Money Money Money
Must be sunny....
Know how to silence an entire roomful of authors? Ask how much they made last year.
Money is one of those subjects sure to stop a conversation in its tracks and piss off the most easy-going person. I think that's because how much money you make is tied so closely to self-worth. It's a matter of pride. We all want to do well and money is the easiest way to gauge that.
We all want to be the best at what we do. And that's a good thing. It makes us strive to be better.
As a first-time author, you're so damn happy that someone is going to pay you for your book that you take what they're willing to give you. Been there, done that. And I'm as proud of those books as anything I have or will ever sell.
There's nothing like the thrill of that call or email to tell you someone loved your book enough to want to put their money behind you to publish it.
But what is a book, and its author, truly worth?
Touchy question, especially in these tough economic times. Jessica Faust's blog the other day was interesting for a whole lot of reasons, mostly because there are no easy answers.
Yes, I want to see my book in print. I want readers to fall in love with my characters as much as I have. Sure, I want to be paid bundles for my story...I'm not foolish enough to believe I will be.
But where is the middle ground? I don't have a clue.
I've been around the block long enough to know that being a writer is synonymous with being a glutton for punishment. Where else can you gather enough rejections to paper your bathroom and still prepare another 10 queries to send out the next day--while still dreaming about the publisher who wants to give you six-figures for your book?
Know how to silence an entire roomful of authors? Ask how much they made last year.
Money is one of those subjects sure to stop a conversation in its tracks and piss off the most easy-going person. I think that's because how much money you make is tied so closely to self-worth. It's a matter of pride. We all want to do well and money is the easiest way to gauge that.
We all want to be the best at what we do. And that's a good thing. It makes us strive to be better.
As a first-time author, you're so damn happy that someone is going to pay you for your book that you take what they're willing to give you. Been there, done that. And I'm as proud of those books as anything I have or will ever sell.
There's nothing like the thrill of that call or email to tell you someone loved your book enough to want to put their money behind you to publish it.
But what is a book, and its author, truly worth?
Touchy question, especially in these tough economic times. Jessica Faust's blog the other day was interesting for a whole lot of reasons, mostly because there are no easy answers.
Yes, I want to see my book in print. I want readers to fall in love with my characters as much as I have. Sure, I want to be paid bundles for my story...I'm not foolish enough to believe I will be.
But where is the middle ground? I don't have a clue.
I've been around the block long enough to know that being a writer is synonymous with being a glutton for punishment. Where else can you gather enough rejections to paper your bathroom and still prepare another 10 queries to send out the next day--while still dreaming about the publisher who wants to give you six-figures for your book?
posted by Stephanie Julian at
9:40 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home