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How many writers actually make a living writing???
One of the things I like most about having set up Alfie Dog FIction is when I pay out royalties to other authors. The amounts may not be huge but they certainly help.
Most writers which make it eventually; are giving me the vibe. With perseverance and a drop of talent. And a sense of grammatical ability backed with an active imagination. Sounds like a prescription for success to me; think. 'Be immune to rumor' Jimmy Nuzz
I've read conflicting opinions on various websites but the consensus seems to be about 3% of active, published writers make a living from writing but most need to do other work to support their 'habit'. Only about 1% seem to be able to make a good living - so for every JK or Dan Brown there are thousands of others struggling - I wonder how many of the 'new breed' of self-published writers make good money?
Not thousands, only 99 others for every one if the 1% making a good living!
I do, and have done for over 20 years so it certainly is possible! But you have to be quite commercially minded. There are a lot of types of writing that simply don't pay - and a lot of cheeky publishers who think it is OK to have you work for next to nothing (but they don't and wouldn't).
Try not to be lured into assignments that are fun/rewarding but which don't pay and accept that (like any other job really ) you sometimes have to do things that are a bit dull but which do pay.
IMHO ALCS members are not typical of writers as a whole, so we should not be too discouraged by this. A fair few of them are people who just do writing as a sideline to their main job (academics and so on) and who probably don't rely on the income. It kind of gives the impression that to be a writer you need to be living on stale bread and water, which isn't true (I hope)!
The article implies that the ALCS figures cover 'writers' as a single unit, and the figures therefore relate to writing of all genres, fact and fiction, magazine and book... I'd have thought that there are many writers of non-fiction, for instance, who cater for small niche audiences, which must bring the figures down. There are fiction writers whose work is widely sold in supermarkets, for instance, and others who appear in a more specialised marketplace. Thus the figures quoted are drawn from a very generalised view of 'writers' as a group. Statistics: I know I can't add up even with a calculator, but they can be made to say many things, all of them with an element of truth, but dependent upon what answer the user wants to achieve. I shan't despair. ALCS figures don't include digitally published (ie not paper) books.
I know a lot of published novelists. One who is quite prolific, and published by Transworld (actually I know two by Transworld) and very widely - as in supermarkets. They also need another job. So does the other one.
Several children's writers who are well-known - also with other jobs.
I really don't think for most people it is a career.
The main thing that strikes me about this research is that 2,500 respondents must be quite a small proportion of all the writers out there. For instance, it's only just under 3% of the 85,000-strong ALCS membership, and there's no way of knowing what percentage of professional writers are ALCS members.
The full report will be interesting to read, but any data based on 3% of the statistical pool must be taken with a pinch of salt.
However, research is seldom based on a number as big as 2,500... and 3% of a statistical pool is in fact huge. Most medical research is not carried out on as many, and the statistical pool is the population of the world. So it is probably as accurate as any other research, providing it was a representative sample.
I do wonder what the value of the research is, in terms of doing anything other than pointing out that you don't need to pay a writer very much to get them to keep producing work. It doesn't provide anything that a debut author could use to negotiate a better deal if they're offered a paltry advance by a publisher, for instance.
On the other hand, it might put a few people off who think writing a book is a fast-track way to make a fortune. That would thin out the competition a bit.
I must admit I have found this thread really interesting. In my befuddled state I am not sure if it has ever registered that I should register with ALCS (the initials look familiar but I can't honestly remember looking any further!). I will definitely check it out though.
I do have one question though ... my Gran wrote and self-published a book in the 1970's which I am in the process of publishing again through CS with my Mum's blessing and permission (Gran died several years ago) ... how do I register that??? I have written an extra chapter but otherwise it is as the original was published.
(Sorry if I am sounding dim but I am bunged up with a virus and my brain is not functioning too well).
Comments
Try not to be lured into assignments that are fun/rewarding but which don't pay and accept that (like any other job really ) you sometimes have to do things that are a bit dull but which do pay.
Hope that helps!
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/08/authors-incomes-collapse-alcs-survey
I shan't despair. ALCS figures don't include digitally published (ie not paper) books.
Several children's writers who are well-known - also with other jobs.
I really don't think for most people it is a career.
Poets make their money by going into schools.
and click on the link What are Words Worth Now, you'll get a little more info.
The full report will be interesting to read, but any data based on 3% of the statistical pool must be taken with a pinch of salt.
I do wonder what the value of the research is, in terms of doing anything other than pointing out that you don't need to pay a writer very much to get them to keep producing work. It doesn't provide anything that a debut author could use to negotiate a better deal if they're offered a paltry advance by a publisher, for instance.
On the other hand, it might put a few people off who think writing a book is a fast-track way to make a fortune. That would thin out the competition a bit.
I do have one question though ... my Gran wrote and self-published a book in the 1970's which I am in the process of publishing again through CS with my Mum's blessing and permission (Gran died several years ago) ... how do I register that??? I have written an extra chapter but otherwise it is as the original was published.
(Sorry if I am sounding dim but I am bunged up with a virus and my brain is not functioning too well).