Jane Wenham Jones
I have been writing for twelve years and have had some moderate success. My short stories and articles have been published, I’ve been placed in a few competitions and I have written a couple of non-fiction books which are still in print and continue to sell. In fact, if my real name were published there might even be people out there who have heard of me. I am using a pen name for this letter, however, because others often imagine I am doing better than I am and to disillusion them could be bad for sales. The truth is that I earn very little. My royalty cheques are nice but I couldn’t live on them. Freelance pieces pay for treats but would not cover the regular bills. I am now writing a novel – around my non-writing work. But part of me wonders why I am bothering. If it gets published at all, it is not likely to make me much. I work very hard at my writing and while I don’t expect to be JK Rowling, I do long to earn a decent wage from it. Not only so that I could do it full-time but so that it feels like a proper job – even a career – and not just a hobby.
AMANDA COTTRILL BATH