Many writers today may have to keep their day jobs. A recent survey by US writer organization Authors Guild revealed that writers’ income has declined in the digital era.
Full-time US authors’ income dropped 30 percent to USD 17,500, and 38 percent to USD 4,500 for part-time authors.
“Authors’ income is down. This is the result of a confluence of factors … The ubiquity of e-books means that online book piracy is more of a threat than it was in 2009. We’ve seen major consolidation within the traditional publishing industry, which means less diversity among publishers and their increased focus on the bottom line,” the study noted.
The emergence of self-publishing was also seen as a big factor in the changing publishing landscape.
The study, however, is still optimistic.
“The rise of hybrid authorship is an exciting development: authors can now have more freedom in choosing a method of publication and promotion that suits the needs of the specific book they’re trying to market,” the study stressed.
“… the opportunities for author-reader engagement are unsurpassed in the history of book publishing — even if this engagement competes with an author’s writing time,” the study added.
Read more about the study here.
Hello. My. Name. Is. Doris. Raines. John. Binones. Is. My. Sign. In. Agent. I. Do. Not. Want. My. Phone. Number. Nor. Email. Nor. Age. Publish. Just. The. Book. I. Want. The. Black. And. White. Paper. Thanks. What’s next,
Hi, Doris. Thanks for your message. We have already informed the relevant department on this, and your publishing consultant will get back to you soon. Have a good day!