The headline results of the new Authors Guild “The Wages of Writing” author-income survey probably didn’t shock you. The survey indicates a median of $8,000 per year in pre-tax writing-related income for the majority of Authors Guild respondents. (The findings echoed a similar UK survey from last spring. Authors there average £11,000—or $17,081—from their writing.)
Both in 2009 and in this new survey, the Authors Guild found four in ten authors supporting themselves exclusively through writing-related work. Guild officials say their finding that 33 percent of respondents have done some self-publishing reflects stubbornly low royalty rates from publishers. No wonder executive director Mary Rasenberger talks of the Guild being “more proactive in speaking up for authors.”
What you might have missed in these reports: Both traditionally published and indie authors have increased their reader-communication time since the Guild’s 2009 survey. Full-time book authors were up 66 percent (to 8.5 hours per week of reader communication) in the Guild’s report; indie authors were up 92 percent (ten-plus hours per week).
For an excellent companion to this survey: Take a look at NPR’s report on how many copies literary award–winning novels sell. It’s usually not more than 10,000 copies. If you’re a total unknown who doesn’t market and promote, then it’s more like 3,000 copies. For more: When It Comes to Book Sales, What Counts As Success Might Surprise You.
Bottom line: Some surveys tell us what we already know: It’s never been easy to make a living through writing alone; established big-brand authors operate in a special class. We hope these results and surrounding activity point to more advocacy and support for authors from the Authors Guild.
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.
