In the last month, there have been a few informative articles discussing how much authors earn:
- The One Where Writing Books Is Not Really a Good Idea by Elle Griffin (Substack)
- How Much Do Authors Make Per Book? by Sarah Nicolas (BookRiot)
- How Much Do Authors Actually Earn? by Lincoln Michel (Substack)
All of these are excellent pieces, written and reported by people bringing transparency to the money side of the writing life. If you go and read them, you’ll have a meaningful education in what to expect as a writer if you’re just starting out. This is a subject near and dear to my heart and why I wrote The Business of Being a Writer. I’d heard too often—usually from speakers at AWP—that they wish someone had told them, before they went into six-figure debt for their MFA, that writing doesn’t pay that well. Not even a minimum wage.
So I’m always happy to see the veil lifted. We need more discussion of what writers earn, with specific authors talking about their advances, royalties, sales, expenses, connections that led to earnings and profitable gigs—all of it. In an industry where talking about the money is often taboo or even shameful (few want to admit how little or how much they earn), the more we all open up, then the more we can normalize the practice of talking about art and commerce, and the more people can make the best decisions for their careers. And I’ll disclose my own book earnings by the end of this post.
The big secret I haven’t revealed until now
OK, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, here’s the thing: I do not like this question. Of course I understand why it’s asked, and I empathize with those who ask it. But it’s like asking what does a musician earn? Or what does an artist earn? The answer will be influenced by all kinds of factors that may or may not apply to you—and that are entirely misleading about your own potential.
So, with the posts above, you’re going to find limitations. Someone will react to the information and say, “BUT [exception here].” From my POV, these exceptions can often be categorized thus:
- Traditional publishing earnings can have little in common with self-publishing earnings.
- Your genre/category can determine a lot about your potential earnings. So does how much work you have out on the market. More books equals more earnings potential, period, no matter how you publish.
- Authors who participate in the so-called Creator Economy can have little in common with authors who do not. (Here’s one perspective on the creator economy if you’re not familiar with it. This is a more optimistic view; there are pessimists, too.)
This is also why it is a tortured exercise to try and run any kind of meaningful survey on what authors earn. I’ve written at length about the problems of these author earnings surveys. However, authors organizations engage in these surveys regularly, partly because they have to. How else can they pressure lawmakers and advocate for their members? They need some kind of evidence that says, “Look! Writers are suffering. They earn less than ever before. This is an emergency!”
Is that true?
No.
But is publishing and literary culture changing?
Yes.
Are the changes bad?
It depends on who you ask.
The majority of writers don’t earn a living from book sales alone.
This hasn’t really changed over time. We all know people don’t go into the writing profession for the big bucks unless they’re delusional. Rather it’s the pursuit of a dream, maybe the pursuit of fame and prestige. And it’s like playing the lottery if you’re hoping to become one of the bestsellers.
The good news, for some? I referenced The Creator Economy above. In short, there are more opportunities than ever for creators (including writers/authors) to earn money directly from readers. But that has very little to do with writing and selling books in the traditional, old-school, pre-internet manner. And that’s what traditionally published authors (like those who belong to The Authors Guild) really care about. Can I earn a living from publishers’ advances and royalty checks, while I focus solely on writing more books? And the answer to that is: for the majority of traditionally published authors, most of the time, no. You should not expect this today. Yes, it happens. But without some other support or income (a spouse, a day job), it’s tough. Should this be the ideal the book publishing industry strives for? That’s another post.
There are a good number of self-published writers, though, who can make this happen. They work largely in genre fiction. They have to put out a ton of work each year—multiple titles. It’s a treadmill. It’s not for everyone. But it can be done, and some enjoy it and wouldn’t trade that model for a traditional publishing life.
I’m a writer and author—and also a “creator.”
I traditionally publish and self-publish books, but that’s a very small part of my income—less than 5 percent. I’ve made about the same amount of money from my self-published book as my traditionally published book. I was paid a $5,000 advance for The Business of Being a Writer and I earned out that advance after the first year of sales. After my advance earned out, I’ve received an additional $20,000 in royalties (since 2018).
But most of my money comes from teaching and hosting online classes (by myself and others) and by selling a paid subscription newsletter, The Hot Sheet. I also offer some services and consulting, but I’ve been drawing that down to focus on my own writing and publishing. Why? Because over time, I’m earning more from my writing and publishing activities. This is the way it works for most people. You don’t earn that much at first, but you keep at it. If you can stay in the game longer than others dropping away from discouragement and disillusionment, it’s possible to see results.
There are many other issues I have not touched on here. This is obviously not an exhaustive post about what authors earn but why the question is so challenging. What you earn is about what business model you can envision or build for yourself and whether it’s sustainable for you over the long term. And by sustainable, I also mean enjoyable and not something you wake up every morning regretting.
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
Great post, per usual, Jane. And with good links and a peek into your specifics.
One factor I don’t see mentioned much is how old the author is and/or where they are on their finite timeline of life on Earth. For example, you say: “What <i>you</i> earn is about what the business model you can envision or build for yourself and whether it’s sustainable for you over the long term.” That’s true. But what if you’re in your 60s? 70s? 80s? (I’m in one of those ;-). For me, some of the “issues” no longer exist. Like healthcare cost (for those outside the U.S. you won’t understand this sentence since the U.S. is so backward in this area; the same reason people outside the U.S. cannot grasp the premise behind the TV show “Breaking Bad”).
