Play money
Author earnings aren’t always great, but we don’t have it so bad, says Michael Allen
GRUMPY OLD BOOKMAN
Michael Allen
A few weeks ago I had an email from the accounts office of a publisher. This message said that a payment for royalties would shortly be made into my bank account.
Oh, I thought, that’s nice. So, when the due date for payment arrived, I had a look to see how much I was getting.
It was £2.12.
This sad little payment did cause me to think – not for the first time – that one of the most useful things I can do in this column is try to explain to younger and less experienced writers some of the brutal facts of the writing life.
Where writers’ earnings are concerned, most of us tend to believe what we read in the newspapers. And most of that information is simply misleading. Nevertheless, we continue to believe, and remember, the gossipcolumn items about the six-figure deals for first novels. And they do happen occasionally – eg Londonstani (see Wikipedia). But most writers struggle for years without making any serious money at all.