If you really like it you can have the rights,
It could make a million for you overnight.
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer
“Paperback Writer” by Lennon/McCartney
Hmmmm. What to talk about this month? So many possibilities…
One of the few interesting topics to arise from the melodrama at the beginning of November was the theorem that there is something intrinsically more noble about writing for love versus writing for money. There seemed to be a notion that these two motives were mutually exclusive.
Cultural stereotypes reinforce the fantasy. The true artist slaves away in virtual isolation on her LJ, selling her self-published tome to an enlightened readership of one or two hundred and then giving the proceeds to charity. Meanwhile, in Mordor, the Dark Lord — Lady — WhatEVAH — sits scribbling out cheap, tawdry commercial fiction and cackling insanely as the piles of gold multiply as if by black magic.
I don’t know if it’s a holdover from the Puritan Work Ethic, but while we all understand and approve of the concept of a decent wage for decent work, it’s hard to get past the notion that art — be it painting, pottery, piobaireachd, or poetry — is somehow more noble, even more credible when it’s done for art’s sake.
“Commercial success” is frequently translated (especially by the unsuccessful) to mean selling one’s soul for filthy lucre. I mean, how can it be right to make money off a job you love? How can it be right to make money from something so fun? (Unless you’re an actress or a sport’s figure. God knows they’re worth every penny.)
Even I admit that every so often I’m struck by the weirdness of my job description: making up stories — fantasizing on paper — so that other people can buy and read my imaginings. Crime writer Lawrence Block (who wrote, among other things, lesbian pulp fiction during his long and prolific career) calls it Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.
Writing is one of the cool jobs. It’s also one of those jobs that a lot of people feel like they could do just as well or better than the professionals. I’d never have to write another word if I had a dollar for every person who’s told me he’d like to be a writer or that she plans to one day write or that they are writers but they’ve never got around to finishing anything — or maybe it’s submitting they’ve never got around to. Whichever it is, writing is one of those occupations that a lot of people feel qualified to do, even if they have little or no training. Everyone’s got a story to tell. Writing is one of the arts, and the arts are not like banking or engineering or brain surgery. We all get a smattering of the different arts as electives in school — and receive a pat on the head for our efforts — and we all know art is subjective, so…why shouldn’t we have a bash?
The other thing about writing is that, unlike painting or playing in a band, it’s viewed as a little more secure, a little more stable, a little more bourgeois. A lot of people seem to make a living writing. And, in fact, a recent article from Publisher’s Weekly listed the median wage/salary for writers as $44,792 versus the overall workforce average of $39,280. True, it’s mostly in non-fiction that people make a living, but what with ebooks and self-publishing, more people seem to be making money spinning stories these days than ever before.
I think those twin misconceptions — that anyone can write and that all writers make money at it — are perhaps why so many people enter into a publishing career without bothering to study either their craft or the industry they plan to conquer. This lack of preparedness is validated by the underlying conviction that real artists, real writers write for love, not money. Enthusiasm and sincerity ought to be enough when we feel the story so intensely. Secretly, of course, most authors hope to make money at their writing. And I think some of these people eventually suffer a kind of aesthetic schism when their longing for success collides with their underlying belief that the real artist is above such material concerns.
During the entire year I’ve been writing this column, writers, reviewers, and readers have been demanding that publishers get with the program and figure out how to pattern themselves on all that’s superior in mainstream publishing. We’ve discussed the need for publishers in our genre to start conducting business like “real” or mainstream publishers. We’ve talked and talked about the need for qualified and trained editors and copyeditors, for good formatting, for sites that make it easy to purchase, for excellent cover art. We’ve debated at great and loud length the need for professionalism in every aspect of this genre from contracts to reviews. Yet in recent weeks whispers have surfaced about certain authors “cashing in” or “selling out.” They’re just in it for the money.
This treasured notion that artists, real artists, love their art so much that they’re happy, nay honored, to do it for free, that the act of Creation should be recompense enough, and that even if the artist can’t earn enough to support herself, passion for her art will keep her producing for the greater good is nonsense. It’s nonsense because it presupposes that the commercially successful artist, the skilled and disciplined professional, does not love his art or does not love his art as much as the gifted amateur.
This sentiment is more prevalent in m/m than any other genre I’ve worked in, and I think it’s due to m/m’s ties with fandom and fan fiction. In fandom everything — be it fiction, vid, art or you name it — is for the greater good. People contribute freely because it is all for the shared enjoyment of the fans. To make money off the fandom is a no-no. But one reason, the major reason, profit is a no-no is because the subject of all this fiction, vid, and artwork belongs to someone else. Fan fiction riffs off someone else’s creation. So charging for your Supernatural fan fiction becomes both ethically and legally complicated.
Charging for your own creative work, however, is no less ethical than mowing someone’s lawn, babysitting their kid, or performing a much needed brain transplant. It’s not complicated. You have a product, the result of your imagination and talent and time, and others are paying to enjoy those results. Pretty straightforward, right? Yet we have those who sneer at the idea of charging for music or stories or art. As though it was the god-given duty of those blessed with talent to share that talent for free.
I guess if we take that argument to its ultimate conclusion, anyone good at anything should provide the bounty of their ability — be it carpenter or gourmet chef — to the rest of us gratis. But since we live neither in the age of patrons or a global hippy commune, somehow we all have to earn a living. And it is not unreasonable that we try to earn a living doing the things we’re good at, the things we have a talent for, whether it’s fixing car engines or grooming dogs or diving for pearls or writing stories.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who became a successful writer of fiction simply to make money. Not least because there are easier and more certain ways to earn cash. People fall into writing like they do any other job. Sometimes there’s a game plan. I knew I would be a writer from the time I was in elementary school. But for others…it’s just the way the cards fall. Sometimes a hobby turns into a fulltime profession. Sometimes an aptitude turns into a marketable skill. Sometimes — more often than you’d think — a frustrated reader thinks to herself, I could do better than that! And a career is born. It’s been my experience that the people who want to write because they believe all writers are rich, are the people who don’t stick with it when reality sinks in.
