I changed the protagonist for my next novel from an eleven-year-old boy to an eleven-year-old girl.
Nobody made me do it.
I mean, how could they? I don’t have an editor or even an agent right now. And for the record, if I did, neither would force me to make that kind of a change anyway. They fall in love with stories and support their authors to a fault.
It’s important to note that I didn’t change to a female protagonist because it’s en vogue or because I think it will help me sell the book to a publisher. And I certainly didn’t do it because of any political movement.
Political movements are important. Ensuring we have strong female protagonists represented in books is important.
But we can’t write things that we think people want to hear.
Art doesn’t work that way.
The stories we write require authenticity. That means they need to come from within or trust me, people will smell the pandering from a million miles away.
And they’ll reject it.
Nope. This was my decision and it’s going to affect how I approach the story in a profound way.
It should!
This task? A middle-aged man writing a novel through the eyes of an eleven year old girl? It’s not going to be easy. But I can’t wait to get started.
Why I Changed the Gender of My Protagonist
I’ve written nine novels so far, and to my shame none of them has had a female protagonist.
It’s time to change that.
My daughters are incredible and I want to write a book where they can see themselves in the protagonist before they’re too old to care any longer.
I also want show my daughters that girls can be as brave and adventurous as any boy.
But most importantly, I want to show them that girls don’t have to be a sidekick. They are every bit as capable when it comes to leadership.
Not just as leaders of girls, but as a leader of all people.
Looking Forward to the Research
I’m going to rely heavily on all three of my daughters as source material. That means I’ll get to ask them questions and learn more about what makes them who they are.
Selfishly that means I’ll get to spend more time with them. But my research will also help me become a better father, husband, son, friend, and overall human being.
That, to me, is a project worth investing in.
Do I Have the Right to Tell This Story?
Let’s pause for a moment, because there’s a question that I’ve needed to ask and then answer before I write a single word of this book.
Do I have the right to tell a story through the eyes of someone who isn’t like me?
Deep breath.
It’s a difficult question, but it’s fair. And I don’t take it lightly.
A friend and fellow author by the name of Bill Konigsburg recently wrote an important article that tackled this very issue.
I tend to agree with Bill’s thesis.
I can never fully understand the trials, pains, and experiences that an eleven-year-old girl has gone through.
Nor can I presume to know what it means to be a person of color, a foster child, an individual with disabilities, someone from the LGBTQ community, or someone who practices Islam.
I don’t fit the demographic for any of those things.
But I don’t think that should stop me. Or you for that matter.
Here’s why…
My Criteria for Writing the Story of Someone Who Isn’t Like Me
The idea of publishing this blog post makes me nervous. In fact, as a white middle-age male, I’m kinda terrified. Am I allowed to have an opinion on this topic?
I’m fairly certain I’ll get some backlash, though I hope not.
But that’s okay. I’ll learn from it, even if I don’t end up agreeing with it.
With that, here’s my criteria for writing a story where the protagonist isn’t like me:
Thoughtfulness: Am I being considerate of others when I approach this character?
Understanding: Am I asking questions and doing research to achieve as much understanding as I possibly can, knowing that I’ll never truly understand?
Time: Am I rushing into it, or am I taking the time to write as authentically as possible?
Criticism: Am I sharing drafts of this work with people who better represent my character(s) in order to use that feedback to make my story more authentic?
What Are Your Thoughts?
So there it is. I changed my protagonist for my upcoming middle grade novel from a boy to girl.
Each book I’ve written has started with a simple writing prompt.
For the Grey Griffins series that I wrote with Derek Benz, that writing prompt was the following:
What if the monsters we’d to hunt in the woods when we were kids were real?
We didn’t have any characters developed yet. There was no three act structure. No plot. No setting outside of an undefined forest. It was nothing more than the spark of an idea. But we were so excited by that spark that it prompted us to write an entire series of middle grade novels.
For the book that I’m about to write, my writing prompt is simply:
A foster child does something extraordinary.
Why My Writing Prompt Was Important … to Me
It’s a prompt that’s stuck with me for a few years, but it took on new meaning when I recently discovered that many foster kids in group homes don’t have the dignity of owning their own clothes. They share a single closet of clothes with the other kids who sleep in the same room. And they don’t personally own any of them.
Growing up, I was always jealous of the rich kids who could afford designer clothes. I was poor, but this is something different.
It’s dehumanizing and it needs to stop.
That’s just one of the reasons I want to write a series of books that brings awareness to the plight of foster kids. But I want to bring more than awareness. I want to show just how amazing those kids are.
You Need to Love What You Write
Writing books is a lot like climbing a mountain. It’s a long and sometimes tedious process that tends to have more valleys than peaks, so it’s important to love the story you’re about to embark on.
I haven’t loved any of the ideas that have surfaced from my subconscious since I finished writing the C.H.A.O.S. novels with Thomas Nelson. That was almost five years ago.
But something changed.
I’m actually excited to write again, and I wasn’t sure that was ever going to happen. But before I get started I want to help you find a prompt that could spark your next book project.
Let’s start by defining what a writing prompt actually is.
What is a Writing Prompt?
A writing prompt is a word, sentence or paragraph that’s meant to spark a creative writing session. It’s usually intended as a short exercise or warm up but writing prompts can inspire an entire book (or even a series).
Writing Prompt Examples
When it comes to writing prompts, there are no hard and fast rules. In fact, here are few examples that just came to mind:
A freshman wakes up to the sound of a baby crying in his dorm room
There’s an odd smell coming from the shed in a neighbor’s backyard
A girl is separated from her scout troop during a trip to the Grand Canyon
Where to Find Writing Prompts
The wonderful thing about writers is that we tend to be observant. As long as we remain that way, there are writing prompts are all around us.
Here are a few examples:
Articles from news websites, newspapers, and magazines
Photographs
Videos in your social media feeds or on YouTube
Snippets from historical books, biographies, and documentaries
An object (like a gnarled tree or a dusty footlocker in the attic)
There’s no rule that states you have start your novel with a writing prompt. It’s just the way I do it.
Some authors actually start with a character. Others with some kind of conflict or scenario. Some might start with a scene, or even a fully fleshed out plot.
We’re all different. In fact, if you asked 100 published authors how to write a book, you’d end up with 100 different answers.
None of them would be right.
None of them would be wrong.
There is no definitive way to write a book.
Finding my WHY
Okay, so as I stated above my writing prompt for this book is:
A foster child does something extraordinary.
It’s the beginning of an idea but it’s not enough if I plan to write an entire novel. I need more. And that starts with understanding why I landed on that writing prompt to begin with.
My wife is a social worker who has dedicated her life to helping the less fortunate, and I love her for that.
Over the years she’s shared some horrific stories about what foster kids often go through. I’m talking about the kind of stuff that keeps you up at night once you hear it.
I want to help.
