Almost No One Makes Money From Writing Novels

When I embarked on my writing journey, I envisioned my novel displayed prominently in bookstores, fantasizing about glamorous book tours and home renovations financed by my literary success. After five years immersed in the writing community, I've come to realize that the idea of making a living from novels is, quite frankly, laughable.

We are often led to believe that being an author is a glamorous pursuit, filled with mystery and rewards. However, the reality is starkly different. While many enjoy reading novels, few are willing to pay for the labor, creativity, and skill that contribute to their enjoyment. Royalty payments can be disheartening—I've earned just 19 cents per book sold to a local retailer. With the marketplace flooded with titles, the chances of my book being chosen by a reader are slim.

In fact, according to Publishing Perspectives, only 10% of traditionally published authors earned over $20,000 in 2014, while a staggering 95% of independent authors earned less than that—a trend that has only worsened.

Undervalued Writers Seek Alternative Income

Writers find themselves in a challenging position. To survive financially, we often pivot to other work that may not ignite our passion but provides necessary income, enabling us to pursue our true interests.

To bridge this gap, many writers take on projects for businesses. While novel writing may not provide a sustainable income, we know that generating clicks, ad impressions, and engagement does. Consequently, we become prolific content creators, producing blog posts, website copy, and social media content, often to the detriment of our own creative projects.

For years, we've fought to be recognized and compensated amidst a sea of content creators willing to produce low-quality work for minimal pay.

The Threat of AI to Creative Income Streams

If you ask ChatGPT for a blog post about selecting the right hair dye for your skin tone or identifying common spiders encountered on hikes, you'll find it can deliver a fairly competent piece. Even my fourth-grader managed to generate a respectable essay on human environmental impact with the help of AI.

This illustrates a key point: Most businesses don't require groundbreaking content for their blogs. A pest control company may simply seek generic, straightforward text that helps enhance their Google ranking—content that AI can produce at lightning speed and virtually for free.

With no human oversight needed, no deadline concerns, and no payroll expenses, why would businesses opt to hire a freelancer when they can turn to AI? It's not about blame; it's simply the nature of capitalism.

As a result, we may witness an internet even more saturated with bland, unremarkable content that lacks individuality—content that goes unread yet continues to proliferate to maintain an "online presence."

The day may come when freelancers relying on business gigs find their income dwindling to nothing.

Can Creative Work Survive Without Financial Support?

Perhaps this shift could be seen as a blessing in disguise—liberating us to pursue our true artistic endeavors without the distractions of content creation.

But there’s a catch. We still need to replace the income lost from these freelance opportunities. Many writers turned to "content creation" because the art they truly wanted to produce was simply not lucrative. Achieving a stable income as self-employed individuals requires hard work in establishing various revenue streams, and with many of those streams drying up, many may find themselves forced into less creative roles that leave little time for passionate pursuits.

Is there hope that this newfound freedom will lead society to appreciate our art more? I wish I could answer affirmatively. Like many others, I long to create work solely for its own sake, yet artists must generate income. Unfortunately, the pool of individuals who value art enough to pay for it is alarmingly small.

As we stand on the precipice of a new technological era, artists and creatives find themselves in a precarious situation. We must either redefine how we value creativity or risk its decline, leaving access limited to those who can afford to create without financial concerns.

This is an issue that warrants serious attention.