The one single universal trait I’ve noticed in all successful writers — in fact, in every writer I’ve met — is the need to communicate. What it is we’re trying to communicate may differ widely, but that drive to reach others with our words is true of every writer I know. Maybe your own experience has been different, and if so, I’d love to hear it. I believe that even those writers who write strictly for their own pleasure are compelled by the need to record their thoughts and ideas.
Writing, like any creative endeavor, is in itself satisfying and pleasurable. That’s one reason why we continue to dream and imagine and then scribble down those fantasies long before we’re successful — and even when we never are successful. I think the only real differences between the commercial writer and the hobbyist are discipline and professionalism. The passion for the work is the same. I don’t believe there is a right reason or wrong reason to become a writer. Hoping to make enough money to earn a living at writing is not wrong. It is not less noble than writing simply because you love to write. I don’t know any writer who doesn’t love writing — even when they hate it.
While I can’t explain what it is that drives people to want to write and share their stories, I do know that drive is a powerful one. Writing is not easy. And publishing is harder. But since the beginning of modern publishing, writers have put themselves through the gauntlet of rejection from agents, publishers, reviewers and sometimes readers because the need to share their stories is so powerful.
Every bit as powerful as the need the rest of us have for those stories to be shared.
I never understood the argument “they are just selling out”, you know? Of course writers need to get paid for their work. Now, do I think it is wonderful if the writer has extra income to support his or herself? Yes, I do (and I can imagine that only few are that lucky), but not because I do not think that writing cannot be a job just as any other (only a job which truly creative person can do of course), but because to me “selling out” means writer producing a new half baked book every month. In this case I think quality is often being sacrificed and I am sure I said it before, but I wish the person would slow down. I am guessing that the need to make money is takes over in this situation, over the need to write good, polished books. Thanks for the great post as always.
Thanks, Sirius.
I know you’re right and there are some authors — we’ve discussed that here on the blog as well — who make a conscious strategic decision to crank books out at the speed of light. I confess I feel dizzy when I see someone moaning on their Facebook or blog about the 10 books they have coming out in a single month. And here I thought 10 books in a single year was insanely productive. ;-P
I’m sure there are writers who do “sell out” as there are artists in any field — as there are service providers and content producers the world over — who do sacrifice quality for quantity, quality for gain. But being successful is not in itself selling out.
No of course not, I agree that being succesful is not in itself “selling out”. Maybe the expression “phoning in” that another commenter used would be more appropriate to describe what I do not want to see? But where it kind of touches on what you are discussing is that I feel that if you can only produce quality books at the slower rate, maybe you should hold on to that day job for a little bit longer? I mean, I am delighted to support my favorite authors, even if they produce one book a year. Obviously one book a year cannot give you as much money as twelve books a year, but sorry, there is no way I can be convinced that you can write quality *long* novel during one month. I dont know what the answer is, but I refuse to support such writers. Obviously you have to pay the bills and you *have to* get paid for your work, there is no question about it in my mind, but I think it is incredibly unfair to your readers to demand that they continue to support you if all you are producing is half baked crap. Again, I do not think I am really disagreeing with anything you wrote here, I am just ranting on related issue, specifically how I interpret the “selling out” part. My main point is that so far I have only seen decline in quality even from better writers when they start to write with higher speed. Recently I crossed out another favorite from my “to buy” list, because for me her themes become repetitive, same plot points, similar characterizations, etc, etc. I think there is an assumption that if you are a fan of the writer, you will continue buying anything she writes. I dont read that way. Yes, if I loved previous ten or eleven books by the writer, it will take me more than one or two bad books to decide no more, but even if I loved your works in the past, believe me, I only have that much patience and that much money to spare. Sorry Josh, must shut up, can you see that this is a sore point for me? I just went to publisher’s website and counted one of such writer’s works. A novel, LONG novel every month. I could not bear finish excerpts of the two of them, but there must be demand, if this is going on.
We come back to this a lot, don’t we? 😀 It’s because you’re saying what a lot of readers feel — and I think it’s important that writers pay attention to it.
I know part of the fear is that the more crowded the marketplace gets, the more (especially newer) authors feel that they must rush to get their books out there. But rushing to put out less than your very best work is just not ever going to be a good idea.
Even if it’s a successful short term strategy, it won’t make for a healthy long term career investment.
But it’s hard to believe that when it seems like there’s a nonstop flood of books pouring into the market every day.
Oh, and just to be fair, there is one high speed writer, whose works I keep buying, but for me her works are no more than the equivalent of cotton candy. I buy them expecting to spend a pleasant couple hours reading, but not expecting any depth or different characters. At the same time, no matter what the reason, I buy her works, so she must be doing something right? I guess there are exceptions to every rule? Okay, hopefully stopping now.
There are always the exceptions, true. Which is why, even when we know something is probably a bad idea, we give it a shot anyway. ;-D
Sirius
I know who you mean and I refuse to buy or read any more of her books because they are too mind numbing, even when I want some cotton candy. I don’t know if she’s doing something right but obviously she has lots of fans. 🙂
If nothing else, I admire “one novel a month” authors for their sheer physical endurance. I wouldn’t read those books, but I assume it’s a valid business model.
No admiration from me, I am afraid. I mean, sure if your business makes you money, any model is a valid business model. But surely there is also a need to write a book which your reader will not want to throw against the wall in frustration and ask why it is being published instead of being edited and edited and edited? Again, obviously there are readers who buy it, although why, honestly beats me. Note, I am not talking about subject matter of the books, because of course I will never say that the book is bad based on subject which is the most subjective of all subjective evaluations. No, I am talking about lack of editing, clumsy writing, stuff like that and if *I* talk about bad writing, trust me on that, it is *really* bad. I am as I sure I said it before either quite forgiving, or may miss stuff. Very hard to miss stuff in those books. I have read half of one novel, could not endure more and excerpts of two others.
As I said, neither would I buy or read those books, nor would I acquire them as a publisher. That kind of writing is “typing as extreme sport”, and seeing how many writers suffer from bad backs (I sorted mine out permanently with serious weight training), I gotta admire their resistance to physical pain.
Of course, sloppy work remains sloppy work, on the writer’s side (yes, I personally prefer to take pride in my work and I assume most writers are the same), on the publisher’s side (with most publishers asking editors to “edit” a full novel for a pittance, it’s no wonder the quality is so bad), and on the reader’s side, who doesn’t loudly protest the quality of the piece.
