If You're Good At Something, Never Do It For Free

[lovecraft68]

It wasn't actually that I wanted to be doing it. I had to eat, so I had to make money.

Common story, and takes the sexy right out of the erotic myth.

 

[lovecraft68]

A little factoid I learned... median income for a best-selling fiction author in Australia is 18k. Same for a YA author is 14k. Erotica not even mentioned. The other required data point is that 20,000 ISBNs are issued in AU annually, of which 360 attract more than 10000 sales (ever, period, over the years) in a population of 26M. At $3 tops per book going to the author... uh... no one is in it for the money, hey.

For myself publishing for money is a step up of the same challenge lit presents. Here its, will people read my work, will they vote, will they follow me, will I get good scores, top lists etc...

In the market it goes to...will they pay for it, will they enjoy it enough to come back for more? Getting even a couple of bucks is far more of a thrill than getting a 5 vote.

But again, only a tiny handful could make a living. E-books are forever and there are so many tens of thousands out there, we're all just a drop in the bucket.

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

I read with interest the comments above, from several people saying they'd love to make money from their writing, but their current job pays them more than they could ever hope to make.

With respect, I think that's showing a lack of faith in your writing, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you never put in the time and energy required to succeed.

As with anything in life, you get out what you put in. If you can't be bothered investing time, energy and possibly money, as well, into getting your stories put into print, marketed and sold, then you only have yourself to blame for not succeeding. If, however, you do put in this effort and you don't achieve the success you wished for, you might be disappointed - but at least you will know that you gave it your all.

So, the critical question becomes: do I want to give this writing thing, 'my all'?

For me, that answer is a resounding "yes".

I came to Literotica after someone read my short story on Fetlife and suggested that I share it with a wider audience. It is rare for me to write short stories. Most of my erotica runs away with me, ending up as full-length novels. Some are even too long to be accepted by certain publishers, as I found out! No matter. I am continuing on the journey, which for me is my true calling. A bold claim, I know, but I am not making it lightly. I am truly addicted to writing, I have been writing all my life, and I KNOW I am good. There is no sacrifice I would not be willing to make, to succeed. To me, success simply means, earning enough money to be able to write full-time (without being supported by my partner, which to me is totally inconceivable and against my nature). And of course, I refuse to sacrifice quality in order to pump out cheap rubbish in sufficient volumes to make the dollars add up.

No. To me, writing is an art form. I have written and published seven books to date, a couple of them over 400 and 700 pages long, and each one is a piece of art. I have also discovered that the more I write, the better I get. That is not to say that a book I wrote 10 years ago is not good - they are all of a high standard, with exciting plots, strong premise and interesting characters. They all 'suck you in' and make it hard to put the book down (essential qualities in a true writer). But I have definitely matured as a writer, over the years, enabling me to produce higher quality work a lot more quickly.

I love writing, because it is not a chore. I love it, because it brings the characters to life, and they take over, surprising me with the outcome. I love being sexually excited by my erotica, and making others feel the same. I love disappearing into my own world and spending every waking moment - when not working a day job or doing chores - writing my stories. And because I love it so much, I usually spend 8+ hours per day, writing, during the working week (so, next to my damn day job). On weekends, this turns into 16+ hours.

Right now, I am finishing a book that I started at the end of January. It is currently almost 370 (A4) pages long, and I hope to wrap up the story before it gets much longer. That is a full-length book of more than 400 pages (let's be realistic, it won't be less than that), in just over 4 months.

Would I do it, if I had zero chance of financial success? YES
Does that mean I should not give it my all to achieve such success? Hell NO

I am a writer. I live to write. It is a no-brainer for me. Luckily for Literotica readers, I sometimes enjoy writing a short story (my werewolf story of more than 4,000 words took me a single afternoon to write and required no editing) and sharing it for free, just for a bit of fun. Particularly stories that might offend the vanilla people out there. On another site (Fetlife) I run a group for writers, where I encourage everyone to hone their skills. I want everyone to succeed and I'm not afraid of 'competition', because I know how much people love my stories. The fact that there are other great stories out there, does not detract from that fact...