But I do like the last part about being enjoyable and how you feel when waking up every morning. That’s key to me.
— Harald Johnson
Thanks, Harald. Perhaps someone 60+ might not need to consider business models or sustainability as much as someone who is a young adult, who wants to start a family, pay off their school loans, buy a house, etc.
School loans? What’s that? Tuition was $50 when I went to college. ;-)))
I am in the same boat, Harald. I published my first book last year, at the age of 87. I decided to publish as an e-book on Amazon because, hey, at my age I don’t buy wines which have to be cellared for some years before one can drink them. I also had no expectation of making my fortune from writing – which is just as well!
I write for the joy of it and for achieving self-actualisation, and will continue to do so as long as I can. I had hoped to earn something to offset the expense of publishing – the editing and cover design, not to mention the cost of learning the craft of writing; and now the cost of marketing – design and upkeep of a website and blog (I was impelled to try to gain an audience, and perhaps – who knows – to sell a copy or two.)
So, no, I am not in it for the money. I do keep my writing costs within budget, and as I have modest living expenses I have been able to do so.
And even if I earn little, I can proudly say, “I am an author.”
That’s what I love about you, Jane – you tell it like it is. I didn’t go into novel-writing as a full-time profession until after I’d sold a business and had a nest-egg to live on as well as a working spouse. People need to know the truth about the income you’ll get from writing and go into it with their eyes open. I also think some writers make money from speaking gigs or running one-time workshops once they are more well-known. Having a published novel seems to be a necessary prerequisite to this.
Good point, Maggie – having a published book in hand is often a path to earnings opportunities that would be tough to establish otherwise.
Jane, thanks for this article full of blunt honesty. Fortunately there are sometimes non-monetary reasons for publishing, as in my case. I’ve simply endured something that taught me new ways to live, and now I will soon have the honor of sharing my story with others, hoping that somehow, my journey might help theirs.
Thank you, Bill. I meet very few people who are mainly motivated to publish for money. Those who are money-motivated tend to leave the business pretty quickly!
Great post, Jane. I will check out the other articles you mention. A few years back, I remember a report was done that said self-published authors make $500 per book and sell 100 copies per book on average. I’m wondering if there are any more recent stats on that.
Hi Dina: There isn’t any way to track this, unfortunately. The report you saw was probably a guesstimate or an author survey like the ones I mentioned in the post. Written Word Media does a solid survey of professional self-published authors that can be useful, however: https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-evolution-of-an-author-how-to-go-from-zero-to-100k-from-your-writing/
Hi Jane,
New authors need to see this. As an author, you’re also a creator. Content creator. And as a content creator, with the number of tools, and the evolution of technology today, the sky really is the limit. There are many ways you can monetize your content. Your books, scripts, stories, research, and any content you create with value, can bring in good money if constructing its monetization in a smart way. Thanks for sharing this!
Regards.
Jane, you’re our hero! And when we grow up some day we hope to be like you. But for now we’ll just bitch, whine, moan, and complain into our mocha latte as we scour the job postings. And yes, we’ll keep writing books, because without significant challenge, what is life?
Full steam ahead. 🙂
A couple of years ago, an American creative-writing professor told me that there are five people in the entire US who live on their book-royalties alone. Do not know where she got that statistic … but it makes sense. I bet we could name them!
Thank you so much for all of your extremely useful articles, including this one. The book Scratch, edited by Manjula Martin, is also enlightening reading on this topic. It’s a collection of essays by writers on the economics of their writing lives.
Thanks, Vesta. Yes, I’m very familiar with SCRATCH. Manjula and I were business partners on the magazine (same name) that came before the book; the book is partly a compilation plus some new material, which she edited.
Thank you, Jane!
From deep within each writer, there is a teacher. Finding an appropriate platform for one’s generated thoughts can take a lifetime. My experience is of that instructor who enjoyed the interaction with all his students. As an exam proctor, one can see the level of interaction between prior students and their teacher:
“What did you retain?” That was the silent question from this examiner.
Looking upon my trajectory, I see the place I created for myself. Merely having the desire to write – teaching someone about what is on my mind – did not produce the commercial appeal needed to create a living. Nor does it – from my perspective – work well across generational divides. As one reaches the senior ages, his choices become more clear. Sacrifice for the good of your writing is a forced conclusion.
Great article, Jane. And, thank you for sharing some of your financials with us.
As a Belgian I don’t have taboos about money (or much else :-)) – I even post a monthly expense report of our nomadic lives on my blog – but I understand for Americans it’s a touchy subject.
I would think most people know by now that you don’t become an author for the money. But, it’s the exceptions – the big names in literature – who throw this perspective off. I remember from previous posts of yours how the big earners tilt the statistics and how you make most of your money with “side gigs” to the writing.
As of now, I have two blogging friends who are full-time authors and they work sooooo hard, writing one or two (fiction) books a year and taking care of their own marketing. If you want to make writing your career, it is really tough – you have to work extremely hard and focus on that goal 100%. You need to be determined, talented, and passionate about the craft. While I accomplished my goal of writing and publishing a travel memoir recently, quite successfully, this is NOT who I am. I love to write, but I have other passions as well, traveling (full-time) being the biggest one. And that’s not combinable with full-time writing.