Aug
29
2007
This is a follow-up to my post regarding the YouGov poll that said writing was the job of choice for many in Britain. If you didn’t read the original post, check it out: writing is popular job choice among Britons.
Since then, I came across a book blog posting by John Crace on the Guardian Unlimited website that gives a "reality check" to all of us who aspire to make a living from the written word. In Britain, as in the United States, trying to get published via traditional methods is very, very hard. And just because you’re novel is published, doesn’t mean you can quite your job and write full-time:
Most book manuscripts end up unwanted and unread on publishers’ and agents’ slush piles, and the majority of those that do make it into print sell fewer than 1,000 copies. So while there are a small number of writers making a decent living, something like 80% of published authors earn less than £10,000 per year.
In other words, around 80% of authors earn so little they’d be living in poverty if they didn’t supplement their income in some way (teaching seems to be the most popular route these days). Furthermore, many are still under the impression that once an author’s book is published, he/she can sit back and watch the money start rolling in. No marketing on the part of the author! Yes, more than a few writers still believe this. They believe the publishing house will spend a fortune to market their book. Wrong! If it’s your first book being published, the publishing company is going to spend the bare minimum to get it out onto the market. They save most of their marketing dollars for the big fish.
Continue Reading
2 comments - Latest by:
Brad :
Thank you for your comment!
Procrastination is the plague for writers. I suffer from it myself and it's a wonder I ... More
cac, Sep 02, 2010 re: Author smackdown: Stephen King disses Stephenie Meyer