Reminds me of a line in Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty - "I asked him one time what type of writing brought the most money and the agent says, 'Ransom notes.'"
I've bought them all and based on the economic model you have described, I figure I've bought you one half of a pair of dress socks. Will continue to enthusiastically support in order to get you the other sock.
What an insightful post on the dollars and cents (sense?) of being a published author! I count myself lucky that I can break even as a writer. So great to have other income so that I can spend my days creating and doing what I love. My heart is always singing about and because of being an author.
Excellent post, Terry. Unfortunately, you’re probably instructing the already well-informed! The book readers, a declining audience as you correctly note, are unlikely to read this epistle and so may yet think [best-selling] authors have a charmed life. You write from the point of view of the published author, but the story is about the same for the self-published author too (assuming he/she puts enough effort in promoting his books). I wrote a series of blog posts on this a year or so ago (https://afspublishing.ca/23-3-sustaining-drive-and-marketing-books/) and others before that, and since.
I might also point out, not only is the Canadian market for books small, most Canadian readers are largely blithely unaware of Canadian authors and so we compete against not only other Canadians authors for attention but with the heavy presence of American and British writers whose books fill Canadian book-sellers shelves, not to mention amazon.ca.
Fitzgerald made about $3,000 per short story. $3,000 US. In 1920's dollars.
Magazines and books were the TikTok and Netflix of the early 20th century.
I would love to write novels full time! But I realized early on that, even if I did "make it", it would be hard to have a family, too. That's a big part of the reason why I went into marketing writing instead. I do keep the desk lamp on late into the night to work on my novel WIP. Winning the Giller is a personal goal of mine (knowing full well what a long-shot, luck-of-the-draw goal that is...) But if it doesn't happen, that's fine too. Turns out I write novels for the joy of it, anyway.
BTW -- and I hate to be publicly calling you out -- but I'm very, VERY disappointed that you had the opportunity in the first caption to write that the image bore "no relation" to your last literary festival, and chose not to take it. (Not to worry too much -- I lol'd anyway...)
Thanks for opening up about your own books, Terry! I think you're right - a lot of writers will benefit from your insights here!
Enlightening and entertaining to read Terry. Thank you for such a clear lay of the economic landscape of writerdom What I appreciate now is that it’s “not for the money”, and not for winning awards. I hope you’ll consider creating a sequel post on what it is, and has been, about for you. I imagine writers might approach this in very different ways. It obviously remains compelling and rewarding since You love your writer’s life and intend never to retire. Bravo!
Thanks for the informative article. What are the prospects for the authors of text books? The price of each text book is many times the price of a novel. However, the volume of sales for a text book should be much lower. Financially, the text book author is in the same boat as the novelist?
I felt like I could have written this, Terry, but I’m glad it was you who took on the challenge. Your level of notoriety lends credibility to the issue, and at whatever level authors are writing, the story is the same. We just don’t write for the money, because if we did, 92.7% of us wouldn’t write. I’ve written four middle grade novels and four children’s illustrated stories selling over 20,000 copies, collectively, the reward being negligible, monetarily; rather, the joy and satisfaction are derived from knowing that kids are reading. It’s my raison d’être in getting the stories out there. To create readers who will grow up, walk into small, privately owned bookstores, and buy books written by Terry Fallis and Margaret Atwood!
Here’s hoping I can help make you richer, Terry, but my sense is that your conviction abides in telling the story. Keep doing that, Terry. I love nothing as much as spending 10 hours reading your stories!! 👻
Thank you Terry for the insight into a writer’s economic reality. I’ve come away wanting to offer more support to a writers life than I currently do. In the longer winter months I’m often a binge reader but mostly it’s ebooks from the library which I fear doesn’t provide you much income.
If I’d like to shed some of that guilt and offer support to my favourite writers, where or how should I purchase my books to give the author the greatest return? Or does it matter at all.
Thanks for the reality check, Terry. I'm a much less accomplished author than you, and I'm lucky if my royalties from my book sales exceed my costs. That's OK because I worked at good journalism jobs for more than four decades and saved my money, so my author income isn't important for survival. My rewards are still great: the creative joy of the writing and the pleasure my books bring to many people who read them. That's enough for me.
This post had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This was useful, and to some degree, shocking detail on the economics of writing. Honestly, I thought the sale numbers would have been much higher. As a full-time working artist, I feel I have had my own CBC mini-series moment and will unlikely see another. But in creating/writing/painting every day, who knows what surprises await around the corner. Thanks for this Terry. Thanks for the many hours of reading bliss you have given us all.
I am in the enviable position not to have to pay the mortgage and electric bill from income earned from writing. That is only because I worked my way through 30 years of a profession and paid into a pension. The above post hits the nail squarely on head in terms of remuneration for writers. You are right—and we do it anyway. And love doing it! Thanks for laying it out for everyone to see...
Thanks for enlightening info, with your delightful twists of humour in the economic darkness🌚 of writers. I'm curious about library loans in Canada... are there any $$ (however miniscule) that go to authors when I borrow a library book? What about an ebook from libraries? Some countries have payments to authors on library loans and for a bit of trivia... apparently Astrid Lindgren donated her library payments to the Swedish Author Association! 📚🤓
Reminds me of a line in Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty - "I asked him one time what type of writing brought the most money and the agent says, 'Ransom notes.'"
