George R.R. Martin Gives Quick Update on Winds of Winter Progress

[nana77]

Originally Posted by Courant

Although, writing books has always been a winner takes all industry and only the most famous authors got rich. Tolkien had a day job and only realized that he could have retired earlier after it was too late. Today, even books that get a lot of press coverage might even be unsuccesful and are more for prestige.

Not any "day job": he was an accademic.

J. R. R. Tolkien was an English writer and academic philologist.
[...]
From 1925 to 1945 Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College, both at the University of Oxford. He then moved within the same university to become the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, and held these positions from 1945 until his retirement in 1959
[...]

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

It's fine by me too. But if he doesn't want to finish the series, the decent thing to do would be to come right out and say so. Rather than spouting tired excuses and coming up with clever names for his supposed stumbling blocks. But apparently, he enjoys the drama of stringing people along too much.

I would actually applaud GRRM if he had the nerve to come out and say what everyone already knows to be true: he hasn't had any interest in finishing the series for a long time.

Ditto.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Courant

He is a grown man and wealthy too, he can look after himself. It isn't like finishing the series would be unhealthy. I am pretty sure he just can't do it. He doesn't know how to end it.

I'm pretty sure that he does know how to end it. He just has lost any interest in writing it, and lost it a long time ago (years before the TV series).

[John F]

Originally Posted by Courant

... I am pretty sure he just can't do it. He doesn't know how to end it.

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I'm pretty sure that he does know how to end it. He just has lost any interest in writing it, and lost it a long time ago (years before the TV series).

So, who is the more pretty sure?

[jackm8]

Originally Posted by hildea

The vast majority of authors, even successful ones, have day jobs or depend on a spouse with a steady income. The ones I follow on social media are worried about house renovation emergencies, run go fund mes when they get serious illnesses (if they're from USA), and look forward to a 2000$ settlement from Anthropic's theft.

How can you be a successful writer by depending on someone else for income?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jackm8

How can you be a successful writer by depending on someone else for income?

By being published and having a fan base. The "success" in successful writer does not have to mean "one's sole means of support." Just like I can be a successful gardener without ever selling a tomato.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yeah, I could also name several series I liked that were cut short for various reasons (the author died, had health problems or just lost interest, the publisher ditched the series for not selling well enough and so on). Shit happens, but life goes on, there are so many other books to enjoy.

Discworld was cut short due to Terry Pratchett having died.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Matt Dinniman said about his Dungeon Crawler Carl series that him being out of a job and his family short from starving was a great motivator for him during COVID. He wrote like a madman. Not very healthy of course.

I've started reading the first book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. It's an interesting premise so far. It should be an interesting Netflix series.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've started reading the first book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. It's an interesting premise so far. It should be an interesting Netflix series.

It's going to be adapted for Peacock. Whatever that is, we don't have it over here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeo...ion_adaptation

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

It's going to be adapted for Peacock. Whatever that is, we don't have it over here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeo...ion_adaptation

It's NBC's streaming service. The peacock has always been their mascot/logo. I'd be surprised if it didn't get picked up by someone for international streaming.

[Courant]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

By being published and having a fan base. The "success" in successful writer does not have to mean "one's sole means of support." Just like I can be a successful gardener without ever selling a tomato.

A good point success means different things to different people. For some people it is just a passion project, a hobby or a side gig. I think the best comparison is music. Most musicians just play for themselves, some have occasional gigs that may or not make money and there are professional musicians that get play mostly cover songs in bars and that's even before you get to people with a record deal. With writers, most don't sell more than 100 books and don't have a big readership. Even in terms of financial success, a self published writer makes more selling the same amount of e books as a traditionally published writer. Although, trad published writers whose books fail, still get their advance and there are some people whose book helps them get other types of business.

[hildea]

Originally Posted by jackm8

How can you be a successful writer by depending on someone else for income?

My idea of successful is much the same as DiapDealer's. Publish books, have a reasonable number of readers. Midlist author.

My main point was to disagree with your claim that "Now every half-baked writer nets millions simply from tv right"

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by jackm8

How can you be a successful writer by depending on someone else for income?

Quite a few of the authors I know have day jobs which actually cover their bills. Others have supported themselves and learned their trade by ghostwriting. One recently became a full time author since they retired from their day job. Another worked in journalism for years. Now not writing the great Canadian novel but writing a moderately successful series of paranormal cozies which earn enough to supplement their other income. Some are making more of their income from Patreon, etc. where people are willing to pay a small monthly fee for early access than they make from their books whether published to Amazon/Kobo/etc. or being sold through their own online store.

My definition of success for an author is selling enough books to be able to keep writing and keeping your fans happy. Not in the Stephen King range nor in the one step above a vanity press range.