One thing I'll mention: Sure, it's nice if authors can get other groups to "pay their rights," or otherwise subsidize them, so they can write. On the other hand, there's often no real reason that an author can't simply do it the way I do it: Write in their spare time.
I have a day job. I have a home, and bills, and chores. But I also have spare time, and I like to spend it writing (as opposed to sitting in front of the TV, or hanging out at the local bar, or--unfortunately for me--exercising). So I write, then I put my book online, and I wait for the sales to bring me some money. Right now, it's not much... certainly not enough to allow me to quit my day job. But it is extra income, and I don't have to be supported by someone else to do it.
I'm not saying that everyone has tons of free time, or that writers are all too lazy to put in a few extra hours writing instead of vegging. But I think quite a few writers, like me, can find the time in their busy schedules that they usually devote to lesser activities, and use that to write instead, and not require subsidies. I know it's not nearly as attractive as having a rich patron supporting you. But, as someone accurately pointed out, this is the twenty-first century. Time to move on.
ePub.
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