 

[StillStunned]

With respect, I think that's showing a lack of faith in your writing, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you never put in the time and energy required to succeed.

I can't speak for everyone else, but for me it has nothing to do with a lack of faith in my writing, and everything to do with a lack of faith in my ability and desire to market myself. That's time and energy I'd rather spend writing. Or working and earning money.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

With respect, I think that's showing a lack of faith in your writing, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you never put in the time and energy required to succeed.

With respect, I have no lack of faith in my craft, it's just that the industry doesn't give a fuck, let alone two, about my faith in my craft, so as an unknown writer I'm left at the whim and whimsy of that industry, and I can't put said faith into that whimsy to keep my refrigerator full.

 

[oneagainst]

I read with interest the comments above, from several people saying they'd love to make money from their writing, but their current job pays them more than they could ever hope to make.

With respect, I think that's showing a lack of faith in your writing, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you never put in the time and energy required to succeed.

As with anything in life, you get out what you put in. If you can't be bothered investing time, energy and possibly money, as well, into getting your stories put into print, marketed and sold, then you only have yourself to blame for not succeeding. If, however, you do put in this effort and you don't achieve the success you wished for, you might be disappointed - but at least you will know that you gave it your all.

So, the critical question becomes: do I want to give this writing thing, 'my all'?

For me, that answer is a resounding "yes".

I came to Literotica after someone read my short story on Fetlife and suggested that I share it with a wider audience. It is rare for me to write short stories. Most of my erotica runs away with me, ending up as full-length novels. Some are even too long to be accepted by certain publishers, as I found out! No matter. I am continuing on the journey, which for me is my true calling. A bold claim, I know, but I am not making it lightly. I am truly addicted to writing, I have been writing all my life, and I KNOW I am good. There is no sacrifice I would not be willing to make, to succeed. To me, success simply means, earning enough money to be able to write full-time (without being supported by my partner, which to me is totally inconceivable and against my nature). And of course, I refuse to sacrifice quality in order to pump out cheap rubbish in sufficient volumes to make the dollars add up.

No. To me, writing is an art form. I have written and published seven books to date, a couple of them over 400 and 700 pages long, and each one is a piece of art. I have also discovered that the more I write, the better I get. That is not to say that a book I wrote 10 years ago is not good - they are all of a high standard, with exciting plots, strong premise and interesting characters. They all 'suck you in' and make it hard to put the book down (essential qualities in a true writer). But I have definitely matured as a writer, over the years, enabling me to produce higher quality work a lot more quickly.

I love writing, because it is not a chore. I love it, because it brings the characters to life, and they take over, surprising me with the outcome. I love being sexually excited by my erotica, and making others feel the same. I love disappearing into my own world and spending every waking moment - when not working a day job or doing chores - writing my stories. And because I love it so much, I usually spend 8+ hours per day, writing, during the working week (so, next to my damn day job). On weekends, this turns into 16+ hours.

Right now, I am finishing a book that I started at the end of January. It is currently almost 370 (A4) pages long, and I hope to wrap up the story before it gets much longer. That is a full-length book of more than 400 pages (let's be realistic, it won't be less than that), in just over 4 months.

Would I do it, if I had zero chance of financial success? YES
Does that mean I should not give it my all to achieve such success? Hell NO

I am a writer. I live to write. It is a no-brainer for me. Luckily for Literotica readers, I sometimes enjoy writing a short story (my werewolf story of more than 4,000 words took me a single afternoon to write and required no editing) and sharing it for free, just for a bit of fun. Particularly stories that might offend the vanilla people out there. On another site (Fetlife) I run a group for writers, where I encourage everyone to hone their skills. I want everyone to succeed and I'm not afraid of 'competition', because I know how much people love my stories. The fact that there are other great stories out there, does not detract from that fact...

Without doxing myself, I went to see an emerging authors panel at a recent writers festival. One of the panel made the following comment: you wouldn't get on a plane if the captain wasn't a qualified pilot, so why would you read a book if the author wasn't doing it for a living?

