If You Want To Make A Living As An Author — Don’t Quit Your Day Job
The reality of making money as a writer
Before we begin I’d like to remind you that financial stability is not a guarantee as an author. Even the most successful authors are not guaranteed high returns or long-lasting royalty checks no matter how popular their books are when they are published. Do not assume you have failed if you have not reached stability as an author.
It might sound harsh for me to sit at home typing away at my desk and tell you that you shouldn’t quit your job if you want to make money as an author — but because I am that makes me the perfect person to explain to you why.
I did not quit my job when I decided to pursue writing. I had, in a way, given up writing when due to financial reasons I had to withdraw from my Creative Writing degree program to work full-time to support myself and help my family with the rising costs of living. I didn’t return to complete my degree for almost 7 years.
I worked my way up the chain of management in a local tourist shop until I was a salaried manager working almost 50 hours a week and finding time to write on the side or during the slow season when tourists weren’t coming into the city to buy t-shirts and snowglobes during the New England winter.