But we’ve been through the quality argument a few times already. 🙂 I’d say, the market is beginning to take care of some of those problems, but definitely, the shoddy editing out there motivated us to found Riptide.
I think in the short term it must be very lucrative.
And maybe I’m wrong about it being a strategic misstep in the long term. The only thing in publishing I can liken it to is the boom of the pulps in the 30s. Fortunes were made merely on volume.
But when the boom was over — when the surplus of cheap, readily available stories outstripped reader demand — a huge percentage of those volume authors (including some very good authors) couldn’t find work in the increasingly competitive magazine and book market.
It seems to me that something similar is already happening here. But maybe it’s too early to tell.
I know Wave :), but even she does not do novel a month, so maybe I do not have an exception example after all, hers are mostly novellas and short stories, and sometimes novels and I think two three months intervals. Again, I definitely do not expect anything *new* from her, no new characters to be discovered in every book, no in depth characterization, they are all the same, but if the main purpose is to make money, I dont think she would care why I buy her books – cotton candy or not. As long as readers buy it she is happy, I would imagine and why should she not be, you know?
No wonder authors like to write in their cave. They’re hiding from the distraction of the absurd! :god: Your patience amazes me.
Well I’m off to my job, that I’m lucky to have. Hope you find some blissful moments in your time off.
:2thumbs:
Sounds like you have ample material to amuse yourself with some “South Park” fan fiction! 😀
Blessings to you and yours!
Oh yes, I want to wish you to have fun in your time off as well 🙂
Thank you again! I do intend to make the most of every minute.
Thanks, Reggie.
I have to say the all time funniest “selling out” comment was on a torrent site. The users were irate at authors objecting to their work being torrented for free and were accusing them of “just being in it for the money.”
😀
Well, it seems like you can “opt out” on some sites if you don’t want your books to be pirated. http://www.sharetermpapers.com/general-b35/author-opt-out-list/#msg73432
😕
Hear, hear.
I don’t think anything but love and passion (and balls-out determination/discipline) carries you through the bloody MOUNTAIN of work it takes to become even a decent writer, never mind a good one. Especially when the alternative is to veg out on the couch in front of the TV or spend time with the family.
That said, the melodrama you refer to has, in several cases, destroyed or damaged that love for the genre in some writers. I’m still reeling from one writer’s departure and will mourn her every day I sit down to write.
The m/m readership is fiercely loyal, extremely passionate and enormously s supportive. There’s a small lunatic fringe to
it where people feel entitled to an author’s work (telling me my refusal to write certain stories was “holding my stories hostage” – which turns the reality of the author-reader exchange on its ear. No longer am I giving the fruits of my labour, but I’m evilly withholding what those lunatics feel I owe them – the mind, it boggles).
I’d say the same lunatic fringe talks about “selling out” and is obsessed about the exact motives of a writer writing any word, or the contents of their underwear. There are just people who are so ignorant as to be downright malicious.
In my case, the fall-out from the drama (and that entitlement, which leaves a terrible taste in my mouth) means I’ll be pursuing a twin career in the mainstream AND m/m, with obvious consequences for my m/m related productivity. In regular historical fiction at least, readers are more “professional” in that they know that authors write for a number of reasons. I’m definitely happier to make sure my uniforms have the correct number and colour of buttons than “discuss” with some people my exact gender identity, sexuality and what I like to do in bed with whom.
In my case, the fall-out from the drama (and that entitlement, which leaves a terrible taste in my mouth) means I’ll be pursuing a twin career in the mainstream AND m/m, with obvious consequences for my m/m related productivity. In regular historical fiction at least, readers are more “professional” in that they know that authors write for a number of reasons. I’m definitely happier to make sure my uniforms have the correct number and colour of buttons than “discuss” with some people my exact gender identity, sexuality and what I like to do in bed with whom.
I think part of the difficulty we’re experiencing here has to do with the changing nature of publishing in general — and social media in particular. We have tools for interaction and promotion now that we never had before. When I originally published through Gay Men’s Press, I think I had one letter from a reader in three? however many years. After I went on the net, I began to get letters weekly, and eventually daily. And then came Facebook and Goodreads and LiveJournal and Blogger and Twitter and all the rest of it.
And despite the fact that I had been a professional author for many years, I had ZERO idea to cope with any of it. I am still figuring it all out, figuring the balance between a public author persona and the private and personal me. Interacting with readers means sharing yourself, but there’s a limit to how much and of what nature we should share.
We have tools for promotion now that never existed before, and it’s inevitable that we will make mistakes and have to learn as we go. And readers are also figuring this out. In many cases they’re learning more than they ever needed or wanted to know.
Definitely, it’s a learning experience for sure. 🙂 Stupid 360-degree coverage never came with instructions, and all the articles scream for “more, more, more” exposure, rather that preserve, you know, some dignity and privacy. It’s sure interesting – push/pull.
I agree on the frequency of reader contact. I did get a few emails a year when I started out, and I did get the “wow, YOU wrote that short story in (Big Computer Magazine” moments for years after that publication, but that was the relatively small, somewhat incestuous German fantasy/sci-fi market (which, btw, is now way larger than it was when I was active there). I used to throw myself into the new media and social media and all that, right now I feel like I want to stay in my writing case for a few months and do absolutely nothing. As a publisher, though, that’s not an option.
Live and learn.
In a way we’re the pioneers of a new generation of writers. We’re the ones who will, through trial and error, rewrite the rules for interaction with reviewers, with readers, with social media in general.
Nearly everything I once knew about publishing has changed or is no longer true. That’s a startling realization.
Maybe because I come from a background in corporate America, I’ve never understood why a writer shouldn’t expect to make a decent wage doing what he or she does.
I also think that some people throw out the ‘selling out’ comment a little too quickly. Becoming more popular, marketing your work professionally, shouldn’t be a dirty word (well, multiple dirty words).
If someone wants to ding a writer because they think the individual is ‘phoning it in’ (another phrase I don’t love), that’s one thing. But making a living wage for the work that you do? Isn’t that what we all want to do, regardless of our profession?