We’ve talked about becoming foster parents, but we’re not in a place where it makes sense for our family. At least not right now.
Still, I can’t remain idle.
We donate to charitable organizations that serve foster kids when we can, but we’re not high rollers who can donate enough to make much of a difference.
I want to do more.
So I figured, what if I wrote a book? I mean, if I can find the right editor at the right publisher who believes in it, I could get this story in front of thousands of people and potentially make a real difference.
What’s Your Writing Prompt?
I’ve shared the writing prompt that’s inspiring my first book in five years. What’s yours?
After all, writing a book is a lot like climbing Denali or Everest. When you’re finished with the grueling task, a myriad of feelings wash over you.
Elation. Exhilaration. Relief. Exhaustion.
What It Takes to Write a Novel
It takes months of intense training for even the most seasoned climbers before they dare tackle climbs like Denali or Everest.
The same goes for writing a novel. Preparation can take days, weeks or even months as you work through the plot, build the world, breathe life to the characters, and pick just the right settings.
Then the real work begins.
Sure, there are days when the sky is clear and everything is almost too easy. But don’t worry, the storms will come. Still, you push through, and overcome what feels like insurmountable odds along the way.
Eventually you make the summit. You finish the book, but there were sacrifices.
There Is Real Sacrifice When You Write a Book
Time with your family. Sleep deprivation. The stress of deadlines. Pleasing your editor. Reviewers. The people who you hope buy the book. Maybe you’ve gained some weight because you’ve ignored exercise and stopped watching what you eat.
We’ve all been there. And that’s why it’s been five years since the release of my last book. I haven’t had a story that I’ve loved enough to face those demons.
Until today.
A Story I Finally Want to Tell
I finally have a story that I want to tell and I thought I’d walk you through my process so you can see how I write book—from the inspiration to the prep to the first draft and beyond. This is a true insider’s look into a professional writer who has absolutely no guarantee that his next book will get picked up by a publisher.
We’re going to learn a lot together.
It’s either going to be an unmitigated disaster or a glorious triumph, but regardless of whether or not this book gets picked up, I’m really going through this exercise to help you realize your dream of writing a book. Or getting published. Or becoming the next international bestselling author.
Let’s Go On This Journey Together
So, what do you think? Want to join me on this journey? Comment below with some of the things that you’d like to talk about when it comes to writing a book.
My intention is to publish two articles on this blog each week.
That hasn’t happened. Not even close.
It’s not because I’m lazy. In fact, I’ll move mountains if I think a goal is achievable. I love overcoming the odds and proving people wrong.
It’s why I was foolish enough to believe my stories were worth publishing (regardless of the odds).
I never wavered in that belief, not for a moment.
That’s part of the reason I have nine novels released by some of the biggest publishers in the world.
Losing Hope
Everything was great in the beginning. My first novel sold nearly a million copies. It was even optioned as a movie by an A-list Hollywood producer (though it never got made).
But over time, sales dwindled. It got so bad that my ninth novel hasn’t even reached 10,000 units sold. In fact, it might not have eclipsed 5,000 in sales (I stopped looking at my reports, so I don’t actually know).
Either way, those are the kind of sales that define irrelevance.
And if I lose hope, I shut down.
I stop writing. Stop trying.
My blog doesn’t get much traffic yet, which can be frustrating. So instead of writing new articles, I make excuses. I’ll do the laundry. Make dinner. Clean the garage. Organize my comic books. Or binge a new series on Netflix that I don’t actually care about.
Here’s the thing, though. If this blog is going to be successful, it’s going to take a longterm commitment. That means consistently publishing engaging articles for a few months, if not a couple years.
Eventually, if I keep it up, I should see the kind of traffic that I’d like to attract. But even then, success isn’t promised.
Why I Crave Success In My Writing Career
I don’t write for me. If that were the case, I wouldn’t care if I ever got published again. Or if anyone read this blog post. I’d just journal, and when I filled up a notebook I’d stuff it in a box and throw it in the garage.
That’s not me, though. I want my writing to matter, and not just to a niche audience. I want it to matter to tens of thousands (if not millions).
If I’m honest (and that’s what this blog is all about), I actually write for three distinct reasons:
Entertain people (my novels)
Help people (my blog)
Feed my ego (both)
I try to tell myself that my ego has nothing to do with it, but it matters more than I care to admit. In fact, my ego is the single reason that I’ve achieved any success at all.
It’s important to note that my ego isn’t driven by arrogance, though.
Quite to the contrary.
What If I Won’t Matter?
I fear that I don’t matter and never will. That when I take my last breath and leave this earth, nothing I did will be remembered. That I’ll be forgotten, even by those who I held dear.
Forget hitting the New York Times bestseller list. I won’t be happy unless I pen something that has the same impact Star Wars or Harry Potter have made. Anything else will be a failure. At least that’s what the voice that’s overtaken my thoughts tells me.
I know. It’s just shy of insane.
And yet I haven’t been able to change my thought pattern. So where does that leave me?
I mean, forget penning the next pop culture phenomenon. What if I pour my heart and soul into a tenth novel and it doesn’t get picked up by a publisher? Or worse, I get it published and it earns bad reviews and has disappointing sales.
What if people never care about this blog?
Or what if I never get a chance to write a Fantastic Four story for Marvel Comics? Or get asked to write a Star Wars screenplay?
Will I matter?
I mean, it’s a fair question. Right?
Why I Need to Redefine Success
Here’s the thing. I can’t place my value in something as elusive as success. After all, it’s a sliding scale.
I’ll be disappointed if I get that next book deal but don’t get a big marketing budget or hit the bestseller lists.
Maybe I’ll get that shot at writing a Fantastic Four story, but if it’s a backup feature with a second-tier artist instead of a two-year run lauded by the press, I won’t feel fulfilled.
In fact, if I’m not careful I’ll never be satisfied.
I’ve Already Won
First and foremost, I need to redefine success. I may never get another book published. And this blog might not find an audience. But it doesn’t matter. Not really.
I’ve already had an amazing writing career.
I’ve toured the country from Hawaii to New York. My favorite baseball player (Dave Winfield) bought my books for his kids. And I had dinner with Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) twice, all because he and I were both guests at the same comicon.
And that’s just the beginning.
So you know what? I’m going to keep writing and trusting that I have stories worth telling. And that they’ll find an audience. But if they don’t, that’s okay.
I’m still going to be grateful. Even when I don’t feel like it.
Envy is a big reason I walked away from my writing career.
Sure, I celebrated when a friend’s book hit the New York Times bestseller list. But I secretly wanted to hit the list first (and I wanted to be ranked higher).
I was excited when I heard about the movie adaptations of their books. I just wanted to see my books adapted as well. But with a bigger budget, better actors, and a more famous director.
I was even envious of authors who worked with celebrity agents. I mean, why wasn’t Jane Dystel, Donald Maass, Sandra Dijkstra, and Jodi Reamer knocking down my door?
