I had doubts about posting the link to an article by Merritt Tierce, for it makes rather depressing reading. Most of us are still chasing our first book deal or struggling with how to market our self-published books, so to hear that a critically acclaimed novel made only modest sales is disheartening.

I Published My Debut Novel to Critical Acclaim—and Then I Promptly Went Broke

It certainly put the author in a quandary, for she realised that all the praise in the world doesn’t help to pay the bills. She’s experiencing a form of writer’s block, where she wants to write but has to earn a living by working for others.

As she says: 

“I AM A WRITER WHO’S ASHAMED TO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A WRITER.”

The very few authors who have earned great wealth from writing is a reflection of the disparity in income, wealth and influence of society—1% control a disproportionate amount.

Writing has always been a tough way to earn a living, and there are plenty of well-known authors who struggle to make ends meet:

From bestseller to bust: is this the end of an author’s life?

Kind of makes me glad, that I’m used to being poor! 

How about you?