Make A Living Writing Fiction. Can It Be Done?

 

Can You Make A Living Writing Fiction?

I read somewhere recently that the average income of most fiction writers would fall below the minimum wage. While the famous authors continue to attract a disproportionate amount of the overall pot, most writers are not making an adequate living from their books and there are said to be many who make no money at all.

make a living writing

You can read about this in more detail in a Guardian newspaper article here. Apologies for my overseas readers as the figures quoted are all in UK pounds although there’s not a lot of difference between the pound and the dollar these days.

Now, I don’t make any claims to be among the highest paid authors in the land but I certainly don’t work for nothing. Much as I love writing, life is too short to be permanently broke. I confess to supplementing my writing income by using online marketing but for me there is no distinction between the two nowadays.

We ALL have to get used to the fact that unless we market our books and ourselves too, then no-one is going to get the opportunity to even see your next masterpiece.

And once you embrace that mindset shift, it’s amazing how quickly you get into branding yourself as an author and how simple it can often be to make additional income doing stuff connected to your writing.

I’ve talked about Anne R Allen’s wonderful blog before and today I just wanted to share a piece written by my new friend Elizabeth S Craig called ‘Yes, You Can Make A Living Writing Fiction.’ living

It’s not a fluff article and you’ll pick up solid practical steps that anyone can do to help boost their book sales and bottom line.

That’s all for today and I hope you find these two articles useful.

If you want some direct help in marketing your books or any other simple ways to supplement your income online, so giving you more time to write, then message me on my Facebook Page and I’ll get back to you.

 

Alex x

Coming soon – #thepiperspromise

PS: Here’s a very recent review for my latest thriller The Devil You Know from Amazon in the US:

What kept me reading was the quality of the writing, in a word: marvelous, an example of modern prose, impossibly long sentences that somehow work out, a sardonic sense of humor and a host of colorful characters that include the traditional tired detective, grumpy old boatman, a prominent local criminal and a beautiful female assassin. I am not a Scot, and I had some trouble following some of the colorful dialogue that illustrates the peculiarities of Scottish conversation. The effort was worth it. More than a story, I recommend this book to readers who appreciate good writing. I am truly impressed and hope to see more books by Alex Breck.

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Strange Fascination – David Bowie Biography

To anyone who’s read my Ridge Walker thriller series, it’s quickly obvious that I am a huge David Bowie fan.

Therefore I was sad beyond belief when he died last winter and initially I found it difficult to open this wonderful birthday present from my wife. Like many people around the globe, his passing seemed to mean more than just the loss of another ageing pop star. Of course we couldn’t have known in January 2016 that this was just an appetiser for a cruel and seemingly endless banquet of high profile deaths that were to come.

But I eventually got round to reading the book and I thoroughly recommend it to any Bowie fans.

My favourite Bowie album?

Ha! It changes all the time like my favourite books but if I had to choose just the one then I guess it would have to be DIAMOND DOGS of course!

Here is my Goodreads review:

Strange Fascination: David Bowie: The Definitive StoryStrange Fascination: David Bowie: The Definitive Story by David Buckley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For an absolutely fanatical Bowie fan like me, this book was a treasure trove of valuable nuggets which continually impressed me by virtue of the breadth and depth of the research. Buckley has spoken to so many of the important people in the life of David Bowie from the very early days up to the last days. This not only gives the reader an intimate understanding of the man but also helps us to understand the pressures he lived under and the reasons for some of his more unusual artistic adventures.
I loved the way the book provides almost a line-by-line analysis of many of his best loved songs and the social, psychological and geographical context behind them. I couldn’t get enough of the first half of the book but, as Bowie had only recently died when I received the book as a birthday present, I found the latter half of the book a little depressing and less enjoyable but that’s probably more to do with my grief at his loss and my preference for his earlier works than a lack of quality from the writer.
Perhaps not ideal for the general music fan because of the intense level of detail, the book is bound to delight anyone who loved his music and theatricality. A book I shall return to many times.

View all my reviews

Alex x

Coming soon – #thepiperspromise

PS: Here’s a very recent review for my latest thriller The Devil You Know from Amazon in the US:

What kept me reading was the quality of the writing, in a word: marvelous, an example of modern prose, impossibly long sentences that somehow work out, a sardonic sense of humor and a host of colorful characters that include the traditional tired detective, grumpy old boatman, a prominent local criminal and a beautiful female assassin. I am not a Scot, and I had some trouble following some of the colorful dialogue that illustrates the peculiarities of Scottish conversation. The effort was worth it. More than a story, I recommend this book to readers who appreciate good writing. I am truly impressed and hope to see more books by Alex Breck.

the devil you know 3D image

 

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

 

 

 

Have you listened to my new Podcast show Alex Breck’s Banter yet?

Alex Breck's Banter Podcast Show