Quote:
Originally Posted by mdibella
I did of course mean that since writing a book is not easy, I would have thought that someone who can do it would make a decent salary. As an avid reader, I would HOPE that the people who produce the books I enjoy would not be living hand-to-mouth while someone else gets rich off their work.
|
Ah. Well, the publishing industry is a complex thing. making money on publishing a Stephen King is easy, but making money on publishing a Michael McDowell is not. Even though I much prefer McDowell's books over King's he is not being published any more becasue of economics.
Publishers go for long-term earners to pay the big bucks and buy new authors in the hopes of getting the next King and a few mid-list producers. But they don't pay a lot. The vast majority of authors have a "day job." Writing and getting published fulfills a need to write, rather than a need to eat.
Those who make their way solely on their writing are quite rare, in fact. Even writers who make their living in writing mainly do other types of writing than just novels. Tech writing, reporting, ad copy, etc.
What we see with folks like King and Rowling, and others with best sellers, is the very top of the heap, with a lot of mid-listers and first-bookers thrown in.