Carlene Hill Byron
I learned from the first article I was ever assigned to write (way back in 1980, for the Boston Phoenix's arts section) that the average published author at that time was earning less than $5K per year from their books. That's about $14K in 2021 dollars. Not a living by any stretch!!
Today, income from books and other writing is much lower -- ballpark $3.5K on average for published authors. There's lots that goes into that decline, but it makes me glad I decided to build my career around writing-as-a-tool instead of writing-as-a-focus. I'm happy to be sharing some ideas about a passion in my first book, Not Quite Fine. And I'm happy I'm not relying on the book for my retirement income!
Today, income from books and other writing is much lower -- ballpark $3.5K on average for published authors. There's lots that goes into that decline, but it makes me glad I decided to build my career around writing-as-a-tool instead of writing-as-a-focus. I'm happy to be sharing some ideas about a passion in my first book, Not Quite Fine. And I'm happy I'm not relying on the book for my retirement income!
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