More Bad News for Aspiring Writers

We all need our dreams. The world is full of aspiring writers dreaming to have their great literary works published. Some of us are lucky enough to achieve this dream. Others keep dreaming, keep trying, keep on going despite the odds. All those motivation gurus tell you that if you face setbacks, just pick yourself up and try again. Writers who run writing workshops encourage you to keep writing, keep improving your craft. We hear stories about writers like J. K. Rowling who was a single mum writing her manuscript at cafes and wham! now she’s a billionaire. We dream that we’ll be the next big thing in publishing, with our manuscripts fought over in by publishers who will be begging us to take their million dollar deals.

But sometimes, you just need to stop and look at the cold, hard facts.

Danuta Kean is a well-known journalist and commentator specialising in the publishing industry. Her blog on writing and publishing is a must-read for anyone interested in how that world works. A recent post gives us the cold, hard facts about writing and money. She says:

“Anyone who believes being an author is a pathway to riches is in for a rude awakening. Though the image of the starving writer scribbling away in their garret is dated, the average writer has seen their income drop from a measly £7,000 a year in 2000 (source: The Society of Authors) to £4,000, according to the latest research from the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). Although news headlines may trumpet six figure advances for debut novelists and high profile politicians, the reality is that most authors’ advances are well below £10,000.”

Take home message of the day? By all means keep scribbling - but don’t give up that day job just yet!

Photo: thanks to sxc.hu (free)