Envy is ugly, and I’m not proud of the way I felt. But I also know I’m not alone.
The Difference Between Jealousy and Envy
According to Richard Smith, Ph.D., psychologists (generally) agree that there is a difference between jealousy and envy. Jealousy takes place when something we possess is threatened by a third person. Envy takes place when we want an attribute that someone else already has.
Jealously has never been my issue. But I’ve struggled with wanting things other people have my entire life.
It Started Early
I’ve never felt good enough.
My father was a musician in Des Moines, but Des Moines wasn’t exactly a hotbed like Nashville, New York, or Los Angeles. Somehow he managed to scratch out a living by teaching piano and guitar lessons during the day, and playing in piano bars at night.
But as you can imagine, we didn’t have a lot of money.
While my friends and their families went to places like Disneyland and Sea World for spring break, my family drove to Austin, Minnesota to see my grandparents.
We lived in a duplex. Had an electric lawnmower (and not because we were environmentalists). We never went out to eat. And we only saw three movies in a theater before I graduated high school.
We simply couldn’t afford to do the things that my own kids take for granted.
It didn’t help that I was also a late bloomer who stood all of 5’2″ going into my freshman year of high school. Or that I was the sixth man on the basketball team. The backup quarterback. And I typically hit in the bottom third of the lineup in baseball. Okay, so I got decent grades, could sing a little bit, and I was always the best artist in my school, but none of that mattered. Girls weren’t exactly falling over themselves to get my attention.
I felt like a loser.
Falling For the All-American Lie
Though I was only a teenager, I fell hook, line, and sinker for the All-American lie. I was convinced that I’d be happy if…
My family had more money
I was taller
I could run faster and jump higher
Our house was bigger
My parents drove expensive (new) cars
I had designer clothes
We could afford even one trip to Disney World
Girls fawned over me
After all, that’s what Hollywood and Park Avenue wanted me to believe. Nothing matters unless you’re rich and beautiful, right?
Wrong.
We all know the truth. None of that would have made me happy (at least not for long).
Even though I know that now, I still hunger for things that don’t really matter. And I’m still envious of the people who have the things I want.
I’ll Never Have Enough
No matter how much money I earn, it’ll never be enough. Someone will always have a bigger house. A nicer car. Or will be able to afford a better vacation.
So why am I still convinced that I’ll only be happy if…
Publishers get in a seven-figure bidding war over my next book
My next book hits number one on the New York Times bestseller list for (at least) 52 weeks
My backlist of books hits the New York Times bestseller list because my next book is so popular
I write the screenplay for the summer blockbuster based on my next book
The success of my screenplay attracts Disney and Lucasfilm, and they want me to write one of the upcoming Star Wars movies
I’m driving a BMW Alpina B6 Gran Coupe or a Jaguar F-Type Coupe
I live in a million dollar home
I have a cabin in the mountains
My waist is 32 inches and I bench press 350 pounds
I can afford to take my family to Europe
I am named as the eventual successor to the CEO at my day job
As ridiculous as that sounds (and trust me, I know it’s ridiculous), I’ll be miserable unless I achieve not just some of the things on my list, but all of it.
What’s worse, is that I’ll end up deeply envious if anyone else achieves those things before I do.
Don’t get me wrong. I want other people to succeed, but for some sick reason I always want to be one better.
We’re Envious of Fictional People
The way we feel about ourselves is often determined by a comparison against our ideal state. And we often project that ideal state on others, which drives jealousy.
We’re convinced that we’d be happy if we have what other people do. Then, and only then will we admire ourselves as much as we admire the people we envy.
Here’s the thing, though. We’re ultimately envious of a fictional version of that person.
That person doesn’t actually exist. It’s the All-American lie.
There Is No Ideal State
Nobody fits your ideal state.
Period.
Even the most successful authors struggle. They suffer from Imposter Syndrome and feel like frauds. They wonder if they’ll be able to come up with another story. And if they do, they wonder if their editor will like it and consumers will buy it.
They look at other authors and wonder why writing comes easy for them. And they get jealous of people who are even more successful.
Believe it or not, they feel pain when people give them bad reviews.
None of us are immune.
5 Ways to Overcome Envy
You can overcome the painful feelings of envy, but it’s going to take some work. Here’re some tools to help:
Practice Thankfulness. The first way to overcome envy is thankfulness. Look, we all have seasons in life where thankfulness can be hard to come by, but even in my darkest hours I’ve had reasons to be thankful. I might not have a book deal right now, but I have a great job, a roof over my head, food in the fridge, health insurance, and my entire family is healthy.
Celebrate the Success of Others. There’s plenty of room in the publishing industry for all of us to find success, so why not celebrate when others do well? After all, the more success we have as individuals, the more money publishers will invest back into the industry.
Struggle is Universal. The most successful authors struggle, even if it looks like they don’t.
Spend Time with Thankful People. Attitude is contagious, so why not spend as much time as you can with with thankful people? And while you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to avoid people who value things that aren’t valuable.
Don’t Buy the Hype. Advertising agencies prey on our feelings of inadequacy. They win when we try to find fulfillment through consumerism. Don’t buy into it. Stuff won’t make you happy.
Neither will envy.
We All Have Our Own Path
If you ask 100 authors how they got published, there’s a good chance that you’ll get 100 different stories.
Each of us has our own path to success. So remember, it might not be your turn yet but don’t let bitterness and resentment derail you.
Stay on track. Keep writing. And know that your time will come.
You don’t need to quit your job to write a book. Not now. Not ever.
I don’t care if you’re Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, or the ghost of J.R.R. Tolkien. If you disagree with me, you’re wrong.
Period.
Trust me, I know that writing without the encumbrance of a job would be easier. But earning a livable wage through book sales alone isn’t a realistic expectation in today’s publishing climate (for most of us).
The good news is that if you have enough talent to get published, you won’t need to dedicate an uninterrupted year to write your novel.
And I can prove it.
Setting the Stage
Publishers measure book manuscripts by word count, not pages. And contrary to what people might tell you, there is no set length for a book.
New York Times Bestselling author, Lisa McMann, published a series of Young Adult novels that were just north of 40,000 words each. And I’m pretty sure that Patrick Rothfuss refuses to turn in one of his fantasy manuscripts if it’s less than 150,000 words (and probably closer to 250,000 words–if not more).
For the sake of this exercise, let’s pretend that you plan to write a 90,000 word novel. And that you have a demanding full-time job that leaves you exhausted by the end of the day.
On top of that, you have a spouse who is just as exhausted as you are. Let’s throw in three kids who have boundless energy. Sure, they love you and want to spend time with you, but you’d like a 15 minute break before you jump in and help with homework.
Let’s not forget things like taking the kids to basketball practice or piano lessons, helping out with the dishes, reading bedtime stories, and saying prayers.