(As an aside, most m/m writers, unlike those in the mainstream, offer free reads, which is very nice pro bono work)
If someone wants to ding a writer because they think the individual is ‘phoning it in’ (another phrase I don’t love), that’s one thing. But making a living wage for the work that you do? Isn’t that what we all want to do, regardless of our profession?
Oh yes! You don’t have to sacrifice quality to be successful, and I can understand when readers feel like they’re paying for inferior work. We all hate that, whether the kid at the fast food restaurant forgot the fries or an author figured she didn’t have money for a copyedit.
But you can’t insist on a professionally produced product if you’re not willing to pay for it.
Thank you, Josh for this post. As a writer who’s transitioning from a fanfic writer to original story fit for publishing, I can say it is DAMN hard.
The thought that some writers do it just for money is laughable. I have a writer friend who disclosed what she made, it isn’t enough even to support me living in this 3rd world country, where the minimum wages is 3 – 4 times lower than most Western countries.
If you break it down to wages/ hour, if you get 200$ royalty for a novella, which, combined with editing and stuff takes you 100 hours of work, you only get 2$/ hour. You can make earrings in less than 5 minutes which, depends on the material, you can sell up to 5 times the material cost. Some people have the balls to sell it at 10 times the original cost just by gluing something on other thing.
Hey there, Cleon! Yeah, those numbers quoted above are salary, not adjusted gross income. And that average includes the handful of Nora Roberts as well as all those midlist writers with their one-book-a-year-5K advances, so there’s a very wide range in that deceptive figure.
Most authors I know are not earning 40K.
Yeah. Many non-fiction writers are struggling to live too. Web content now worth only 5 – 15$ each (sometimes as low as 2$, but yeah.. that’s the low end that most US based writers don’t touch). And even then, the work is dwindling.
Interesting. I would have thought web-content work would have risen.
No. The Google changed their search arithmatic a while ago and caused many writers and web owners who rely on SEO to lose their page views. Demand Studio, one of the most popular place to write web content, cut off many writers and the titles available for writing are going down drastically.
It’s all changing so fast — and not all for the better, alas.
Another great post Josh.
I am right behind authors making a good living from their work. As a reader I am greedy, I want more, more JL more AV, the only way I am going to get that is if ‘my’ authors can afford not to have outside jobs and are not spending all their time worrying about paying the mortgage and bills.
As for the love of it angle, I love my job too, but I wouldn’t do it for free, why should you?
And as mc said, I have found more freebies, give aways and gifts from m/m authors than in any other genre.
Hey there, Jan!
On that note, I have to say that m/m readers are also some of the most generous. I’m a little embarrassed at how very kind my readers have been to me over the past four-five years.
And in fact, the generous and honest readers FAR outnumber the others, or nobody here would be earning a living.
Josh, as ye sow so shall ye reap. What you have given some of us is beyond reward.
Aw. You’re too kind, Jan.
“Sometimes — more often than you’d think — a frustrated reader thinks to herself, I could do better than that!”
I’m kind of amazed by the fact that so many m/m readers turn around and jump over to the other side and become authors. Why is that?
Is it the notion that writing is “easy”? Is it because so many m/m books just plain suck (bad writing, bad or no editing at all) and then the reader thinks “I could do better than that” and picks up a pen and paper? And the cycle starts all over again?
It becomes pretty frustrating and costly for a reader to have to weed through hundreds and hundreds of books by “new” authors every month to find a decent book to read.
Sure everyone can be a writer, but not everyone should be a writer.
It’s kind of like teaching, MRB. A lot of people are under the illusion that because they have kids, they can teach.
Hooboy.
And I think many people think because they can type and because they got a B in their creative writing class in college, they’re destined for success as an atuhor.
Writing is hard work. It’s wonderful and satisfying, but it is difficult and there is a slooowwww learning curve. In fact, most writers have no clue how slow that learning curve is until they look back years later at their first published efforts.
I think readers have both the best and the worst of all possible worlds right now. So much to choose from — a wealth of public domain work, of mainstream backlists brought to life again, of regular mainstream releases in all kinds of formats, indie niche publishing, and self-publishing. Talk about spoiled for choice!
But, as you point out, all that choice can make it harder and harder to find what you’re looking for.
Ooh ooh – there’s a way to sell out!?! Sign me up!
Most of the authors I know who are trying to make a living writing m/m are producing 5+ books a year. That’s a lot of work. You could probably make a better return on your time investment by babysitting or mowing lawns. Surely anyone “just in it for the money” would find an easier, and more lucrative, way to get cash.
Dev, there’s nothing more disheartening than when you read those articles from New York Bestsellers on the financial breakdown of their earnings.
It’s like being on a trapeeze. You DON’T want to look down.
Quantity seems to be the key to financial success, but only if the writer can crank out a sustainable, quality backlist. Otherwise she’s caught on one of those hamster wheels. The only way to make money is to keep releasing books.
Thank you for this wonderful article and the insight you gave.
Josh Lanyon wrote: I mean, how can it be right to make money off a job you love? How can it be right to make money from something so fun?
Maybe there are people that think that the fun it brings should be more than enough payment? 😕 There are similarities in other sectors. People in medical or teaching professions usually took up these professions because they care for people or love to teach. And because they just cannot not care (like a writer cannot not write) they are way easier to exploit.
Josh Lanyon wrote: The one single universal trait I’ve noticed in all successful writers — in fact, in every writer I’ve met — is the need to communicate. What it is we’re trying to communicate may differ widely, but that drive to reach others with our words is true of every writer I know.
Where I can absolutely relate to the need to get something that’s in your head out of it and written down on paper, the thought of letting other people read it creeps me out. In this case it’s a very one-sided communication. 😉 But maybe that’s exactly the difference, this need to communicate, that distinguishs a “Writer” from “somebody who writes”. It’s an interesting thought. Will have to think about it. 🙂
Maybe there are people that think that the fun it brings should be more than enough payment? 😕 There are similarities in other sectors
Well said 🙂 I’m a professional translator and more often than not I have to deal with potential clients who don’t have the slightest clue that my work requires training and qualifications, great discipline, especially when done at tight deadlines, almost with the assumption that because in certain cases this type of work falls into the ‘creative’ category it should be a reward in itself, or they think they can get away with below-market wages, not even realising the potential damage to their own clients/end-users and their reputation in providing them with a sub-standard translation, which is what they’d get if they go on to employ unqualified or inexperienced translators who’re often more than happy to work for free or a minimum pay in order to ‘get experience’…
Very true, Paola. And the sad fact is a lot of people are happy enough with shoddy work. Sometimes because they don’t know the difference and sometimes because they can’t afford better.
