My husband was doing our year end budget several weeks ago and told me that I had spent more than five thousand dollars on writing related expenses. I was shocked! Book sales may have resulted in $1000. If that.
What’s an author to do? I’ve been at this for 15 years! Despite all my efforts to get traditionally published, nothing has worked except for one novel – Time and Regret – published by Lake Union, an Amazon imprint. I’ve self-published five novels and those who have read them give very positive feedback. However, finding enough readers is the central problem. Despite the marketing I do and the marketing I pay someone else to do, sales do not exceed expenses.
My costs include blogging and author website maintenance, subscriptions to SurveyMonkey and Mailchimp. For every book there’s cover design, editing support, marketing support, fees to submit my novels to well-known review sites like Kirkus and MidWest Reviews and to submit for awards. Occasional travel expenses – like conferences and writers retreats.
I really do love writing but one has to ask how to proceed in the face of so little commercial success.
At this point, I’m trying to decide what direction to take. I think I need to recognize that writing is a hobby and not a second career. I need to be grateful for the successes I have had and the feedback I get from readers who enjoy my novels or follow my blog. I also need to celebrate the friends I’ve made with other authors in the writing community.
Do I have more books to write? I have two commitments: one is to write a third novel for our grandsons. I’ve had a lot of fun writing the first two: The Magical Tree (set in 1775) and A King’s Knight (set in 1487). They lift my spirits, as do the smiles and feedback I receive from them. I’ve promised to write a third story, this one set during WWII.
Another project is a book based on my mother’s love life. You see, she had four men in her life. Each of these men died before her. How did she go on? How did she have the courage to love again? Yes, I definitely have to write that one.
Stepping back, I realize that I’m a very fortunate woman. I taught myself how to write and now have 6 adult novels and 2 children’s novels to my credit. I love the researching that goes into historical novels. I write the stories that appeal to me in the time periods that interest me. I have the freedom to experiment as I did with That Was Then, a contemporary thriller. I love creating new characters and spending time with them. I love crafting sentences and re-crafting them until they are polished. (Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration!!) I love connecting with other authors and sharing our respective journeys and challenges.
Thoughts and advice welcome!
FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY. There’s a SUBSCRIBE function on the right hand side of the page.
M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel THAT WAS THEN is a contemporary thriller. Mary’s other novels, THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook or on her website www.mktod.com.
9 Responses
With six novels now published (the latest, The Wanderer and the Way, published today) and a travel memoir coming next month, I have come to justify my writing career as slightly less expensive than playing golf.
Hi Mary. I’m sorry you’re discouraged. Perhaps you could check out genres trending now and direct your efforts towards those for more commercial success. You write terrific novels — a new one in a popular genre might bring you the attention you deserve. Best wishes.
Carry on, Mary. I understand your dilemma all too well. We have to love writing to keep at it.
As far as I can tell, most of us write because we need to write, and not for an income, unless we are very fortunate ala Gabaldon.. Recognizing that in every career there are a few top dogs, and most people are not those top dogs, we only write if we must write. I do not know about the financial aspect of my writing. I’m into my third book, and getting older – no publisher – no covers yet – but the costs are surely there up front. Now, I am writing for the sense of leaving something behind. That is probably not the best reason, but there you have it. Love writing and hate writing.
Hi, Mary. Don’t be discouraged. If you’re doing what you love, do you really need commercial success? I had 11 self published novels under my belt before a publisher found me. A hybrid publisher where we share the work and the costs. So it remains to be seen if the venture will be a success. If not, I will plod on because I am a born writer. I can’t not write.
I write to figure out things that have always intrigued me and to enjoy the flow, the immense joy when I get it just right. I publish to see if my stories resonate with readers.
Last year I had to admit that I was engaged in a hobby and not a business, and, after a while, I was okay with that.
Hi Mary, Thanks to your encouragement I kept writing after my first discouraging dip into the icy waters of self-publishing. Don’t forget how important you are as a mentor to others. There is a lot more to putting yourself out there than just commercial success, though that would be nice too. Your books are gems.
Mary, you are a well-known, respected and even loved force in the writing world. Don’t you dare to run away!
Your mother’s story sounds like a must-read.
Money can cost more than it is worth, but being an agent for a better world is beyond price. Keep it up!
Hi Mary. Thank you for being honest about the actual earnings. That’s why I didn’t start writing fiction until I retired from my business career. I got the feeling that making money as a writer is less common than being struck by lightning. I continue to be fascinated how we humans have such an urge to create, whether it is as authors, painters, dancers, or any other artistic endeavor — none of which are likely to be enough to pay the bills.