Do I really expect you to be able write a book on top of all of that?
Yeah. I do.
Excuses Are Just a Crutch
Look, you can come up with a million excuses. Some of them might even legitimate, but here’s the thing. If you want something bad enough you’re going to make the sacrifices it takes to go and get it.
Complaining about your circumstances won’t change anything. Neither will wishing that you had enough money to quit your job and finally start writing that novel you’ve been talking about for years.
It takes action. Discipline. And sacrifice.
Assessing Your Activities, Obligations & Unused Pockets of Time
Your first step is to assess your current schedule. You want to look for two things:
Activities or obligations that you can cut out
Pockets of unused time
As for activities and obligations, getting rid of cable television gave me back two wasted hours each night. I used to sit mindlessly on the couch, flipping through the channels until I found something even moderately interesting. I typically landed on a rerun of Chopped or Life Below Zero. And to be honest, I don’t miss it.
I also tend to work through my lunch break at my day job, which is tantamount to donating 5 hours each week. I don’t get paid more for working extra hours. In fact, I don’t even get a tax write off for my efforts.
So I decided that I was going to be more efficient with the other eight hours of my day. That way I could protect my lunch hour.
When it came to finding pockets of unused time, I didn’t have as much luck. So I decided to wake up at 5 am, which was 90 minutes earlier than I normally woke up.
That meant I’d have to go to bed a bit earlier, but the net gain was an hour.
Assessing my activities, obligations, and unused pockets of time paid off. In fact, it netted 26 hours each week that I could reclaim and repurpose.
How Exercise Helps My Writing
During the peak of my depression, I sat on the couch all day. I was (to put it mildly) out of shape. In fact, I was 105 pounds heavier than my high school graduation weight.
That matters because it’s impossible to accomplish much in life if you don’t have energy. I was so exhausted that I didn’t want to get off the couch to play with my kids, much less to walk over to my computer and hammer out a novel.
That’s why I invested 12 of the 26 hours that I reclaimed into my health. If I don’t have energy, I won’t have the energy to write.
I start each day with a three mile walk, and that takes up 7 of those 12 reclaimed hours.
I love to multi-task, so I listen to podcasts instead of music whenever I write. My goal is to gain information that will help me be a better husband, father, friend, marketer, author, blogger, comic book writer, and soon (I hope), a podcaster, and screenwriter.
My Favorite Podcasts
These podcasts are in no particular order, but lately I’ve been devouring Scriptnotes. It’s hosted by screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin, and it’s a masterclass on not just screenwriting but writing in general.
When I get back from my walk, I make myself a bulletproof coffee, 3 eggs (typically with Cholula and a small dollop of sour cream), and half of an avocado.
Losing weight is 90% diet and 10% exercise, so cutting out processed sugar and grains from my diet has really helped. And the fat from the bulletproof coffee, the yolk, and the avocado are fantastic energy sources.
After breakfast, I pack lunches for myself and all three of our daughters.
Then I take a shower and get dressed. I have just enough time to kiss everyone goodbye before it’s time for my one hour commute (where I listen to more podcasts).
You’ll notice that I haven’t written a single word yet.
I’m okay with that.
Getting Through the Weekdays
I get to the office sometime between 8-8:30 am, go to the gym for a quick 40 minute workout during lunch (that’s where I invest the final 5 hours that I reclaimed for exercise), and then I head out for my afternoon commute sometime between 5-5:30 pm.
The moment I get home, my iPhone goes on top of the fridge. Our family attempts to avoid screen time from 5-8:30 pm every day. That way we can have meaningful interaction instead of behaving like mindless drones who are addicted to our phones.
We eat dinner together, work on homework, and talk about our day. Sure, the kids fight us on it almost every night, but it’ll pay off in the long run.
It’s Finally Time to Write
Our youngest daughter typically falls asleep around 9 pm. That’s also when our oldest two head off to their bedrooms to wind down for the night. And my wife takes a bath.
Now it’s time for me to write.
This is where I invest the remaining 14 hours that I reclaimed, but there’s a problem.
By 9 pm, I’m ready to call it quits. If I’m being honest, I’d rather binge watch another season of Stranger Things on Netflix, read a graphic novel, or check out the boxscores on ESPN.com. The last thing I want to do is write.
That’s where the discipline comes in.
I can give in to my exhaustion and do something mindless while I fade until I fall asleep. Or I can push through and write for an hour or two.
My word count goals are fairly loose. On a slow day I expect to hit 500 words per hour. I’ll average about 750 words per hour. And if I’m in a zone I can hit 1,000 words per hour (or more).
That means I’m hitting anywhere from 500-2,000 words each night, depending on how much time I choose to invest.
If you can pull it off, the overall word count for your manuscript is going to be impressive after a few weeks. And all you had to sacrifice was a few television shows that you’ll never remember anyway.
I fall asleep around 11 pm. Then I get up and do it all again the next day, feeling great about what I’ve accomplished.
Weekends
As you would expect, my schedule is quite a bit different on the weekends. There’s no commute to deal with, nor is there an obligation to work for my employer.
But there are other obligations to consider.
Yard work. Laundry. My daughter’s softball games. Family events. Errands. Grocery shopping. Church. Broken sprinkler heads. Birthday parties. Oil changes for our vehicles. And all the other little things that pop up.
The problem is that none of it is consistent. One Saturday we’ll have a game scheduled at 9 in the morning, and the next week it’ll be at 2 in the afternoon.
So I have to be flexible.
Weekend Mornings
I structure weekend mornings that same way I do weekdays. I wake up at 5 am, walk 3 miles, and then I make myself breakfast and a bullet proof coffee.
Saturday
Saturday and Sunday are slightly different. I try to maintain an uninterrupted four hour writing block from 7-11 am each Saturday.
That means I’m aiming for anywhere from 2,000-4,000 words during that time.
When I’m finished, I’ll make lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon with my family doing yard work, laundry, and the rest of the tasks on my “Honey Do” list.
After that I head over to the gym for a workout, and then I try to dedicate the rest of the evening to my family.
If we have a softball game in the morning (which happens quite a bit), I have to make adjustments. That typically means I kick in with chores after we get back from softball so I can free up my afternoon to write.
Sunday
I try to get in my workout at the gym after breakfast on Sunday mornings. Then I come home, take a shower, and head to church with the family. After that it’s lunch time, and then I’m free to write for another four hour block.
Here’s the problem, though. Remember how I stopped watching mindless television at night? From September through February, my Sunday afternoons are dominated by the National Football League. And in particular, the Minnesota Vikings.
I’m not willing to sacrifice that time for writing.
Since I’m good at multi-tasking, I’ll watch the Vikings while I prep lunches for the week, iron shirts and pants, and accomplish any other chores that I can do in front of a television.