I'm putting kids through school, running a business, paying a mortgage, etc. so going pro --> bankruptcy. That's just the maths. As for the panellist's argument, who would you rather read? An English Lit grad on an arts grant that allows her to write full time, or someone working 80h weeks who is still turning out 120k novels every four months. Which of us is the professional?

My only hesitation is reputational damage, not hard graft, putting the work out there.

 

[StillStunned]

Without doxing myself, I went to see an emerging authors panel at a recent writers festival. One of the panel made the following comment: you wouldn't get on a plane if the captain wasn't a qualified pilot, so why would you read a book if the author wasn't doing it for a living?

I don't think the comparison works. There are plenty of hobby pilots who I'd trust to fly a four-seater. Perhaps not a transatlantic passenger plane, but then again I don't think reading for fun involves that kind of responsibility. If you're talking about a highly regarded text book for medical students, on the other hand, yes, I'd like the author to be a full-time expert on the subject matter.

Lots of writers start out writing as a hobby. When Terry Brooks began, he was a practising lawyer, and continued to practise until he'd published three books. Lester Delrey, his editor, told him, "Don't give up your day job until you've published three books and you have a year's income in savings." (Or something like that.) And that was in the pre-internet days, when people still had to buy dead tree books to fill their time when there was nothing on the telly.

 

[mildlyaroused]

An English Lit grad on an arts grant that allows her to write full time, or someone working 80h weeks who is still turning out 120k novels every four months. Which of us is the professional?

The person writing 120 thousand novels every four months definitely sounds like a professional!

 

[Sappho_CGN]

To be honest, I asked myself, would I pay for my stories?

LOL, no ....

 

[MillieDynamite]

I've been a bit disengaged from the site this week, and that probably won't change today. I just wrapped up Just Friendly Transformation, #1 Femininity Awakens, and am outlining part two to dive into later today. I'm good at transgender stories, and want to get this one up for sale post hast. I mean we were talking about getting paid, right?

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

I can't speak for everyone else, but for me it has nothing to do with a lack of faith in my writing, and everything to do with a lack of faith in my ability and desire to market myself. That's time and energy I'd rather spend writing. Or working and earning money.

Thank you to all who responded to my comment, which I only just noticed. See, I also work full-time at present, while writing my books "in my spare time", being every waking moment pretty much.

I won't disagree with what you have said here, not at all. I guess what makes me so very stubborn about my chosen path is, I am annoyed at having to stop writing.

I am literally addicted to it.

Put this together with the fact that I have been entertaining people with my stories since childhood (quite literally), and I see absolutely no reason why I could not make this into a very lucrative income stream. If I can churn out a 700+ page book in a matter of some 4 months, and straightaway start another one, which is now also nearly finished (400+ pages in 3 months), then imagine how well I will do when I am free to write full time!

I don't really know what has happened to me, recently. I mean, I have always loved writing stories, but as a young adult entering "life" and work etc, I guess I focused more on living and gathering experiences for my books. Then I wrote a few, experienced disappointment in Amazon's censorship policies, stopped for a while. Then picked up again. Ever since then, ideas just keep pouring out of me. I am working out a balance between writing and having a bit of time to do other things, which is a first, for me. Previously, my greatest problem was not being able to stop. Not even to sleep. I was scared to start a story, I feared I might lose my job. Now, I am a little bit more in control, but I still feel this "pull".

It is the "pull" that has gotten stronger in recent times. Maybe it has something to do with my age? (51) Maybe, after crawling through shit and jumping through hoops, I want to experience true joy in my life - and my art and writing, are direct pathways to this.

