“Can You Make a Living as an Author?”

“But how many books did you sell last year?” an acquaintance leaned over to ask me. We were standing in the lobby of an aging hotel, both attending a conference there. She is new(er) to writing, at least for publication. I’ve been at this for a while now, though the indie book thing is still relatively new to me (compared to say, JA Konrath).

I’ve been asked this question in various forms since my first book came out.

“How many copies did you sell at X event?”  or

“Is writing all you do for work?” or

“How much money do your books make you each year?”

The truth is: better than I expected. 
image credit Tips for new Indie Authors
That's not saying that there are oodles of cash flowing  my way each and every month. Or that I've purchased a yacht with the intention of sailing the high seas. Or even that I'm ready to knock this life-long dream off my dream list ... quite yet.  


But I'm pleasantly surprised to see that my sales numbers are growing each year. This is encouraging. I'm grateful to every reader who has picked up a copy of one of my books (thank you!). 


Here are five tips to determine if one can "make a living" as an indie author today. 



Tip #1: Set your expectations low, at least in the beginning. We all hear stories about breakout novelists like Hugh Howey or Amanda Hocking and think, “Well, if he/she did it, so can I!” But the truth of the matter is that many of these authors work for years before they see that kind of success. The longer I'm in business the more the term “overnight success” appears an oxymoron.

When I first published Epidemic I hoped to sell 50 copies. That’s it. 50.

“Why bother?” some might ask. It would have been a lot of work for 50 copies, true. And I probably wouldn’t even have made my money back as far as the costs involved (editing, cover design, book ads, the launch). But it was worth it to me. Because it had been a dream to see my name on the cover of a real, paper book since I was a kid.

Tip #2: Expect to do sales work. It’s lovely to daydream about appearing on the set of a famous talk show who gushes about your prose or imagine seeing your name on the New York Times bestseller list. I would guess though, that 99 percent of the authors who make it to these and other prestigious levels do an awesome job marketing—or hire someone to do it for them. 

Beautiful, well-crafted, richly worded books may only always circulate in a small circle of readers without a stellar marketing and sales team (or one very determined author) to share them with the world.

Tip #3: Learn what works for other successful authors. This can be a slippery slope. It’s hard not to fall into the comparison trap when reading other indie author’s amazing stories of success. So give yourself a pep talk if needed before you delve into the rabbit hole of the internet to read and learn. 

Look for commonalities. Read some website and blogs by your favorite authors or do a quick search on Amazon’s Top 100 list. See what marketing efforts they engage in. How do they interact with readers? Where do they spend the bulk of their non-writing time?

Tip #4: Set some goals. What are your goals as an author? Even if you have very big dreams, like appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Network or a coveted best seller list, I suggest breaking them down into small, manageable bites. (Hey, what did you expect from the author of The 15-Minute Novelist ?) 


You can set financial goals per year or quarter. You can set number-of books-sold goals. You could set other goals like being featured as a keynote at a popular writing conference or attending your first out-of-state writing gig on someone else’s dime. You could set a goal for number of book stores to visit in your first book tour. Just make them concrete (i.e. specific, with dates of completion included).

Tip #5: Be inspired. Read blog posts like this by Lindsay Buroker. It IS possible to make a living as an indie author. So much of this depends on outside factors, however. Do you want to live extravagantly and have a house like Sue Grafton’s? You’re going to have to sell a lot more books than someone who carries no debt and lives on a sailboat. Do you have kids? Want to travel? Are you trying to beef up your retirement account because you got a late start and the date is looming close? 

Everyone has a different situation and different income requirements. I encourage you to draw inspiration from other indie authors successfully making a living at their craft.

Me? Well, I make a living writing but so far it’s not only from book sales. Though I’m happy to report that Epidemic has sold many more than 50 copies. 


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