That means during football season, my writing block moves from afternoon into the evening, and the time gets cut from four hours to two hours. But not until I’ve spend some quality time with my family.
So on Sundays, I’m looking at an output anywhere from 1,000-2,000 words.
How Long Will it Take to Write a Novel When You Have a Day Job?
This is the part where I mathematically prove that you can write at least one 85,000 word novel each year, even if you have a demanding day job. A family. And all the other stuff that gets in the way.
We’ll break it down by three average writing speeds so you can see where you’re most likely to net out based on how you write.
500 Words Per Hour
Weekdays: 10 hours x 500 words = 5,000 words
Saturday: 4 hours x 500 words = 2,000 words
Sunday: 2 hours x 500 words = 1,000 words
Total Weekly Output: 8,000 words
Weeks to Complete First Draft: 10.5
750 Words Per Hour
Weekdays: 10 hours x 750 words = 7,500 words
Saturday: 4 hours x 750 words = 3,000 words
Sunday: 2 hours x 750 words = 1,500 words
Total Weekly Output: 12,000 words
Weeks to Complete First Draft: 7.1
1,000 Words Per Hour
Weekdays: 10 hours x 1,000 words = 10,000 words
Saturday: 4 hours x 1,000 words = 4,000 words
Sunday: 2 hours x 1,000 words = 2,000 words
Total Weekly Output: 16,000 words
Weeks to Complete First Draft: 5.3
You Can Do This
If you add two weeks at the front end of each book for prep time, and another 8 weeks on the back end for edits, you should be able to complete a novel that’s ready for publication in anywhere from 4-6 months.
And that’s only committing to 16 hours of writing time each week.
The math proves that you can maintain a day job, have quality time with your family, and still have plenty of time to write two books for national publishers each year.
Sure, you’re going to have emergencies now and again. Life has a tendency to get in the way, but don’t let those blips take you off course.
Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay as diligent as you can–even if that means you only have 5 hours that you can dedicate to writing each week.
If you can average 500 words per hour during those 5 hours, you’ll still have the first draft of an 85,000 word novel in 34 weeks.
I’ve yet to meet an aspiring author who isn’t counting down the days until she signs her first book deal and has enough money to quit her day job. That’s the dream, right? To be a full-time author.
I can’t blame her. There truly is something romantic about the notion of sitting in a coffee shop and sipping cappuccino while you write the next Great America Novel.
My advice if you get that first book deal?
Be careful.
In fact, if I were you I wouldn’t quit your day job (at least not yet). That is unless you have a trust fund. Sold a startup to someone in Silicon Valley for millions. Or your name is Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer, or J.K. Rowling.
Don’t get me wrong. Writing full-time is a noble dream, but I’m not sure it’s realistic given the economics of today’s publishing industry.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though. Someone is going to write the next million-copy bestseller. Why shouldn’t it be you?
I Got to Live the Dream (For a While)
I was lucky enough to write full-time for four years. It was incredible. But it was also the most difficult stage of life that I’ve ever experienced.
I had a decent amount of money in the bank from advances associated with two separate book deals. I also managed to save up six months of expenses on top of that. More importantly, my wife supported the decision to quit my day job. And my publishers were excited about what I was writing. There was even talk about expanding into adult fiction with a third book deal.
There wasn’t going to be a better time to make the jump into writing full time. I was positioned for success, so I did it.
Why Authors Should Develop Multiple Revenue Streams
The right move for me (and I would argue, for every author) would have been to invest a large portion of my advance money, write for half the day, and then spend the other half working some kind of second job, side hustle, or building a freelance business.
Why?
Because if you’re honest with yourself, you don’t need 40 hours each week to write a novel in a year. In fact, if you write 5,000 words each week, you’d have the first draft of an 85,000 word novel in 17 weeks.
Most writers could accomplish that by simply writing 4 hours on Saturday and another 4 hours on Sunday. And you’d only need to hit 625 words/hour.
At that pace you could write two novels each year with major publishers and still have plenty of time to develop other revenue streams.
How Authors Collect Royalty Checks (if They’re Lucky)
It’s important to note that you don’t see another dime beyond your advance until your book makes that money back. So if you get a $15,000 advance and your book retails for $20, you’ll need to sell 7,500 books to break even (assuming you get 10% of retail sales on your hardback).
And since authors only get royalty checks twice each year, you’ll need to sell more than 7,500 during the six month window your book gets released. That means if your book releases in October and your publisher ends its fiscal year in December, you’ll only have two months to earn back your advance if you want to get a royalty check.
I’m not trying to scare you away from your dream, because it’s definitely doable. Some of you are going to sell tens and even hundreds of thousands of books in your first few weeks and months of a release. But if that happens, know that you’re the outlier.
Look, my only goal is to help you make a sound, longterm financial decision so you don’t end up in the mess I was in.
The Best of Both Worlds
I get it. I knew the nearly impossible odds of someone simply finding an agent who is willing to represent them, let alone inking a deal with a publisher. And I didn’t care. I went for it anyway, and I was blessed to have what most would consider a very successful writing career.
Back then I would have read this article and said that the author was just a coward. That people don’t get anywhere in life if they play it safe.
In some cases, that’s true.
If you’re early in your career and you don’t mind sleeping on a buddy’s couch or eating nothing but Ramen noodles, you can take huge risks. Thanks to mortgages, braces for your kids, car payments, and health insurance for an entire family, some of us can’t afford much risk at all.
I think you can have the best of both worlds, though. So if you feel that you absolutely have to quit your day job for whatever reason, there are alternative revenue streams where you can find the money you’ll need to survive.
Here are some examples:
Part-Time Jobs
Starbucks Barista. You only have to work 20 hours each week at Starbucks to qualify for benefits, which is a super compelling.
UPS Package Handler. You can work part-time as a UPS Package Handler and get education assistance up to $25,000.
Bartender or Server. The hours are typically flexible. You can work a few shifts each week (if that’s all you want). And when you need time off to hit a deadline, people will pick up a shift . Here’s a pro tip: you don’t always make more money at fancier restaurants. I was a server at a high end restaurant for a couple years, but I made a lot more money when I made the move to a place that was full every night and turned tables over quickly.
Side Hustles
Drive for Uber or Lyft. You only work when you want to work. Remember though, the money you earn driving for Uber and Lyft isn’t all profit. You’ll have some overhead costs, like gas, oil, and tires. And why not invest a bit more and throw in a free bottle or water or have some magazines in the back for your customers? It’ll help boost your rating.
Rent your car. Did you know that you can rent out your car using an app like Turo? It’s especially effective if you live near an airport where travelers need transportation (as long as you can live without your car for a day or two).
Deliver stuff. You can deliver things for companies like Amazon Flex, Postmates and DoorDash whenever you need some extra cash. Just remember, like driving for Uber and Lyft, you use your own vehicle. That means there are expenses you need to account for.