Please understand, I am not judging you or anyone else, for their choices. I will read any book, and quite quickly, too, that I come across and find interesting. I could not care less if the author has won some prize or other. In fact, I tend to steer away from "acclaimed" authors and "deeply moving, intricate" pieces of work. I am interested only in fiction that people LOVE and find hard to put down. Reviews written by posh pretentious p*cks usually signal a pretty boring book, for my tastes. And I am quite well read, if I say so myself. I have read every classic I could find, while growing up in Croatia, in my native language. Then I did the same thing in English, when we moved to Australia (I was 17 at the time). I've read the Russian authors like Dostoyevski, and Doctor Zhivago in Russian. Nabokov's Lolita was my reading material when I was 13. I have enjoyed all the standards like White Fang and the Call of the Wild, all the works of Edgar Allan Poe, the greats like Ernst Hemingway, Stephen King, James Herriott, Jerome K Jerome, to name a few. And a lot, if not all, the Australian classics, where I learned quite a bit about this lovely country's history.

So, when I say, "Baudolino" by Umberto Ecco does not do it for me, but "The Name of the Rose" does, I can say this because I've read them. Same goes for Moby Dick. I appreciate the classics, for what they are. I am inspired by them. Yet, my style is lighter and it is my own. It is also bigger than me. I do not choose to do this. I am driven to do this, by some higher force. I feel it is only a matter of time, before many, many people "discover" my stories - and I will keep on writing new ones, so you never know which one will truly grab millions, and which one will appeal only to tens of thousands. But one thing I know is, I cannot stop. This is why I am taking the time to work on the marketing, to find out more about publishing, and so on.

You know, we are told to do so many things, in our lives. We make some decisions for ourselves, but a lot of it is driven by someone else's expectations of us. We are scared of failing, of letting people down. When really, we should be scared of letting down ourselves. Now, me? I have successfully finished no less than 3 University degrees, one of them law.. and an Honours degree, and a mostly completed Masters degree in environmental law. I came top of my class in many subjects, I was top of my school in mathematics, top of class in legal research, scored very highly on my research project. I figured, you know what? I am good at learning new stuff. So, why not learn about publishing and marketing? Do I really need to go to school, to learn about it? We have so much knowledge available to us, at our fingertips.

This little dissertation (not sure what else to call it, it is not a rant) is basically my explanation of how I arrived at this point. And the reason I am sharing it is the same reason I do anything. Because I am bloody passionate about it. I want to succeed as an author, or die trying. I want to be a beacon of inspiration to every damn good author out there. I want crap books gone from the shelves, and decent books to replace them. I want everyone to improve on their reading and writing skills, and to communicate better with the world around them. There... that's me, in a nutshell. Some call me crazy and I don't really mind. Maybe I am crazy. I do talk to my characters and consider them real, after all..

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

Without doxing myself, I went to see an emerging authors panel at a recent writers festival. One of the panel made the following comment: you wouldn't get on a plane if the captain wasn't a qualified pilot, so why would you read a book if the author wasn't doing it for a living?

I'm putting kids through school, running a business, paying a mortgage, etc. so going pro --> bankruptcy. That's just the maths. As for the panellist's argument, who would you rather read? An English Lit grad on an arts grant that allows her to write full time, or someone working 80h weeks who is still turning out 120k novels every four months. Which of us is the professional?

My only hesitation is reputational damage, not hard graft, putting the work out there.

By "reputational damage", I assume you mean, people realising that you write erotica, and disapproving of it?

I confess, that is a pain. A royal pain, sometimes. I often ask myself, "did you have to choose erotica as your main genre? Really?" Um.. well... I can write anything. Any subject is fine. But erotica is what makes me tick. It's also damn good for my sex life. So, it's almost like therapy. And you know something? It is not illegal. I use a pseudonym, which I guard carefully and do not share with just anyone. Still, if somehow word DID get out, no one could really sack me or do anything to me...

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

For myself publishing for money is a step up of the same challenge lit presents. Here its, will people read my work, will they vote, will they follow me, will I get good scores, top lists etc...

In the market it goes to...will they pay for it, will they enjoy it enough to come back for more? Getting even a couple of bucks is far more of a thrill than getting a 5 vote.

But again, only a tiny handful could make a living. E-books are forever and there are so many tens of thousands out there, we're all just a drop in the bucket.

