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I’m pretty sure the Green Bone Saga qualifies as a cult hit because someone sincerely said to me, “Your books are so popular and successful,” and I’m like, LOL, I made just above minimum wage this year.
Thanks for the encouraging replies, folks. My readers are the reason I still mostly love my job, despite everything.
I do want to make a broader point about author income. You wouldn't think the pandemic would hit writers badly (it's not like our jobs really changed), but, 1/
I do want to make a broader point about author income. You wouldn't think the pandemic would hit writers badly (it's not like our jobs really changed), but, 1/
Many (most) authors can't live on book income. I write full-time, but a decent chunk of my income comes from speaking and teaching fees, which were non-existent for the past ten months. Novelists get paid sporadically and in chunks, usually on signing and publication, so, 2/
Unless you're already a bestselling established author, there's a constant pressure to keep producing because selling new projects is how to eat. Taking 2+ years to write a big book like JADE LEGACY was absolutely right from a creative standpoint but murder from a financial one.
Book launches suffered this past year, which means a lot of authors who worked for years had their one main payout period severely diminished. Promoting and hand-selling in person at cons, etc. was cut out too. 4/