You get what you pay for.
Great point, Calathea. I believe you’re right. We do tend to separate job from vocation, with the underlying idea that those with a vocation have a passion for their work that drives them on regardless of monetary reward.
And that’s certainly true. Anybody who goes into the arts — any branch of the arts — faces huge obstacles to success. The odds are always against “making it” as an artist or a musician or writer. And yet people keep painting and performing and writing even when they don’t earn enough to live on.
On the other hand . . .
What I’ve mostly encountered in RL are people who offhandedly dismiss writing as a legitimate profession UNLESS one’s income is in the higher five-figure range. If you’re not making money at it, they reason, you’re nothing more than a slacker with a “hobby job” — and not even a talented slacker, at that.
It’s very dispiriting (to say the least!) to encounter this attitude. I burn with embarrassment when the oh-so-practical people around me are convinced I should chuck it and work at a fast-food restaurant — and think less of me because I haven’t gone that route. 🙁
Hooboy. Isn’t that the truth! My family practically staged an intervention when I said I was quitting my day job to write fulltime. 😀
And I even have a supportive family!
But the perception was that I was throwing away security and stability to go starve in a garret somewhere.
They did quickly get behind my reasons for choosing to make that jump, but they were right in that choosing to write professionally is like starting up any other small business in a risky economic climate. The odds are against success.
Thanks for the post, Josh. While I agree with almost everything you wrote, I do know there is a core of readers out there who do support authors in the hope that their favorites will earn enough to devote more time to writing. I’ve had people ask where the royalty to the author is higher, or whether the Fictionwise discount reduces income to the author and should they not use it too much. (My response – go for it! With eBooks there is little intrinsic cost so reading more books is just as good as reading higher-priced books.)
It is disconcerting to have people assume it isn’t true art if you get paid for it, or that an original fiction book was put out to “cash in” on something. But underneath the I-could-do-that-just-as-well and you-should-give-it-for-free is a big group of readers whom I have found very supportive.
Thanks for the post, Josh. While I agree with almost everything you wrote, I do know there is a core of readers out there who do support authors in the hope that their favorites will earn enough to devote more time to writing. I’ve had people ask where the royalty to the author is higher, or whether the Fictionwise discount reduces income to the author and should they not use it too much. (My response – go for it! With eBooks there is little intrinsic cost so reading more books is just as good as reading higher-priced books.)
This is absolutely true. Most readers want to know what they can do to help their favorite authors — they write reviews, they buy direct from the publisher, they tell their friends. They rejoice with the author when a book hits the bestseller list. Sometimes I think they’re more aware and alert to our successes than we are!
We write for ourselves. We publish for readers. Readers are what it’s all about. We are communicating with readers.
But, as Jan pointed out above, if we can’t make a living at writing, we have to do other things, and that means less time can be spent writing. That’s just the reality of 24 hours in a day.
Thank you for this, Josh. I’ve had similar conversations with myself in my head about this issue, particularly because in my stubborn, idealistic youth I was one of those people who thought if you sold your art, you were selling out.
I’m glad that as I’ve grown older and wiser I’ve realised I don’t have to be ashamed of selling my writing, and that it doesn’t make me a sell out. Now it would be nice to be able to make a living wage, but I expect that’s a couple of years off! Until then, though, I’ll be doing this because I love it, and because the alternative is too dispiriting to contemplate.
Because in my stubborn, idealistic youth I was one of those people who thought if you sold your art, you were selling out.
Sure! Because there’s also the notion that real genius often goes unappreciated until after the artist has died (preferably in abject poverty and madness). And that can be true because success is never just about the work. It’s also about how you interact with your peers and your audience as well as the political and social climate of your era.
There are people who are simply too far ahead of their time.
But not every commercially successful artist is a hack and a sell-out. Sometimes artists are fortunate enough to be appreciated in their own lifetime.
I think as artists all we can do is be true to the work and hope that our efforts are appreciated. But not winning awards or getting rich doesn’t make us a failure — any more than winning awards or getting rich is proof that we weren’t any good to start with.
Excellent points, Josh 🙂
Since I dropped out of the aforementioned drama and the place hosting it early on, I missed this argument entirely. All I can say, it’s bloody ridiculous. I’ve been a reader long before I started to write, but it has never occurred to me that writers shouldn’t be paid for their labor, like everyone else. Writing is hard and time consuming.
It *is* hard, Lou. And it’s funny to me that it has a kind of glamorous aura because from the outside looking in, it’s one of the most boring jobs in the world. We sit at a desk and stare into space or type for hours and hours and hours.
People always say, “Oh, you’re a writer? That must be interesting.”
And it is. It is so interesting. But good luck explaining what is so interesting about it! It just isn’t anything like the movies.
Great post, Josh. Enjoy your time off.
I’ve been telling friends I was eventually going to write a Harlequin novel for about 25 years. I figured I had read so many of them in my day it couldn’t be that difficult, right? BS. After taking a boat load of graduate writing classes, I still find writing difficult. Plus I remember one writing professor looking at me cross-eyed when I said I wanted to write “romances.” There is still a stigma attached to writing in this genre which astounds me.
Anyway, now that my writing partner and I sold our first novella, I figure I accomplished half of my goal. No, it isn’t Harlequin, but it’s still in the romance genre. And if we sell enough books to buy me that extra pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks once a week, I will be overjoyed. Then, I guess I don’t mind selling out to The Man. Pumpkin latte. Yum. 😀
Thanks, Lasha! And congratulations on the sale.
Yes, writing looks very easy until you sit down to do it. Then a lot of people discover how physically trying it is to sit and type all day, and that it isn’t a simple matter of recording your thoughts. And that even once you master the craft, you have to find a publisher who has a need for what you’ve written.
For all the people who finish a book and submit it and go on to have some kind of publishing career, there are probably double as many who realize that writing isn’t for them after all. That it just wasn’t what they expected.
