There are fiction writers who write for fun. There are fiction writers who write for profit. There are fiction writers who write for both reasons. And there for writers who are seeking to or are already making their beloved hobby their profession. They make their writing pay the bills.
In the many articles I've read about the publishing industry, most lament the sorry state of fiction publishing, attributing the slow dip in book sales to 1) there aren't enough readers, and 2) there are too many writers.
Not everyone can be a David Brown or J.K. Rowling, whose works fly off the bookstore shelf faster than you can say "royalties." Question is, can a fiction writer continue practicing writing for-profit and live comfortably even if he or she doesn't end up repeatedly on the bestseller lists?
I know that the regular visitors of this blog (yes, that's the two of you) may find their brows rising at my seemingly blasphemous question, but I'm asking out of curiosity. When Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince swept booksale records, some experts rejoiced at how the book "saved the publishing industry," a comment I feel is loaded with hogwash. Yes, the young wizard series cast a ray of hope that there are souls who still find magic in the pages of a book, but what about other books that don't talk about quidditch and muggles? What are the chances of the extremely talented writer of penetrating a market already choking with books of every quality? Is there a formula, or should we have faith in luck?
OK, it’s not as snappy as ‘New Year, New You’, but we all know those grand
commitments to massive ‘to do’ lists don’t work anyway, don’t we?
So let’s try...
1 day ago
6 comments:
Firstly, you shouldn't write for money. It's something that spells disaster.
But I think it is possible to make writing a full-time job without being a bestseller.
I agree that Harry Potter didn't do much good. My little sister is a big fan and she is reading the books several times, but the problem is, that is all she's reading. She doesn't want to read anything else.
Money could never be an inspiration for any work of art. However, not all written pieces can be a bestseller. Therefore, a writer can still make his writings pay for the bills but he cannot expect himself to put out bestsellers all the time.
Harry Potter is a good series. But it's just one popular book in the genre. It's better to read other authors too. It broadens the horizon
Thanks, Benjamin! Thanks, Tess!
I guess it all boils down to getting a good agent? Or writing like crazy and sending out stuff, hoping one of them hits?
Yes, I do agree that writing for money is close to, if not, mortal sin. I learned from the playwriting experience that the output turns out crappy and uninspired.
I've only gone so far as reading the first 10 pages of the first Harry Potter book. Doesn't really float my boat.
I love the Harry Potter series, but I have always loved reading, period. Dan Brown, on the other hand, was just a fast read without much substance (Umberto Eco was much better in his similar novel Faucalt's Pendulum). And I think the distinction is the one you began your post with, I think Mr. Brown is writing for the profit and Rowling, maybe not for fun, but out of passion and love for her story. By the way, regarding Harry Potter, my unsolicited advice to you is not to quit after the first ten pages of the first book. The writing and the plotting improve considerably with each entry in the series.
Anyway, I believe that an "extremely talented" writer will still stand out above the crowd of lesser quality writers. The Harry Potter series has done nothing to diminish that possibility and probably has made publishers more willing to take chances on unknown authors simply because of the success of the previously unknown Rowling.
I just realized I didn't answer the question you were actually asking. It's a good question, but I think that it is possible to live comfortably without hitting the bestseller lists, but you may have to put out a larger quantity of work in order to do it or supplement by writing magazine articles or similar. I must confess that my answer is not from any experience, but instead is just my pure speculation.
Thanks, gnat, for your input. (I don't want to call you Gnat, but you know...)
I may be able to get to Harry Potter once reading novels becomes more comfy for me. One step at a time. :-)
So I guess I can be a "part-time" writer. Putting stuff out to tell the stories I want to tell without expectations. Hmmm... am curious to find out where that'll take me.
Thanks again!
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