I've bought them all and based on the economic model you have described, I figure I've bought you one half of a pair of dress socks. Will continue to enthusiastically support in order to get you the other sock.
Keep 'em coming.
Enlightening read Terry.
Marilyn
What an insightful post on the dollars and cents (sense?) of being a published author! I count myself lucky that I can break even as a writer. So great to have other income so that I can spend my days creating and doing what I love. My heart is always singing about and because of being an author.
Excellent post, Terry. Unfortunately, you’re probably instructing the already well-informed! The book readers, a declining audience as you correctly note, are unlikely to read this epistle and so may yet think [best-selling] authors have a charmed life. You write from the point of view of the published author, but the story is about the same for the self-published author too (assuming he/she puts enough effort in promoting his books). I wrote a series of blog posts on this a year or so ago (https://afspublishing.ca/23-3-sustaining-drive-and-marketing-books/) and others before that, and since.
I might also point out, not only is the Canadian market for books small, most Canadian readers are largely blithely unaware of Canadian authors and so we compete against not only other Canadians authors for attention but with the heavy presence of American and British writers whose books fill Canadian book-sellers shelves, not to mention amazon.ca.
Fitzgerald made about $3,000 per short story. $3,000 US. In 1920's dollars.
Magazines and books were the TikTok and Netflix of the early 20th century.
I would love to write novels full time! But I realized early on that, even if I did "make it", it would be hard to have a family, too. That's a big part of the reason why I went into marketing writing instead. I do keep the desk lamp on late into the night to work on my novel WIP. Winning the Giller is a personal goal of mine (knowing full well what a long-shot, luck-of-the-draw goal that is...) But if it doesn't happen, that's fine too. Turns out I write novels for the joy of it, anyway.
BTW -- and I hate to be publicly calling you out -- but I'm very, VERY disappointed that you had the opportunity in the first caption to write that the image bore "no relation" to your last literary festival, and chose not to take it. (Not to worry too much -- I lol'd anyway...)
Thanks for opening up about your own books, Terry! I think you're right - a lot of writers will benefit from your insights here!
Enlightening and entertaining to read Terry. Thank you for such a clear lay of the economic landscape of writerdom What I appreciate now is that it’s “not for the money”, and not for winning awards. I hope you’ll consider creating a sequel post on what it is, and has been, about for you. I imagine writers might approach this in very different ways. It obviously remains compelling and rewarding since You love your writer’s life and intend never to retire. Bravo!
Thanks for the informative article. What are the prospects for the authors of text books? The price of each text book is many times the price of a novel. However, the volume of sales for a text book should be much lower. Financially, the text book author is in the same boat as the novelist?
I felt like I could have written this, Terry, but I’m glad it was you who took on the challenge. Your level of notoriety lends credibility to the issue, and at whatever level authors are writing, the story is the same. We just don’t write for the money, because if we did, 92.7% of us wouldn’t write. I’ve written four middle grade novels and four children’s illustrated stories selling over 20,000 copies, collectively, the reward being negligible, monetarily; rather, the joy and satisfaction are derived from knowing that kids are reading. It’s my raison d’être in getting the stories out there. To create readers who will grow up, walk into small, privately owned bookstores, and buy books written by Terry Fallis and Margaret Atwood!
Here’s hoping I can help make you richer, Terry, but my sense is that your conviction abides in telling the story. Keep doing that, Terry. I love nothing as much as spending 10 hours reading your stories!! 👻
Thank you Terry for the insight into a writer’s economic reality. I’ve come away wanting to offer more support to a writers life than I currently do. In the longer winter months I’m often a binge reader but mostly it’s ebooks from the library which I fear doesn’t provide you much income.
If I’d like to shed some of that guilt and offer support to my favourite writers, where or how should I purchase my books to give the author the greatest return? Or does it matter at all.
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing, Terry.
Thanks for the reality check, Terry. I'm a much less accomplished author than you, and I'm lucky if my royalties from my book sales exceed my costs. That's OK because I worked at good journalism jobs for more than four decades and saved my money, so my author income isn't important for survival. My rewards are still great: the creative joy of the writing and the pleasure my books bring to many people who read them. That's enough for me.
This post had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This was useful, and to some degree, shocking detail on the economics of writing. Honestly, I thought the sale numbers would have been much higher. As a full-time working artist, I feel I have had my own CBC mini-series moment and will unlikely see another. But in creating/writing/painting every day, who knows what surprises await around the corner. Thanks for this Terry. Thanks for the many hours of reading bliss you have given us all.
I am in the enviable position not to have to pay the mortgage and electric bill from income earned from writing. That is only because I worked my way through 30 years of a profession and paid into a pension. The above post hits the nail squarely on head in terms of remuneration for writers. You are right—and we do it anyway. And love doing it! Thanks for laying it out for everyone to see...
Thanks for enlightening info, with your delightful twists of humour in the economic darkness🌚 of writers. I'm curious about library loans in Canada... are there any $$ (however miniscule) that go to authors when I borrow a library book? What about an ebook from libraries? Some countries have payments to authors on library loans and for a bit of trivia... apparently Astrid Lindgren donated her library payments to the Swedish Author Association! 📚🤓
A very interesting and well laid out article. Much enjoyed!