Let me start by saying that the majority of writers don't earn a lot of money. There are the ones who probably sell a handful of copies of their books to family and friends. There are the ones like me who sell lots of copies to complete strangers. And then there are the ones who sell fucking shedloads of books in Waterstones.
But I don't write books to make money (although, making money from writing is great).
I can tell you that a few years ago, I was earning nigh on £30k a year in the civil service, but successive changes of jobs and drops in pay meant that the last job I was doing, I was earning less than £10,000 a year. It was then that I decided it really wasn't worth remaining in "work", mainly because the pay was shit and it was sucking the life from my creativity. Now, I won't tell you how much I earn from selling books, but I can tell you I don't earn £10,000 a year. I do earn enough to pay a few bills and keep me in beer money, pay for petrol for my car, and get my car taxed and insured. And I don't have to worry about the rat race anymore. I'm a true bohemian - underpaid, undervalued, but still happy.
But people look down on me. "You don't work?" Well, actually, writing is working. "Is it though? I mean, how can it be if you're not in Waterstones?" Well, because I'm making a bit of cash from it, I sometimes spend 60+ hours a week doing it, and I-- "But you don't make enough money to pay a mortgage - you drive a rubbish car. Have you thought about getting a job?" Hmm. Well, you see where I'm going with this. People expect other people to earn lots of money or spend 35 hours a week chained to a desk, or else they don't respect them. The classic is, "Perhaps you should give up trying to chase your dreams and get yourself a job." For Christ's sake, writing is a job. I write books, some people enjoy reading them, and I get paid for doing it. It's not a dream I'm chasing. I've long since given up the dream that I'm gonna be number one in the Waterstones' charts. That simply doesn't happen.
Here's the thing - and this is the truth. Only a handful of writers get a major publishing deal. It's not worth the risk paying some new writer £250,000 for a book deal, not unless you're 100% you've got another "Harry Potter" on your hands - and those types of books are as rare as rocking horse shit. Publishers like famous people - they're more bankable. So that leaves most new writers with just a couple of choices. Self-publish, or try to get a deal with an indie publisher. The indie publisher will push your book a little bit, but they don't have the budget to compete with the major publishing houses. Effectively, if you're a small-time writer, you'll be lucky to earn more than a couple of grand a year selling books, even if you have a deal. But remember, that still makes you a writer.
Me, I'm a writer. Am I a full-time writer? Sometimes, I am. But some weeks, I don't write at all. I'm a bit lazy like that. Do I earn a fortune selling books? Well, no, but are we judged on how much we earn? Is that the most important attribute a person can have?
