Most authors do not make a full-time living from book sales alone.
Figures from the ALCS report that most authors earn below the minimum wage when it comes to book sales alone. Average earnings for British authors are just £10,500 per year (around US$15,000.)
Most authors have a day job or other forms of income, and there’s nothing wrong with that! In this video I talk about how authors make a living. Watch below or here on YouTube.
So if you want to pay the bills and write, then your first option is to keep the day job and write for the love of it, making some extra cash on the side.
But if you want to give up the day job, here are some of the ways to make a living with your writing.
- Rights licensing – foreign rights, options and different ways of turning books into multiple income streams
- Professional speaking
- Consulting/coaching
- Services like freelance writing/services for hire
- Advertising, affiliate revenue, and sponsorship
- Patronage – a supportive partner, or your own pension, or supporters on Patreon or a membership site model. I have a Patreon for The Creative Penn podcast.
- High volume book production
For more details, check out How to Make a Living with your Writing, available in ebook, print and audiobook formats.
I also mention my video tutorial on How to Format an Ebook and Print Book on Vellum.
Want more help?
- Read/listen to my book, How to Make a Living with your Writing, available in ebook, print or audiobook formats.
- Read/listen to my book, Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur in ebook or print format. You can also get the audiobook read by me here!
- You can also listen to The Creative Penn podcast on iTunes here, or check out the backlist of over 350 episodes here.
- I produce regular videos on writing and the business of being an author on my YouTube channel here.
- If you'd like to learn more, check out my Books and Courses