Author Kameron Hurley posted… an interesting, and very transparent, “financial profile” of her life as a professional author (see here). Her conclusion? Despite her successes, she’s still thankful she has a “day job,” and has no plans on letting it go anytime soon.
I think the most eye-opening thing for a lot of people is, in fact, how very little money professional authors can make – even those that are seen as successful in terms of sales, and in Kameron’s case, awards as well. A lot of attention is focused on the very small percentage of writers who make tons and tons of money, but there are many writers out there who consistently put out great books while still holding down the oft-derided “day job” as well.
If there’s one advantage I have in starting my writing relatively “so late,” it’s that I have long been established in a career that I enjoy and that affords me the luxury of pursuing my writing while still keeping the lights on. I’ve had a few people ask me if I am ever going to retire to write full time, and my answer has always been – why would I? As long as I can continue to do both, and do both successfully, then I’d be a fool not to. While many writers dream of writing as their sole career, I’ve found that my career allows me to write, without the stress or pressure of sales or success. I can write exactly what I want…I can afford to fail. Instead of being a burden, my day job is liberating.
Of course, there’s always the issues of juggling time and priorities, but I’ve found that you can always make the time for the things that are really important to you.
Oh, and go by some of Kameron’s books (I’m currently reading The Mirror Empire). She’s a great writer.
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