Leave a Comment:
(6) comments
As someone who is relatively new to the game, with my third book just releasing this month, I admit that I haven’t given these money questions much thought. I am scrambling daily to improve my marketing game but I’ve never really set a goal. You have left me pondering what is realistic…
ReplyIt can help to consider it, Naomi, so that any money-related discouragement doesn’t get in the way of your writing motivation. Congrats on the third book, by the way! :O)
ReplyI’ve noticed that writers detest talking about money. They’re conditioned to keep it secret, and I think it does a disservice to the writing community. Whenever I need to price a new kind of writing project, it takes a bit of time to search out the pay rates for those projects because nobody really shares these things.
I like to be paid for my writing – it’s why I write for my day job. Getting paid for my work, at least for the official parts, allows me to experiment with and write my stories without feeling guilty for doing something just for me. And whether it makes sense or not, I’d feel guilty and selfish if I put my writing dreams ahead of my family’s well-being.
Some people golf or surf or invest in their kids’ sports – I read and write, and invest in writing better. It works for me. 🙂
ReplyThanks, Jenny! It is a tough subject to discuss, for so many reasons. And writing for your day job can be different than writing novels and other projects that can feel, as you said, “just for me.” I do think that type of writing is just as important, though — if not more so — than the writing we do for income alone, if those two are separate in our lives. It’s what I hope to help writers see when reading my new book. Sometimes money looms too large in our thoughts about what’s important. I do know it can be particularly difficult when you’re providing for a family, but there is always time in there somewhere for the “just for me” writing. :O)
ReplyUnfortunately, there is a paradox here. To earn money by writing, you must either already have money, or that someone should support a writer. At the same time, the writer should think about money last, and be focused on his work and on how to better and more accurately express his thoughts.
ReplyAgreed, Mark. We certainly can’t be worried about money when trying to pen the best story we can. Or when trying to improve as writers. When it comes time to market, money becomes a factor for sure. That’s where we have to decide how best to proceed, which often requires quite a bit of reflection. How much can we do in service to our books?
Reply