"You Can Only Be A Writer If You Can Afford It" Tells An Uncomfortable Truth

For those of you who haven't come across the article A Dirty Secret: You Can Only Be A Writer If You Can Afford It by Lynn Steger Strong, go read it. Now. Because this glimpse into the uncomfortable truth about what it means to be a jobbing pen monkey in the world we live in is the barrel of the gun that more aspiring writers will need to stare down before making the decision about whether or not to pursue this career.

Can you get wealthy as a writer? Absolutely. Will you? The odds don't look good. Worse, if you don't already have the money you need to buy the time, space, publicity, and access, then you're often trying to place in a time trial with a broken leg.

Because much as we might wish otherwise, there ain't no magic spell for a bestseller.

Strong Tells It Like It Is

If you haven't read the article, let me sum it up for you. Exploring your talent and refining your process takes time, energy, and room to grow. Those things all require dedication, and money to pay your bills while you perfect your craft. And most of the time the people who have those resources already are either born into privileged lives, or they already have an iron in the fire that's covering their day-to-day expenses that lets them write.

As author and retired Marine Corps Colonel Jonathan P. Brazee said on a panel we were both on recently, "I just put in my time at this easy gig called the U.S. Marine Corps, and when I retired decided to write books in my spare time. It's so easy, I don't know why everybody doesn't do it!"

Once I get out of here, I'm gonna start writing books. See if I don't.

While his statement was clearly a joke, Brazee hits at the core of the issue; if you don't have some way to keep the lights on and food in the pantry, writing a novel is a piss poor way to plan for your future. And he's far from the only person I've met through the convention circuit who tells that story. I've met authors with several series who still depend on a spouse's job for income or insurance. Some authors still live with their parents, or have union jobs during the week to help make sure their books are the potatoes instead of their meat. And so on, and so forth.

All of my income has been from writing in one shape or form for the past decade or so, but I'm not shy about pointing out that were my own situation different there's no way I would be doing what I do now.

My Story

When it comes to jobbing writers, my income puts me squarely in the "successful" category when compared to a lot of my fellows, though it's still low enough to qualify me for most government aid programs. And though I've worn out my share of keyboards to earn that bread, I never would have even had the chance if not for a whole slew of advantages I got out of the gate.

The first was coming from a family well-off enough that they didn't tell me to give up and get a real job.

For example, my family had enough money to get me into good schools, no matter where we had to live (given that my father was in the military while I was a child, so moving around a lot came with the territory). And when I slipped academically, they could afford to get me tutors and extra help, ensuring that I understood the material I was being taught. Books were plentiful when I was younger, and I was allowed to devour whatever sort of material I could get my hands on. When I wrote stories for fun, or for school, they were treated seriously and I was never discouraged from pursuing that path.

As I grew older, and my desire to be an author grew from a childish fancy into an actionable plan, I had a lot of other advantages rise up to support me. I got scholarships that helped me pay for school, and when I needed to go back after dropping out the first time (not a great plan if you can avoid it, for all those considering this course of action), my family could afford to pay out of pocket for me to finish my degree. And as a post-graduate birthday present, my parents even paid the remaining student loan I'd been paying on that was still outstanding.

Because I could go to school without worrying about covering my expenses (I had several part-time jobs, but I didn't pay rent, my parents fed me, and often gave me extra gas money and helped me with car repairs), I had the flexibility to start writing professionally before I'd even graduated. That low-pressure start with places like local newspapers and magazines, as well as online write-for-hire work, meant that once I had my degree in-hand I'd basically reached the point I could work from home without needing to apply for traditional jobs. More importantly, my family kept providing me a place to stay and an environment that helped me stretch as a writer as long as I needed it.

I got my own place a little under a year after graduating, but that extra added time to build my CV, make connections, and pay off debts (owning my own car, improving my credit score, etc.) was a serious boon when I went out on my own.

Hustle Every Day

End of the day, it beat the hell out of robbing banks.

Now, none of that is to say this has been an easy road to walk by any stretch of the imagination. I've had to downsize my living situation more than once when clients changed their rates, or when sales took a tumble. I've got a stack of rejection letters that I could paper my apartment with if I printed them out and dedicated a weekend to the task. Several holiday wish lists have had the rather embarrassing, "Well, I was sort of hoping to get a new work laptop, since my current one is trying to eat any manuscript I open on it," entry on them. I've persevered, built up my client list, and refused to give up.

With that said, I can also attest that it's a lot easier not to give up when I was allowed to build up my savings, when I started out with no debts weighing me down, and when I know that, deep down, I have a safety net that will catch me if something truly terrible happens and I need a place to go. And, as Strong points out, very little of what I earn at the end of the year is from book sales. In fact, running the numbers from last year, they didn't even make up 10 percent of my total, pre-tax earnings (though that number does go up if we include profits from RPG adventures and supplements as well as books).

That's something that often gets lost in the shuffle. For a lot of writers out there, your royalties are going to be the icing, not the cake. And if you're planning on subsisting just off the icing, you are in for a very uncomfortable experience... if you even have the support necessary to reach the starting line. It's not pretty, and it's not fair, but it's often the truth of the situation. And it really is one reason that so many writers have similar voices... because they had to come from similar backgrounds just to be able to afford to do what they do.

That Said, You Should Totally Do It Anyway!

Now, with all of that doom and gloom out of the way, and even acknowledging the position I'm in, I tell you this with all my heart. Write anyway.

Seriously. Because we have more tools available to us now than ever before. We have greater abilities to find our audience, and to make our mark, than previous generations could ever fathom. And while finding time for your craft is hard, especially if you have to do it after class or between shifts, there are resources out there to help you. It won't be easy... but it is something you can do if you're willing to pick up the knife.

And even if you miss, what do you gain by not taking a stab?

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That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

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