In I Published My Debut Novel to Critical Acclaim—and Then I Promptly Went Broke, Merritt Tierce talks about the financial reality of being an author. Her book Love me Back received a great deal of critical acclaim. Before this success she worked in a non-profit organization. She’s also worked as a waiter. But her heart has always been in writing.
Two weeks before her book came out she quit her job. She didn’t have two book deal. And the bills kept coming. They don’t stop even if your book has a good first run.
“Basically John Grisham and Stephen King and JK Rowling are bankrolling the entire publishing industry, and deals for debut authors like me are slot-machine pulls. My book has sold over 12,000 copies, but that’s nowhere close to earning back my advance (which is when you can start earning royalties). In fact, I wonder if my publisher considers 12,000 a failure, commercially, and won’t want to pull the slot machine handle on me again.”
Tierce really didn’t have much of an option except to go back to the work force. This will affect her writing and she thinks this is unfair. It is terribly unfair that so few writers can really live off what they do. Things have to change. Until then, keep the day job.