Well you probably know my opinion…
Writing is work.
You get paid for your work. You have to make rent. You have to feed the cat.
Hell, ask Lynn what my reaction was when she said she was going to post free online short stories. It was pretty much; Why are you going to give away your work for free when we both know the rent’s got to be paid.
Some authors make enough money to give away a lot of hours of writing. Some do it to feed into the pool of recognition. Either way, it’s still bolstering the author’s name and image to basically feed the cat at some point.
There’s no such thing as selling out. It’s called making a living. :::grins:::
Some authors make enough money to give away a lot of hours of writing. Some do it to feed into the pool of recognition. Either way, it’s still bolstering the author’s name and image to basically feed the cat at some point
Yep. Of course. Donating sales to charity is a good and noble thing to do, but it is also something we do to promote our work — along with awareness of a cause we care about. Free stories, free cookbooks, Adrien and Jake interviews…all of those are nice things to do and we do them partly to say thank you to our readers and also in the hope that it will ultimately win us new readers.
And there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with doing positive things to promote your work. It’s certainly better than some of the negative things people do to promote their work.
listen Mr Man ( this is tough talk) you will not make every minute count! :strike: you will loll about eating cake and drinking wine-watching crap telly and pretending to clear out the garage – then just call the skip guys to take all away – you won’t miss it- promise! :hurrah: you will get a puppy/dog and let it pretty much take over and we will see you in a year – feeling faboulous and much missed and BTW – Onto the sands is writing when you are feeling a bit off – well Josh it is possibly your best to date- just amazing and I am a mystery/puzzle person and this was not but on my- it was glorious. Take care of you and yours. 🙂
Oh but eating cake and lolling in a hammock is my way of making the most of every minute!!! 😛
No?
Why doesn’t anyone believe me?
Thank you for this post. I’ve been thinking about just these issues more than usual lately.
The most successful writers love to write what the larger portion of readers love to read. That alpine path in m/m is higher and steeper. If you adore writing stories that tend to fit in smaller niches (or niches of niches 😀 ), you can drive yourself nuts by being too ambitious. You can get caught up in a happy writer vs. successful writer scenario and convince yourself as thoroughly as society would like to convince you that it’s either/or. You can’t have both.
I’ve always measured personal success by how much fun I’m having and practical success by increased readership. I’m still in awe of the occasional cheque that sometimes comes with it. 😀 I don’t make enough to live on and don’t expect I ever will, but I’m fortunate because I don’t have to. I really feel for the writers who do.
If you’re writing for love and you have success, you win. Let society grump.
I think the rest of the world knows perfectly well you can love what you do and be a knock out success at the same time; and that, in fact, you are more likely to be a knock out if you love your work.
One thing: the constant request for free access to the fruits of someone’s labor is not exclusive to the arts. My husband is always dealing with people wanting free legal advice or work. And they’re asking this of a guy who basically put himself through law school and paid off his student loans through long hours and hard work. I get the impression doctors deal with the same thing.
Maybe some people take artists’ work less seriously because it doesn’t involve diplomas and licenses on the wall? I’ve encountered this. When I told my mom I wanted to write, she asked if I didn’t want a “real career.” 😀
I hope you really enjoy your time off. I think it will bring you back to writing with new excitement. I hope so.
I’ve always measured personal success by how much fun I’m having and practical success by increased readership. I’m still in awe of the occasional cheque that sometimes comes with it. I don’t make enough to live on and don’t expect I ever will, but I’m fortunate because I don’t have to. I really feel for the writers who do.
I think this is one of the healthiest approaches to a writing career. Because it is such hard work and because there is so much (and often public) rejection involved and because the liklihood of enormous financial success is small, it really helps to stay focused on the real reasons we choose to write — and that means writing what you love to write versus what you think will sell.
And here’s where some of the “selling out” critics get it so wrong. I don’t know many authors who turn to gay fiction because they think it’s going to be lucrative.
There are some, yes, and I’ve heard the occasional romance author say she’s not that keen on male male, but that’s where the money is. That’s a rarity and it’s also someone misreading the romance industry climate. Male male has a loyal designated audience, but that audience is not larger than mainstream romance. And the chances of breaking out in male male are currently no higher than breaking out in any other sub-genre of romance.
When you define success as being able to write what you love to write, writing what is important and meaningful to you, writing what gives you personal and creative satisfaction, that’s when you have a real shot at achieving your goal.
If you don’t love the work, if you’d just as soon be typing data into a spreadsheet, then writing really *is* just another day job — and no salary increase will make it anything else.
I’ve always thought m/f romance with its huge audience was surely the swifter path to success (especially since sweet romance and historicals seem far more popular in m/f) and it’s the route I would’ve tried to take if m/m had not proven so irresistable.
I agree–if you’re not happy with what you’re doing, no amount of fame or money will fill that empty place.
And you definitely have to stay focused on the in-your-heart reasons you write, because the internet makes it far too easy to constantly measure yourself against almost every writer out there (and to make you anxious if you don’t jump on every marketing opportunity that whizzes past.) And I’ve found there’s little that can mess you up or throw you off track faster than that. :/
I’m intrigued by your sabbatical. Are you staying away from promotion and the internet, too?
Definitely. If I just wanted to make a bunch of money I’d write an m/f steampunk mystery.
Or I’d write a straight guy’s adventure about a Navy SEAL — and I’d make sure there was just enough m/f sex play.
Or I’d…well, you get the idea. Anybody who is mining this genre thinking to strike it rich should have turned left at the Rockies. ;-D
Thanks for this post Josh.
I do it for the love of creating. I love my muses and all the stories they come up with when I feed my brain with news, movies, music, porn, etc.
I’m one of those who wrote a little as a child but only took I seriously after I got a small audience. Yes, I’d love to start making a little bit of money but hell, I love what I do and that’s what keeps me doing what I’m doing. 🙂
Sharita, I find it interesting how many writers knew from the time they were very young that they were storytellers. It seems to be quite common. Maybe some of us are just born this way.
I interpreted the “sell out” being bandied around lately a little differently, I guess.
Because for every m/m book that is published, good or bad, in a week, four to five times as many m/f books are published.
Are there more m/m books now than ever before? Yes. More new authors? Yes. But the same is true for m/f on a much larger scale.