My last comment for the evening (Zor awaits), about this "drop in the bucket" thing. You could say that about every person on the planet, doing almost anything.

Just try not to dwell on it too much, or you will lose all desire to write, and that would be a loss to us all.

Do you think, for instance, that Stephen King knew for a fact he'd be so huge, back when he first started writing? I bet the answer is no. He probably just did it, because he had to. Thank God, because I love his stuff. What about Terry Pratchett, who wrote the hugely popular Discworld series? I mean, I don't think I need to go on, do I? The point I wish to make is, writing is important. Fiction is important. It is good for the soul. I may never make millions from my writing, and that's OK with me - but I'll still work on earning enough to support me, so I don't have to stop writing if I don't want to. I don't want some stupid "day job" interfering with my creative process. I see my books as my greatest gift to the world (sorry if that sounds vain, but I've been badly disappointed in regular jobs, in two different professions, so I'm a bit jaded).

Imagine that your books / stories made just ONE person happy, out of 8 billion or more. That would still be a great thing, in my view.. I love that we have so many stories and e-books out there. I only wish there was an easier way to promote oneself, especially when it comes to erotica. xo

 

[42Below]

I read with interest the comments above, from several people saying they'd love to make money from their writing, but their current job pays them more than they could ever hope to make.

With respect, I think that's showing a lack of faith in your writing, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you never put in the time and energy required to succeed.

As with anything in life, you get out what you put in. If you can't be bothered investing time, energy and possibly money, as well, into getting your stories put into print, marketed and sold, then you only have yourself to blame for not succeeding. If, however, you do put in this effort and you don't achieve the success you wished for, you might be disappointed - but at least you will know that you gave it your all.

So, the critical question becomes: do I want to give this writing thing, 'my all'?

For me, that answer is a resounding "yes".

I came to Literotica after someone read my short story on Fetlife and suggested that I share it with a wider audience. It is rare for me to write short stories. Most of my erotica runs away with me, ending up as full-length novels. Some are even too long to be accepted by certain publishers, as I found out! No matter. I am continuing on the journey, which for me is my true calling. A bold claim, I know, but I am not making it lightly. I am truly addicted to writing, I have been writing all my life, and I KNOW I am good. There is no sacrifice I would not be willing to make, to succeed. To me, success simply means, earning enough money to be able to write full-time (without being supported by my partner, which to me is totally inconceivable and against my nature). And of course, I refuse to sacrifice quality in order to pump out cheap rubbish in sufficient volumes to make the dollars add up.

No. To me, writing is an art form. I have written and published seven books to date, a couple of them over 400 and 700 pages long, and each one is a piece of art. I have also discovered that the more I write, the better I get. That is not to say that a book I wrote 10 years ago is not good - they are all of a high standard, with exciting plots, strong premise and interesting characters. They all 'suck you in' and make it hard to put the book down (essential qualities in a true writer). But I have definitely matured as a writer, over the years, enabling me to produce higher quality work a lot more quickly.

I love writing, because it is not a chore. I love it, because it brings the characters to life, and they take over, surprising me with the outcome. I love being sexually excited by my erotica, and making others feel the same. I love disappearing into my own world and spending every waking moment - when not working a day job or doing chores - writing my stories. And because I love it so much, I usually spend 8+ hours per day, writing, during the working week (so, next to my damn day job). On weekends, this turns into 16+ hours.

Right now, I am finishing a book that I started at the end of January. It is currently almost 370 (A4) pages long, and I hope to wrap up the story before it gets much longer. That is a full-length book of more than 400 pages (let's be realistic, it won't be less than that), in just over 4 months.

Would I do it, if I had zero chance of financial success? YES
Does that mean I should not give it my all to achieve such success? Hell NO

I am a writer. I live to write. It is a no-brainer for me. Luckily for Literotica readers, I sometimes enjoy writing a short story (my werewolf story of more than 4,000 words took me a single afternoon to write and required no editing) and sharing it for free, just for a bit of fun. Particularly stories that might offend the vanilla people out there. On another site (Fetlife) I run a group for writers, where I encourage everyone to hone their skills. I want everyone to succeed and I'm not afraid of 'competition', because I know how much people love my stories. The fact that there are other great stories out there, does not detract from that fact...

