Author Earnings & Careers

Publishers and literary agents know this, even if they pretend otherwise to conveniently reject you and your work.

On the release of her sophomore novel, one year after her debut, a writer reflects on what she’s learned about the business of authorship.

Literary citizenship—freely sharing your knowledge with those in need—can reap substantial rewards for authors and editors.

Today is the day you start building financial habits to acknowledge the inherent monetary worth of your writing.

Writers often view themselves as without power, but you can’t wait for permission or the “right time” to negotiate a better deal for yourself.

What does creativity have to do with business? A lot, it turns out. It’s just a different kind of creativity than you engage with when you write.

Does library lending help or hurt author and publisher income? The debate continues.

Here are the most common arguments against teaching the business of writing in an MFA program—and why such arguments are flawed.

A look at how the sources of my income shifted between 2016–2020, with online teaching now earning the lion's share.

What you earn is about what business model you can envision or build for yourself and whether it's sustainable for you over the long term.

A book is often the product of teamwork. The ability to revise—to accept feedback and apply it with diligence and insight—is essential to success.

In this Q&A, literary agents Jim McCarthy and Paula Munier discuss the priorities and responsibilities—to yourself and to others—of being a working writer.

For some authors, a single book deal is validation enough. For others, it's the beginning of a lifelong journey through en ever-changing landscape. In this Q&A, literary agents Sarah LaPolla and Kim Lionetti discuss what it takes to sustain a career beyond the first big break.

I don’t trust author-income survey results and I question their usefulness in improving the fortunes of writers. Too often it feels like propaganda from writers’ organizations, with the outcome boring and predictable.

Seven-figure deals seem to be given to more 20-something debut writers than debut writers in any other age group, yet Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx started writing at 58—and Frank McCourt began writing in his 60s. Were these writers more talented than younger writers trying to break in at the same time? Or has the industry started gravitating more toward younger writers in recent years? Two literary agents, Sarah Davies and Dr. Uwe Stender, offer their thoughts on the publishing industry’s attitude toward age.

Over the last month, I've been talking (and writing) about how to build a business model for career that suits your particular strengths as well as the unique quality of your work. Here are my latest appearances.

My newest book, The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), takes it on principle that learning about the publishing industry can lead to a more positive and productive career. It helps writers feel empowered and confident to navigate an ever-changing field.

For AWP 2018, I hired a team of writers to help me cover business-related sessions, as part of the launch for my newest book (official release date: March 16). Their blog posts are available over at the companion website for the book.

There are real risks to working together on a business with your spouse or partner, especially if you are both still learning how to do it well and manage your household through the uncertainty of the start-up existence. Adopting formal agreements on how to interact with one another can help avoid stress and anxiety.

Author Jay Swanson discusses how he's succeeded with Patreon, which allows fans to pledge monthly financial support to his creative efforts.

I'm the featured guest on the new Backmatter podcast from Leanpub, which is focused specifically on the publishing industry and its latest trends.

A "clueless ask" is when a well-meaning stranger asks for an investment of a successful person's time and energy. What are such people owed, if anything?

Is a book's success all luck, even if 'luck' includes hitting the right subject matter at the right time, or is it marketing—and can an indie author in any way compete with a publisher?

I'm delighted to announce that I've been working with The Authors Guild on the creation and release of their new resource guide on e-publishing.

The Mall of America residency isn’t going to be an appropriate opportunity for even a majority of writers. But it’s the right opportunity for someone.

While you may wish to run your writing class completely by yourself (and I recommend it), you may also want to consider partnering. Here are the options.

A course’s success depends on anticipating and understanding the needs of writing students and producing the outcomes they most desire.

I'm proud to have a feature in Writer's Digest magazine on how to monetize your website and blog. I detail eight methods.

Most writers want an MFA for one of three reasons: They want to teach writing, they want to get published, or they want to make room in their life for writing. It turns out these reasons for doing an MFA are actually based on myths.

Do males or females receive higher advances? I look at Publishers Marketplace deals data to find out.

As publishing becomes increasingly digital-driven, how are the business models for authorship changing?

To sell products and services directly through your website, here are a few services and tools to get up and running fast (no coding or tech help required).

Jane discusses building a digital presence, querying 15 years ago vs. now, agents vs. self-publishing, crowdfunding, and the future of publishing.

More than 90% of young people say they want to write a book some day. So why does that inspire such cynicism among adults?

In this latest podcast interview, I discuss understanding your business as an author and expanding your personal brand beyond just book sales.

I was delighted to be a guest on Stephen Campbell's podcast, The Author Biz.

Mike Cogh / via Flickr Note from Jane: Today's guest post is from Joanna Penn (@thecreativepenn), and is based on

Matera, Italy This week I’m speaking at the International Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy, which is slanted this year

Historias Visuales / via Flickr From a recent op-ed at the New York Times: Writers may always have worried about

Is there a difference between being an author versus running a business as an author? In this interview with Joanna

Yesterday, I gave my keynote on Writing for Love (and Money) at The Muse and The Marketplace annual conference, hosted

For my upcoming keynote talk at The Muse & The Marketplace, I've been immersing myself in histories of publishing and

On the right: Manjula Martin & Jane Friedman This past week, I was interviewed along with my Scratch business partner,

Your productivity and growth are a direct result of forming a business plan (and sticking to it); here are 7 steps—plus a template—for creating your own.

Best Business Advice for Writers (Sept 2013): a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.

Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.

Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.

Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing. Share any best reads you've found lately in the comments.

Best Business Advice for Writers is a list of the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.

Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the