Selling out is wanting to write m/f, but choosing to write m/m because you think you’ll sell more books in a fish tank than an ocean.
I’m still shockingly gratified every time my publisher offers me a contract for my latest effort, or someone buys one of my fluffy little romances.
The checks are nice… but I could make more teaching and still be underpaid.
However, I am willing to write without getting paid. I am not willing to teach without a paycheck.
I interpreted the “sell out” being bandied around lately a little differently, I guess.
Because for every m/m book that is published, good or bad, in a week, four to five times as many m/f books are published.
That’s certainly true. Unless someone is republishing an extensive, already edited and proofed backlist, ten books — let alone some of the other numbers I’ve seen tossed around — in one month is too many books for the result to be a quality product. Period.
I have certainly run across comments and conversations where someone has admitted they’re writing in this genre to make money. And because there are social and political implications to writing gay fiction, such attitudes seem calculated and manipulative in a way that switching from cozy mysteries to police procedurals doesn’t.
But as offensive as I find that attitude, I doubt if the intent is sinister. These are writers simply looking at male male romance as a sub-genre of romance, and given how utterly, mind-bogglingly unrealistic much of m/m is, you can’t entirely blame them for not viewing it as serious gay literature.
We often say someone is “selling out” when they leave their indie press for a big mainstream press — judgement is pronounced even before they’ve completed a single piece of writing. Again, it seems to come back to the idea that the work will be more real and meaningful if the writer isn’t making a lot of money.
And it’s true that — generally — the larger the company, the less control the individual artist or employee will have over their work.
Selling out has a lot of meanings, I don’t think there is anything sinister in wanting to write books that sell. Or even in choosing your subject matter based on what you think will sell.
I didn’t intend to give that impression.
As for the whole m/m romance vs. gay fiction thing… that’s a whole other kettle of fish. The difference between Gone With the Wind and an Avon Historical romance set in the civil war era. Two different things.
As for the whole m/m romance vs. gay fiction thing… that’s a whole other kettle of fish. The difference between Gone With the Wind and an Avon Historical romance set in the civil war era. Two different things.
It can be. This is a genre still suffering growing pains. It’s hard to predict exactly what it will become in a ten years.
Maybe I’m dense, but I’m not seeing the logic. Writers shouldn’t make money for their work? That makes no sense. So painters shouldn’t sell their paintings? Sculptors shouldn’t sell their sculptures? It would be nice if everyone was independently wealthy and could pursue the activities they want to without needing to make money. But that’s not reality. Publishing IS hard but it has changed in the last few years. That means some new authors who could not get into the business due to the roadblocks set by traditional publishing can get in. That means we do see some crap come through the pipes, but on the flip side we get some great new voices we may never have heard otherwise.
One thing I’ve always wondered is how much authors will conform to public sentiment. Let’s say you are taking a series in a specific direction your readers are stating adamantly they don’t want you to go. Do you go in that direction because it’s your character and it’s what you want or change based on what your readers want so you don’t loose the sales. I’m sure some would consider it selling out if you changed your vision to meet what the masses want, but how can you continue to write your vision if no one buys your books?
One thing I’ve always wondered is how much authors will conform to public sentiment. Let’s say you are taking a series in a specific direction your readers are stating adamantly they don’t want you to go. Do you go in that direction because it’s your character and it’s what you want or change based on what your readers want so you don’t loose the sales. I’m sure some would consider it selling out if you changed your vision to meet what the masses want, but how can you continue to write your vision if no one buys your books?
That’s a realistic dilemma. If you write solely for yourself, you may well end up with an audience of one. And if you’re fine with that, then it’s cool. But authors who go to the trouble of publishing generally want to be read. Otherwise you don’t publish, you leave the words safely locked in your private journal.
There do generally have to be compromises along the way. Some are small: house style says we don’t use semi-colons. Or they may be big: we need you to cut chapter 5 and rewrite the last half of the book. And they may be intolerable: make the love interest a woman/American/white/Protestant.
There isn’t a simple answer because some people are so desperate to be published and read, they’ll do pretty much anything. For me, the key is if I end up with a book I wouldn’t want to read, then I’ve made the wrong decisions.
Thanks for another insightful article Josh, and thanks also to the comments from your fellow authors and readers.
I’m commenting as both a voracious reader and a small business owner. I applaud and thank all of you every day for your imaginations, your story telling talents and your “need to communicate”. My life would have a huge void without books and I wish you all every success.
I can’t even begin to imagine trying to harness my imagination into cohesive, written pages – but I do know what goes on behind the scenes with a business venture, and that’s definitely something (and a very time consuming something) you all are involved with as published writers. :god: As far as some readers/consumers feeling entitled? There are always going to be those, whatever they feel their reasons are. And some taking “shortcuts” with their products, always some of those around too…. buyer beware and all that. Frankly, as a reader, when I got my Kindle I was floored at how inexpensive (IMO) the average e-book is. I’ve read every bit I can find about you all finding your way in the world of M/M writing and publishing and it’s certainly no easy feat.
In closing I also extend my gratitude to Josh and all of the authors who have found/made the time to be communicative on Facebook and social media. As a fan, it’s very fun and appreciated, and it’s smart business as well. 🙂
In closing I also extend my gratitude to Josh and all of the authors who have found/made the time to be communicative on Facebook and social media. As a fan, it’s very fun and appreciated, and it’s smart business as well.
Interacting with readers is generally one of the perks of the job!
Josh
It constantly amazes me that people expect authors to write for practically nothing. I mentioned to you when I first saw this post that the gross salary for midlist authors of $45.0 was woefully inadequate considering the number of hours that they invest in their craft for a single manuscript vs the royalties earned. When the author pays for services such as technology (having someone design their website) promotion etc., and taxes, then they are left with a pittance.
If an author produces good work he or she should be able to charge what the market will bear. Unfortunately the way the business is structured publishers have similar royalty rates. It doesn’t seem to matter which publisher an author is contracted to, the royalty cheques are not that different
I write but not fiction and it pays much more than the rates you quoted, although my job is not as fun as writing romances. 🙂 When I left a very good job to start my consulting practice my former associates wanted me to work for cut rates and were pissed when I refused to work for less. I may not love my job as much as writers do but I can understand their frustration at the lack of appreciation and the expectation of freebies. Creative talent (writing, ballet, painting etc.) should be just as valuable as engineering or any other discipline and the financial rewards should reflect the calibre of product.
