the average. £5000 is the average, so $18,000 is about £10,000. The key word there may be 'national', rather than 'international.'

Manuel Royal said:

So, that's the writer spending money to do promotion, on top of the promotion that the publisher is already doing?

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That 25% probably includes convention attendances, etc. No publisher pays for every single writing-related expense an author has!

In any case, these things can be claimed back against taxes, hence it's not taking a loss of 25% overall. My day-job already puts me into a higher tax band, so unless I spend my advance on writing-related activities, the taxman just gets an even bigger chunk of it

I think $ per book means more than $ per year. Especially as books per year is unspecified/low.

This is both sobering and reassuring. I don't plan on giving up my day job, but an extra $18,000 a year would be nice.

Also, not to derail, but the first comment is from an Amish gentleman. How do they have the internet?!