Freelance Businesses
Pet Sit & Walk Dogs. If you have a dog and ever go on vacation, you know how expensive pet sitting can be. Why not offer pet sitting and dog walking services at a discount?
Babysit. Maybe babysitting is something you did as a teenager, but don’t scoff. My kids get $10 per hour, which isn’t bad money. And if the kids you watch are young enough for nap time, you’ll have a built in hour where you can write while you’re on the clock!
Create Online Courses. Do you have a skillset or talent that other people desire enough that they’d be willing to pay to learn how to do it themselves? You could create online courses at Udemy.
It’s important to note that in order to make money with online courses, you’ll need to build your own audience and drive them to Udemy. It’s similar to building an audience to buy your books, which means that it’s not a quick fix. In fact, it’s a fairly big time investment that might not ever pay off.
But if you don’t mind the long play, and you have interesting information that you could package and sell, online courses are a great longterm investment that will earn you passive income for a very long time.
Odds and Ends
Participate in Focus Groups. Use a resource like Find Focus Groups to help earn extra cash.
Take Part in Mobile Video Surveys. You won’t get rich by taking surveys, but it all adds up. Check out Mind Swarms as a resource.
It’s About Mitigating Stress So Your Mind is Free to Write
I learned the hard way that limiting yourself to a single revenue stream (in this case, book advances and book royalties) leaves you exposed. Unless you have a lot of money saved up, once that revenue stream runs dry, you’re going to have a difficult time making ends meet.
It’s hard enough to write a great story under the perfect circumstances, but if you’re worried about things like paying the mortgage and being able to afford groceries, you aren’t going to be a terribly effective writer.
If I’m diligent and don’t waste my time watching Netflix or reading my Facebook feed, I can write two novels each year (at least) and still have plenty of time for my marketing career and my family.
All you need is a little discipline so you can take advantage of those early mornings, late nights, and weekends.
You’d be surprised how many words you can pump out if you replace one hour of watching Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime each night.
If you only hit 500 words/hour, you’d have 2,500 words/week. That means you’d have an 85,000 word novel in 34 weeks without having to sacrifice a single weekend.
Sounds pretty doable, doesn’t it?
Learning My Lesson the Hard Way
When I started writing full time, I wasted half my day in click holes like Facebook, ESPN, Aint It Cool News, and a myriad of other websites.
If I would have spent that time developing secondary revenue streams, I’d still be a full-time author.
I mean, there were days where I got so distracted that I never got around to writing a single word.
What did I care? My deadlines were a year away. I didn’t have anything to worry about.
Or so I thought.
A Rude Awakening
One of my favorite television shows of all-time is NBC’s The Office, and I often quote advice that Michael Scott gave to Dwight Schrute.
“Whenever I’m about to do something,” Dwight said during one of his confessionals. “I think, would an idiot do that? And if they would, I do not do that thing.”
Simple enough, right? Too bad I didn’t apply it to my own life. I definitely acted like an idiot, and I put my entire family at risk because I was dead set on earning my income through writing alone.
It didn’t happen for a couple of years, but soon enough my sales started to drop. That meant my royalty checks were quite a bit smaller than I needed them to be. So I dipped into our reserve funds a few times to make up the shortfall, but I figured that things would eventually turn around so I wasn’t worried (even though I should have been).
After all, I had enjoyed a lot of success up to that point. There was no glaring reason that it shouldn’t continue.
Unfortunately, I didn’t prepare for a rainy day, and I was in for a rude awakening.
By the end of my fourth year as a full-time author, I had emptied our 401K, along with my kids’ college funds. When that money ran out I took out a second mortgage on our home, and racked up $20,000 in credit card debt.
And I did it all to survive.
Because I hadn’t prepared.
So I stole from my family’s future, and I’m still paying for that mistake nearly seven years later.
The last thing you want to do is charge up credit cards, get payday loans, or turn to family or friends for a loan. Trust me, I just about did it all. That path only leads to longterm debt and broken relationships.
My Success as an Author Was a Facade
If I’m being honest, I let pride cloud my better judgement.
A New York City lawyer who moonlit as a fiction writer asked me how I was able to live on my writing salary alone. After all, he wasn’t making any money as an author.
My head started to swell.
Other authors who had inked multi-book deals with big publishers expressed how they wished that they could write full-time. They wanted to know how I had pulled it off.
My head grew bigger.
During my promotional tours, kids wanted to know how much money I made. They assumed I was a millionaire, and I didn’t bother telling them that I wasn’t.
Why ruin perception with something as trivial as the truth? Especially when it fed my ego.
Then, one of the most successful producers in Hollywood optioned a series of books that I had co-authored. He wanted to make the movie, so he pitched it to his buddy, Steven Spielberg.
The most prolific director in the history of film knew my name! The same guy who directed E.T. and Indiana Jones was considering directing my story. Are you kidding me? What a rush!
And the good news kept rolling in.
I sold the rights to a trading card game (like Pokémon) based on a game that the kids in my book played. It was going to be sold in ever toy store and big box retailer in America.
Always the marketer, I was quick to share those stories with anyone who was within earshot.
Behind the Curtain of My Failing Writing Career
Never mind that we didn’t get a dime for the movie option, or that Spielberg rejected the pitch because it was too close to another movie he was developing. I mean, the production company didn’t even develop an actual screenplay, so at the end of the day I ended up with nothing but disappointment.
And that trading card game? The developer was bought out by another company and our game got shelved. I didn’t even get to play it.
People never heard that part of the story, because I refused to tell it. Until today. This is the first time I’ve shared any of it publicly.
You see, I was afraid that if people knew that my career was starting unravel, they would stop buying my books. I thought it meant that I was a failure as a human being. That I was unworthy of love or respect. And that I was a total and abject loser.
Don’t Let Pride Stand In Your Way
I was too proud to ask for help. And too proud to get a job when my family desperately needed the money. I held out for way too long because I didn’t want to admit defeat.
As my writing career spiraled out of control, I had what amounted to a nervous breakdown. I struggled to get out of bed in the morning. And I needed medication to fight the dark thoughts and the anxiety.
I was on the verge of losing my home, but everyone–including my closest friends–thought that I was thriving.
It didn’t have to be that way.
Please, Learn From My Mistakes
The good news is that this story has a happy ending. I’m writing again. And I have friends inside and outside of the publishing industry who are rooting for me.
I also have a steady paycheck thanks to a fantastic job as a digital marketing executive.
Knowing that I’m able to provide for my family has helped eliminate most of my anxiety. I’m actually able to write for the first time in over six years.
Sure, I had to learn my lesson the hard way, but you don’t have to follow in my footsteps. Don’t be so quick to quit your day job, but if you’re bound and determined to quit, do whatever it takes to create multiple revenue streams.
It’s a lot easier to write when you don’t have to worry (as much) about money.