A Writer speaks the Truth. This is Truth. This is passion. Writers are born not made. Sasha S understands what it means to be born a writer.

 

[Yarglenurp]

My real passion is just chillin'. Writing erotica is just for when doing my own thing is too extreme.

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

A Writer speaks the Truth. This is Truth. This is passion. Writers are born not made. Sasha S understands what it means to be born a writer.

Many thanks for this wonderful comment.

 

[oneagainst]

By "reputational damage", I assume you mean, people realising that you write erotica, and disapproving of it?

I confess, that is a pain. A royal pain, sometimes. I often ask myself, "did you have to choose erotica as your main genre? Really?" Um.. well... I can write anything. Any subject is fine. But erotica is what makes me tick. It's also damn good for my sex life. So, it's almost like therapy. And you know something? It is not illegal. I use a pseudonym, which I guard carefully and do not share with just anyone. Still, if somehow word DID get out, no one could really sack me or do anything to me...

Yes, that kind of damage. It's hard to reconcile against everything else I need to do in my week. Recently, it's also raised another issue... the option to publish some output in a more mainstream channel. Given that publishing houses are all teetering on the brink of bankruptcy (it appears, and from the basic maths) would you really back an author who also happens to have an erotica-genre back catalogue as long as your arm? I don't know what it's like in other countries, but in Aus, there isn't a big population, so publishing in a smaller market is even more fraught with the danger of not making a cent.

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

Yes, that kind of damage. It's hard to reconcile against everything else I need to do in my week. Recently, it's also raised another issue... the option to publish some output in a more mainstream channel. Given that publishing houses are all teetering on the brink of bankruptcy (it appears, and from the basic maths) would you really back an author who also happens to have an erotica-genre back catalogue as long as your arm? I don't know what it's like in other countries, but in Aus, there isn't a big population, so publishing in a smaller market is even more fraught with the danger of not making a cent.

Well, I live in Australia. So, I guess I will find out about that danger, personally, because I intend to put my latest erotica (sci-fi erotica) into print, personally. Mind you, I don't plan on just having it for sale in Australia. I plan to find out how to put it into print in USA, too (probably our biggest market). I have another great erotica (this one, BDSM) that I know publishers like, I just need to find a decent publisher that doesn't mind a huge 700+ page epic..

 

[42Below]

My last comment for the evening (Zor awaits), about this "drop in the bucket" thing. You could say that about every person on the planet, doing almost anything.

Just try not to dwell on it too much, or you will lose all desire to write, and that would be a loss to us all.

Do you think, for instance, that Stephen King knew for a fact he'd be so huge, back when he first started writing? I bet the answer is no. He probably just did it, because he had to. Thank God, because I love his stuff. What about Terry Pratchett, who wrote the hugely popular Discworld series? I mean, I don't think I need to go on, do I? The point I wish to make is, writing is important. Fiction is important. It is good for the soul. I may never make millions from my writing, and that's OK with me - but I'll still work on earning enough to support me, so I don't have to stop writing if I don't want to. I don't want some stupid "day job" interfering with my creative process. I see my books as my greatest gift to the world (sorry if that sounds vain, but I've been badly disappointed in regular jobs, in two different professions, so I'm a bit jaded).

Imagine that your books / stories made just ONE person happy, out of 8 billion or more. That would still be a great thing, in my view.. I love that we have so many stories and e-books out there. I only wish there was an easier way to promote oneself, especially when it comes to erotica. xo

As an aspiring writer Stephen King drove a nail into the wall of his bedroom where he would impale his rejection letters.

 

[SashaS_EroticaQueen]

As an aspiring writer Stephen King drove a nail into the wall of his bedroom where he would impale his rejection letters.

Wow, I did not know that, but it sounds like a great strategy. If only there was a way to do that with rejection emails!