5 Reasons Why Writers Don’t Make Much Money

The independent author just looked at his monthly writing income. (image via Wikimedia)

It’s not whining for a writer to say that most writers don’t make much money.  It’s simply the truth.  The last time I wrote about writers not making money (this was a couple years ago), some commenters accused me of being a whiner.  I didn’t mean to come across that way (if I even did).  I was just preparing myself and other and prospective authors for what lies ahead if they decide to try to make money from writing.

I don’t make much money from my writing right now.  If you look only at what I made from my writing, the last few years have been financial disasters.  I write my blog for free, and my ebooks are doing okay for somebody in my situation (a blogger who can’t tell anybody in his personal life that he’s blogging), but the books don’t bring in much money.  I haven’t quit my day job.

A few years ago, famous rich author Elizabeth Gilbert said writing was “f*cking great.”  That was easy for her to say because she’s f*cking rich.  I make next to nothing from writing, and I still think writing is “f*cking great.”  I think I have more credibility on this issue than she does.  But even though writing is great, I know that I probably won’t make much money (I hope I’m wrong) for five basic reasons.

      1.  THERE ARE TOO MANY WRITERS

It’s supply and demand.  With ebooks and blogs/websites, millions of regular people who otherwise wouldn’t write are writing.  I’m one of them.  I gave up my dreams of becoming an author in 1997 after I had been told several times that I was talented but my niche had limited appeal, so publishers would be reluctant to sign me a deal.  I put writing out of my mind for almost 15 years.

Yeah, there are a lot of other writers out there, but since I don’t like blaming myself (and other writers) for my low pay, I present…

    2.   THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH READERS

Technology has created millions of new writers, but that leaves fewer readers.  All those people writing used to be reading, and they might still read, but they probably read less, and if people are reading less and writing more, than the writer-reader ratio (or reader-writer ratio) goes down (or up).  That means there are fewer readers to buy the books that that new writers are writing.  And my mom will only buy one copy of each ebook.

     3.   WRITERS PUBLISH FREE STUFF

Not only are there a bunch of writers out there, most of their material is now free.  Blogs and websites (and even videos) are free.  Some ebooks are free, and the others are really cheap.  If so much reading material is free (and some of it is actually good), then readers will be attracted by that and avoid paying for anything.  As a reader, that’s great.  I love free stuff.  But as a writer?  I know that creating a reliable income from writing (at least the way I’m going about it now) is a long shot.

Despite the lack of income, writers probably shouldn’t start charging for the stuff that’s already free.  If they do that, readers would stop reading, and most writers would rather get read for nothing than charge and not get read at all.  Feedback is a payment in its own way, so I figure any authors who get feedback from their writing are doing a good job.

    4.  MOST WRITERS AREN’T GOOD SELF-PROMOTERS

It’s tough to pitch a book without turning people off.  If you want friends to buy your books, they might feel they’re being used just so that you can make money.  If you have a blog that only promotes your book, then readers might get tired of seeing your books over and over again.  If you don’t use your blog to promote our book, then nobody will see your books.  If you spend a bunch of time on social media, then you’re taking valuable time and effort on something that is NOT your writing.

Some writers aren’t good self-promoters.  Some writers have abrasive personalities and need to be kept away from the public.  This is why most famous authors have publicists.  If an independent writer wants to sell books, then that writer has to become good at self-promotion, and that’s a different skill from writing.

   5.  FAMOUS AUTHORS WRITE TOO MANY BOOKS

Authors on The New York Times Bestsellers List from ten years ago looks a lot like the authors on the lists today.  And a bunch of those authors write more than one book a year.  I’ve scanned through these books.  A lot of them suck, but readers buy them anyway.

For example, rich famous writer James Patterson published more than ten novels last year, most of which had a co-author.  Tom Clancy is still publishing books and he died a few years ago.  I think even Ron L. Hubbard still comes out with a new book every once in a while.    It’s bad enough we independent writers have to compete with authors who use co-authors, but now we have to compete with dead authors too?  That’s downright demoralizing.

I know that if famous authors (and dead authors) stopped writing multiple books a year, it wouldn’t change the writer-reader ratio enough to increase my chances of being successful.  I know that.  But every controversial issue needs a scapegoat.  And I have no problem scapegoating a rich, famous guy who is completely unaffected by my scapegoating.  Therefore, if I’m going to blame any one person for the lack of money being paid to writers, it’s James Patterson!!!

*****

My prospects of making money from writing might be dim, but I’m not filled with gloom and doom.  Ten years ago, I could have pounded the keyboards indefinitely and still nobody would have read my stories, except maybe for Mom.  Now, between blogs and ebooks and unlimited opportunities for shameless self-promotion, anybody can build an audience.  And that’s f*cking gr… uh… that’s pretty great.