Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemurion
Writing is a craft just like carpentry. There are people who do carpentry for the sheer joy of it, and others who do it for money. . . . Also, it's not about making a "fine" living: Most writers don't, it's about compensation for labor and incentive to produce more. Writing a novel is hard work.
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Writing is hard work but focusing on writing alone ignores the contributions of others to the final product -- and these others have to be paid by either the writer or the publisher.
Very few writers believe that their book is ready to be published as is the moment it leaves their hands. Most writers recognize the need for a quality editor, a cover designer, a production editor, and so on, each of whom brings a particular skill and talent to the process of producing a book.
Consequently, somewhere along the line the ultimate reader has to pay something for the book or none of the people in the production chain are paid. And except for the writer who relies on royalty payments, all the others in the chain need to be paid in the here and now. Given a choice between working for nothing and working for something, members of the chain will choose the latter so they can pay their bills, which means that, in the end, everyone loses.
So if people do not pay for a writer's book there is a ripple effect and eventually there is less quality product available.