Author Earnings & Careers

Given the solitary nature of the writing profession, collaboration can be an appealing option for writers who trust one another and have a common goal.

Tim Ferriss believes authors and publishers will need to leverage and focus on experiences rather than information in order to thrive.

A recent Authors Guild study on book-buying and book-reading behavior lacks a historical baseline for comparison and overstates library borrowing’s role in declining author incomes.

The service is shifting to a pooling model where audiobook royalties are affected by how much an Audible member consumes in a month.

How self-publishing authors strategically split print, audio, and ebook rights across multiple publishers—and what bifurcated dealmaking means for author control and income.

New York Times bestselling author Scott Reintgen breaks down the author-publisher relationship and how his career has been built over time, both incrementally and with purposeful intention.

For writers who approach a newsletter with intention, it’s one of the most powerful—and genuinely scalable—channels available today.

You love teaching, and your students love you. How can you position yourself to deepen their experience with a powerful live or online event?

I’d love to see you at AWP Conference & Bookfair (March 4–7, 2026, Baltimore). I’ll be exhibiting (Booth 624) and speaking at the Bookfair.

The author’s historical novel, Finding Flora, was an instant number-one bestseller in Canada which led to rerelease of two previous novels.

The Smashwords store (owned and operated by Draft2Digital) has announced a new royalty rate structure that will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Learn how to find and assess anthology opportunities, which offer short fiction authors income and visibility by sharing audiences across contributors.

Last week’s article on direct sales elicited significant response from readers and service providers. Here’s what they had to say.

The bestselling author, who writes under the name Ruby Roe, has seen her career take off after getting on TikTok and investing in direct sales.

Authors who have strong brands and/or serve identifiable communities have plentiful tools to reduce reliance on Amazon and Ingram.

What every creator should know before signing a contract—protect your work, your time, and your well-being.

The landscape is very different today: publications have folded, arts coverage has dried up, and most opinion writing is on Substack.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has launched a survey for writers who self-publish in English and meet certain qualifications.

An artist’s life is unpredictable, so tapping into your inner grit will give you and your career a fighting chance to blossom for years to come.

Even awards that offer only bragging rights, but no prize money, can telegraph something important: your work matters to readers.

This new edition dramatically revises and re-envisions how to best help writers understand the business they’re entering.

Legacy planning is neither morbid nor presumptuous—it’s a sign of love for your work, your readers, and anyone who may one day carry your stories forward.

The director of an MFA program wrestles with how to make it a more useful degree for aspiring commercial novelists.

HarperCollins has struck a deal with Microsoft to provide some of their nonfiction backlist for training for an as yet unidentified AI model.