Do it for money. Do it for love.

Why we write.

Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash

A fellow writer recently asked a group how they shape their writing life, what helps them sort out their projects, and what motivates them. One of the answers surprised me, although it probably shouldn’t. That person replied that money was her main motivator. You could have heard the squish of chair backs as the rest of us sank into them.

There’s a marked difference between those who are able to make money writing about what matters and those of us who simply must write.

Most of those with whom I write do not write for money. I suspect most of us would if we could. But not as a first priority.

However.

Recently, one of the writers who shares my publisher posted a rather sobering piece on Facebook about the devastating truth of how much money a published author can make.

In the world of independent publishing, most of the promotion and marketing falls to the author. This means purchasing ARCs (I spent about $400 on ARCs), and mailing them to bookstores, libraries, potential podcasters, and advance reviewers (at approximately $6.00 per).

The basic Goodreads giveaway is about $200. Then there’s the launch. I checked a few places. I want to go big so I contacted a recommended venue. Here’s what they quoted me: $6,000 (+ 20% service + 13% HST), along with a room rental fee of $3,000 (+ 13% HST). That was without food.

Luckily, I was able to find two wonderful venues for a fraction of that price. Still not cheap - about $3000 for both. (And you’re invited! Mark the dates: March 24 from 1 to 3 at Creative Nomad, Orillia - live-streamed on Youtube; and Thursday, April 4 from 7 - 9 p.m. Centre for Social Innovation, Toronto) Since I’m doing two launches, I needed to bring the prices down to a range that didn’t make my nose bleed.

Authors also pay to be featured in the publisher’s promotion, whether it be their own or other various outlets and venues.

I’d seen that this particular author had extensive media coverage, signings, interviews, etc. She had such a robust social media presence that I reached out to inquire how she’d managed. She praised her publicist and shared her contact. That publicist asks for $8000. USD. (Keep in mind that even the best publicist can’t guarantee results.) And then there are the costs of touring, travel, meals, and so on.

I’ve been following River Street Writing for some time, impressed by Hollay’s enthusiasm and support of authors and their books. Then it dawned on me that I might reach out to her, just in case. Let’s just say, her fee doesn’t make my nose bleed and she’s already on the case for next season’s festival panels. She’s responsive, supportive, encouraging, and quite a lot of fun. So I’m really looking forward to working with her.

It takes anywhere from a year to ten years to write a book, another one or two to edit the thing (just ballparking it here), and if you go the agent route, you have to wait to see if they find a publisher for you, and who knows how long to finally receive an acceptance from one.

If you’re doing it for the money, this is definitely not the route to travel. In the aforementioned post, the novelist shared how much her first royalty cheque was. Somewhere in the neighbourhood of $270. USD. Such a punch in the gut.

It’s interesting to me that within days I read that novelist’s post and heard another writer say she did it for the cash.

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We see these kinds of questions often: Why do you write? What motivates you?

There are many different answers. Although, yeah, sure, of course, I would very much like some financial compensation, that is definitely not my answer to the question of why I write.

For the past few days, I’ve been surrounded by AWA affiliates at our annual conference, this year at the idyllic Jericho House in Wainfleet, a few strides from the north shore of Lake Erie. The Amherst Writers philosophies include the affirmations that anyone who writes is a writer, and everyone has a strong unique voice. Our mission is to support and encourage that voice without damage to a writer’s self-esteem. As facilitators, we write along with those in our groups, taking the same creative risks. Most of us write because writing is what we do. Some of us teach. Some even have books that have sold.

We write for the love of the written word. For some of us, writing is salvation.

When I consider these varied responses: writing for money, pretty much paying to write, and writing for the sheer pleasure of it… well, what I have to advise is: write for the sheer pleasure of it, and if you feel compelled to share it beyond your safe circle of supportive writers/readers, put it out there and forget about it. Just forget about it. Send it out where you think it might land, and let it go. If you make five or twenty-five dollars for a poem or a short story, then pop a cork in celebration.

And only if it matters a great, great deal to you, pursue publication for your novel or memoir or non-fiction book. Do it because you want to share. Everything else is gravy. Or jam. Or whipping cream.

The publication of my debut novel has been a labour of love. Maybe it will open a door for the next novel, to an agent and a larger publishing house that will help market it. But most assuredly, by this time next year, this book will have cost me far more than it will ever make. But only in dollars.

Here’s the simple truth:

You write because you have something to say and you’re the only one who can say it.