And self-loathing is a terrible state of mind when you’re trying to pump out an 85,000 word story based on nothing more than the thoughts in your head.
My Original Daily Writing Goal: 6000 Quality Words
I was an exacting boss when I wrote full time. If I wasn’t going to have a day job, I decided that I needed to write at least eight hours (or more) each weekday.
On top of that, I demanded two more things for my efforts: output and quality. I wanted to hit at least 750 words each hour (output), and I wanted those words to be eloquent (quality).
That meant I wasn’t going to be satisfied unless I wrote 6,000 quality words by 5:30pm each and every day.
On the surface those demands seem reasonable enough, right? After all, I was contractually obligated to deliver books to my publishers on very specific dates. I couldn’t just sit around and read my social media feeds, thumb through comic books, watch cartoons, or play video games.
Hitting deadlines is a must, but it’s taken me years to realize that the demands I had put on myself were not only ridiculous, they were unattainable.
Believing the Lies
Each time I missed a word count I felt like a failure, even if I only had one hour where I fell short of my 750 word goal.
The devil on my should would whisper in my ear, telling me that I was a fraud. After all, if I couldn’t hit a measly 750 words in an hour, I wasn’t a professional writer. And if I wasn’t a professional writer, how did I expect to provide for my family with the books I was writing?
If that wasn’t bad enough, I had somehow convinced myself that my first draft should be nearly perfect. Ready to publish.
Sure, I had heard more than one bestselling author say that first drafts were supposed to suck, but somehow I didn’t think that rule applied to me. Not because I was better than they were, but because I thought those bestselling authors were just saying that for the amateurs in the crowd. You know, to make them feel better even though it wasn’t true.
After all, we were professionals. We didn’t have to toil through ten or fifteen edits to mold our stories into something worth sharing with the world.
Hah!
What a poisonous thought! I mean, who on this planet actually manages to pump out perfect prose in a first draft?
Nobody.
But it didn’t matter. The deceitful belief had not only taken root, those roots were deep. And if I didn’t get my act together soon, I was going to lose everything.
My writing career.
Home.
Family.
Everything.
It was a sickness, and that sickness would be a major factor in the destruction of my writing career.
Structuring My Day
I pushed forward, though, despite my ridiculous expectations. If I was going to provide for my family, I had to produce.
So each weekday I sat down to write at 8:30 in the morning. I allowed myself a one hour lunch (which I rarely took), and then I forced myself to sit down and write until 5:30 each night.
If I hit my 6,000 word goal each day, I’d pump out a first draft in three weeks. Double that time for a round of edits, and I’d have a nearly perfect draft for my editors in just six weeks.
Sure, it was aggressive compared to the pace I’d written when I was still working full-time at my day job, but I thought that’s what full-time authors were supposed to do.
The schedule actually worked for a while, but eventually things started to unravel.
A Match Made in Hell: Procrastination and the Internet
I typically wake up at somewhere between 5 and 5:30 each morning, so starting my day at 8:30 wasn’t the problem.
The problem was procrastination.
Instead of diving right in and writing, I typically started each day by reading and responding to email. Then I’d check news sites like CNN, ESPN, Aint It Cool News, and Comic Book Resources. And I’d follow that up with a quick scan of my Facebook and Twitter feeds.
I wasted the first 30-60 minutes of my day, which set me behind. There was no way I would hit my output goals before I took my lunch break. It was textbook procrastination and I knew it. But I did it anyway.
My reward?
Guilt. Self-loathing. Depression.
More Distraction
Procrastination isn’t the only challenge we face as writers.
I can’t think of a single day in my life that’s actually gone the way I planned it. Yet despite that knowledge, I refuse to build time into my daily schedule for life’s inevitable interruptions.
Kids get sick. You get sick. Your spouse needs a listening ear. You’re hungry. Burned out. Your kids have piano lessons, football practice, parent-teacher conferences, or a dance recital. You need fresh air. The doorbell rings. Your tire goes flat. The air-conditioning unit dies on the hottest day of the summer. Your neighbor backs into your car. A dog won’t stop barking.
There are countless distractions that can keep us from writing and no matter how hard we try, we won’t be able to overcome all of them.
I know that I can’t. It’s why I think writing eight hours each day is an unattainable myth.
And it’s why I decided to write in a series of one hour sprints instead of slogging through long and relatively unproductive writing sessions.
Writing Sprints
Admitting that I actually write better in short bursts was a massive relief. So was giving myself permission to write for two to three productive hours each day instead of pushing myself to write for eight arduous, overwhelming, and often debilitating hours.
Now I write for an hour and then I take a break. I’ll play catch with my kids. Go for a walk. Watch an episode of two of the latest series that I’m binging on Netflix. Or check out what my friends are saying on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
After an hour or so of distraction, I go back and knock out a second writing sprint. Then, if I feel that was enough production for the day, I stop. If not, I take another break before my third and final sprint.
I’ve come to realize that anything after three writing sprints provides diminishing returns.
And I accepted the fact that I’m a sprinter, not a long distance runner. As long as I was diligent and wrote a little bit every day, I’d still be able to write the first draft of a full-fledged novel in 2-3 months.
Writer’s Block is Caused By the Impossible Desire to be Perfect
My goal was to write 6,000 words in eight hours each day, but all the pressure I was putting on myself resulted in a terrible case of writer’s block.
I figured 6,000 words was attainable. After all, I used to hit 2,000 words in two hours back when I had a day job and I was forced to write at night. But once I became a full-time writer, I succumbed to the pressure.
I was lucky if I could hit 2,000 words in twelve hours. There was one dark period where it took me 336 hours to produce three paragraphs.
I kept falling short of my goals, and that constant failure became so overwhelming that eventually I couldn’t write at all. My publisher actually threatened to pull my ninth book, and I couldn’t blame them. I wasn’t living up to my end of the bargain.
And it was all because of the ridiculous notion that I had to hit an arbitrary word count that I had assigned myself. And that I had to write the perfect story in my first draft.
Proof That Writing Sprints Work
When I was writing full-time, it took somewhere between 50-70 hours each week to write 10,000 words.
Now that I’ve switched to writing sprints, I can hit 10,000 words in about 10 hours.
That leaves more than enough time for my career as a marketing executive, which provides the base of my income. And I still have plenty of time after that to invest in my family.
It’s more than a simple number’s game, though. Since I started writing in sprints, the quality of my work has improved as well. And that’s even after I’ve given myself permission to write a terrible first draft.
I Don’t Hate Writing Any More
I used to dread the morning, because it meant that I would have to write. And all writing brought was pain.
No longer.
Now that I’m writing in one hour sprints, I’m excited about my writing career for the first time in years.
Most authors approach writing as an art form. I understand why. Crafting words into elegant sentences that paint vivid pictures in the minds of readers is an art.