I believe in value for money and earning a decent living which starts with valuing your own creative talent. One of the reasons that self publishing is probably going to take off is because many authors feel undervalued and want a bigger piece of the pie. Unfortunately they will need good editors and everything else that’s necessary to delivering a professional product.
PS Your reward for working for free on this site is in the mail. 🙂
I believe in value for money and earning a decent living which starts with valuing your own creative talent. One of the reasons that self publishing is probably going to take off is because many authors feel undervalued and want a bigger piece of the pie.
It’s interesting you bring that up because the money wasn’t the deciding factor for me. I wanted more money, yes, but it really came down to feeling disrespected and a lack of creative control.
I think the publishers who treat writers like partners or team members, will survive. I think the publishers who instinctively recoil at the thought of a changing status quo are going to have difficulties.
Unfortunately they will need good editors and everything else that’s necessary to delivering a professional product.
So true. If someone’s idea of creative control is cutting corners, they’re in for a rude awakening.
PS Your reward for working for free on this site is in the mail
I keep waiting by the mailbox. My postman thinks I have a crush on him.
It’s interesting you bring that up because the money wasn’t the deciding factor for me. I wanted more money, yes, but it really came down to feeling disrespected and a lack of creative control.
My comment about money was general and not directed at you or any other author. 😀 I can definitely empathize with the need to make a fair wage for hard work. I also understand the frustration authors feel at not being in creative control of their writing (due to publishers’ house styles) or earnings (due to royalty rates which seem to be consistently low).
I think it’s great to try something different like self publishing, but only the best (like you) will survive. In the case of a fiction writer, if the product (the book) is not up to market standards in terms of plot (a bunch of sex scenes strung together is not a plot in my opinion, but that’s just me), characterization etc. and the editing sucks, the writer’s career will be short lived. Readers are prepared to pay the going rates for a good product but not for something that’s shoddily put together to take advantage of a hot market. I have visions of even more M/M books flying off the shelves of people who really shouldn’t be in the writing business in the first place. 🙁
I keep waiting by the mailbox. My postman thinks I have a crush on him.
I think you do have a crush on the mailman. You will get your reward when you go to the happy hunting ground in about 50 years. 😆
PS Is there a picture of you somewhere in a kilt? A long time ago I had a Scottish boyfriend and I loved it when he wore his kilt because I always checked to make sure that he was wearing it correctly. 🙂
You will get your reward when you get to the happy hunting ground
The story of my life!!
A little off topic here, but I have to ask. You used a word that is only used among a somewhat select group of people and a word I NEVER would have expected to see on this blog. As a person who has played a few piobaireachd in her time, and who has a son who competes in piobaireachd, I would be interested in knowing how it is you know what is. It’s not exactly something that comes up in casual conversation. Unless of course you spend your time hanging out with pipe bands. Which, as it turns out, I do. Is there a kilt hanging in your closet?
Is there a kilt hanging in your closet?
Well, there are kilts hanging in both my nephews’ closets. My dad used to play the pipes, as a matter of fact. 🙂
Abject poverty and madness?! Hee hee. Sounds like somebody living in my house!
Sometimes I write because I can’t get anybody to listen to me when I talk. Even when there are brownies involved.
Sometimes I write because I can’t get anybody to listen to me when I talk. Even when there are brownies involved.
See, and my first thought was you meant brownies as in elvish folk. Does someone hear a cuckoo clock? I think it’s playing my song.
So, remember–and don’t mock…I’m a playwright. About 8 years ago, I stopped writing for “free”. Prior to that I was akin to a whore in the stage world–a free loving one–“you want a script?” “Oh absolutely”…”my fee?”…”Oh, I just LOVE to write…I don’t do it for the money”…
That was 8 years ago—that was until someone took one of my little, “I do it for the love of the art” scripts, changed a few words—and I mean few…and made (are you ready?) about $4,000 on it–yep–I was “stolen”–raped might be a better term. I realized that the lofty ideals I had held to: that I wrote just for the love of it, that to be paid would somehow cheapen the experience, sully my sensibilities, well, that was just a load of “shit” that had been forced down my throat from the time I was 16 and had written my first play in high school.
After the “rape” incident, it dawned on me with a ferocity akin to being mauled by a tiger, that I could love writing, be an artist and still be paid. I didn’t have to look at payment as “selling out”. NO–in fact, I should look at it as affirmation that what I did/do has value–that I *gasp* deserve to be rewarded for all the blood, sweat and tears that goes into each product I put out there for public consumption.
So, oh my yes Josh, when you wrote: “As though it was the god-given duty of those blessed with talent to share that talent for free.” Well–that resounded with a thud right to my core. How many of us had a professor in college– a truly bitter, rejected by publishers, college professor who day in, day out stood there in our creative writing courses and told us that a “true artist” writes only for the “joy” of writing? Well, the last time I had “joy” for dinner it left me terribly unsatisfied.
Josh, thank you for this post. If for no other reason than the hope that some young author will stumble across it and realize that they have every right to not only charge for their work but to turn out the finest product they can and charge top dollar. It is time we writers give ourselves a break! We pay top dollar for “experts” to do everything from landscape our lawns to repair our cars—yet the most powerful tool on the earth today–the written word–is treated like a cheap second rate cousin looking for a handout–there is something wrong with that mentality–thanks Josh for setting the record straight!
Thanks for sharing your insights, Sammy.
That would certainly be a rude awakening.
And I guess that’s a clear illustration that some people ARE just in it for the money — and if they can’t earn it through their work, they’ll take someone else’s.
But that’s a topic for another day.
Hmh, sorry, Josh, but how can anyone pay attention to this discussion if all those nakked men are on the right. I try to pay attention but my eye keeps moving to the right like pulled with invisible string or something!
What a willpower!
My secret plan, Krissu. Or Wave’s sekret plan, I guess. If the scenery is nice enough, it won’t matter what the columnists have to say. 😛
Excellent post as always Josh 🙂
Thank you, Andy!