In a second survey of authors—including both Authors Guild members and non-members—59 percent of respondents say they’ve seen their income decline since the pandemic began. These declines are primarily due to a loss of speaking engagements and freelance journalism assignments. Of those who have applied for relief, the Authors Guild says the vast majority of applications are still pending, and at least half of those that have been acted upon have been rejected.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