However, if you want to make a living as an author you also need to approach your writing as a business. Most artists don’t want to hear that, but it’s an irrefutable fact. Few of us are lucky enough to have a trust fund or a benefactor. That means we need to sell books to pay the bills.
In fact, if you’re going to cover the expenses paid by the average household in the United States you’ll need to sell 47,058 books (give or take) this year.
Here’s why…
Average Annual Living Expenses in the United States
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average household in the United States spent $55,978 in 2015.
There’s no doubt that’s a lot of money. But when you consider the rising cost of healthcare and the average price of a new vehicle, I’m willing to wager that number has jumped significantly in 2017.
It’s no wonder that Pew Research shows a proliferation of dual income households (amongst married couples who have children at home under 18-years-old or younger). We practically need two incomes to survive.
So how did the Bureau of Labor Statistics determine that the average American household spent $55,978?
We have five people in our family (plus a dog), and for the most part this list holds up. We’re following Dave Ramsey’s advice to get out of debt, so we don’t spend money on things like household furnishings.
However, our health insurance is quite a bit more than what’s listed above. So is the money we spend on things like birthdays and holidays. And car insurance.
This list has a glaring omission, though (unless it’s hidden in the “Other” category). Where are the debt payments?
Average Household Debt in the United States
If the average household in the United States spends $55,978 each year, but only earns $65,751 before taxes, the numbers don’t add up. It means the average family is going into debt.
According to a study from NerdWallet, the average household in the United States carries $16,061 in credit card debt. That means we’re all paying an average of $1,292 in interest annually!
So here’s the question: how much money does an author actually need to make in order to cover the expenses of an average American household?
You Need to Gross $80,000 Annually
Even if you’ve managed to avoid credit card debt, you’ll still need to cover the $55,978 in expenses. That means according to this tax form calculator, your gross income will need to be $80,000
State taxes will vary. If you live in Texas, Alaska, Nevada, Florida, South Dakota, Washington, or Wyoming you don’t pay any state income tax, which sounds great! You need to read the fine print before you decide to pack up and move, though. Those states tend to make up that lost revenue in areas like property taxes, so be sure to do your research.
Why You Need to Sell 47,058 Copies
Now that we know how much money you need to gross this year, it’s time to calculate how many books you’ll need to sell in order to hit that $80,000 number.
For the sake of this exercise, we’re going to assume a traditional publisher is releasing your books. Calculating royalties can be a bit complex, so let’s model our sales figures on a single title that is released for its first printing as a hardback.
You’ll get the typical 10% royalty on a book that is listed at $20. That means you’ll receive $2.00 for every book sold (even if it’s discounted by the retailer). Of course, you’ll need to give your agent her 15% cut, so that leaves you with $1.70 per book.
If we divide the $80,000 annual salary you need to make by the $1.70 you’ll receive per book, you’ll need to sell 47,058 books.
Now we need to determine if selling 47,058 copies of a single title in today’s marketplace is attainable, pathetically average, or if it’s just shy of impossible.
How Many Books Should You Expect to Sell?
According to Publisher’s Weekly, 2016 was an interesting year for the industry. There was a 16% drop in e-book sales, but print sales jumped 3.3% compared to 2015, with over 674 million copies sold.
The leading category in print sales was adult nonfiction, which saw a 6.9% increase thanks in large part to crafts and hobby books, along with adult coloring books. Juvenile fiction was also up. The 3.8% jump was primarily due to the release of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2.
Yet with all that good news for print publishing, it’s remains unclear as to whether or not individual authors are seeing any of the benefit. Jane Dystel, one of the most influential agents in the publishing business, believes that if a title sells just 25,000 copies in today’s marketplace, that would be considered a “sensational” achievement.
So if you manage “sensational” sales and reach 25,000 units of your book this year, you’ll earn $42,500 (after deducting agent fees, of course) if you use our example of a $20 hardback with a 10% royalty. Unfortunately, you’d still be short of your target income by $37,500. That means you’d need to sell at least 22,058 books to make ends meet.
Is Selling 47,058 Copies of One Title the Only Answer?
Of course not. The example that I used above is a simplified equation, but there are many sales scenarios that would be just as valid. You might have a new hardback, a new trade paperback, and two mass market paperbacks released in the same year.
Your earning potential depends on the backlist of titles that you have in print at any given moment in time.
Admittedly, we haven’t touched on audiobooks. It’s one of the fastest growing segments in the publishing industry. but I’m leaving it out for now because you’re never guaranteed an audio release.
Sales Combinations That Will Help You Earn $80,000
Let’s look a combination of sales between three common book formats (hardback, trade paperback, and mass market paperback) that could help you reach $80,000 in sales this year.
The cover price of your books and the royalties you receive will not only differ from publisher to publisher, but it may differ from title to title inside the same publisher. Please note that the below chart that outlines pricing and royalties will vary.
Here are some examples for annual sales that could help you reach the $80,000 target. The data above informs the following (though the 15% agency fee has been deducted from those numbers):
Example 1: 73,174 Books Sold
25,000 mass market paperbacks: $11,900
25,000 trade paperbacks: $28,687.50
23,174 hardbacks: $39,413
Example 2: 84,008 Books Sold
40,000 mass market paperbacks: $21,760
30,000 trade paperbacks: $34,425
14,008 hardbacks: $23,815
Example 3: 91,184 Books Sold
50,000 mass market paperbacks: $23,800
25,000 trade paperbacks: $28,687.50
16,184 hardbacks: $27,512.50
Don’t Panic. You Have Options!
If that sounds like a lot of books, it is. But don’t panic, because you have options:
Spend less money. You’d be amazed with what you can live without. Our family created a budget and we pull cash out of the bank and put it in envelopes that coincide with all of our budget categories. The thought is that it’s too easy to spend money when you use credit cards and debit cards, but you think twice before you spend cash.
We also replaced cable television with Sling Television, Netflix, and Hulu Plus. I make sure to shop for car insurance and home insurance every two years so we always get a lower price. We cut back on entertainment spending. Our entire family stopped going to Starbucks. And that’s just the start.
Dual income. For those of you who are married, you’re likely aware that dual income families are on the rise. Ultimately you need to decide if that’s right for your family. But if you have a spouse who makes $40,000 annually, you’ll cut what you need to make in half.
Get a side hustle. There are lots of opportunities for writers to make money through a side hustle. If you have a good driving record, you could be a driver for Uber or Lyft. You could work 20 hours a week at Starbucks and still qualify for insurance. You can even drive the early shift for UPS and make an average of $55,000 annually. And I promise, you’ll still have plenty of time to write any of those options.
Self-Publish. Each contract with a publisher is different, but typically you’ll have the right to publish other books on your own. But read the fine print. If you write middle grade fiction, your publisher will likely have the first right of refusal on your next middle grade fiction title. That doesn’t mean you can’t write a crime fiction series for adults, though.
When it comes to self-publishing through Kindle Direct, you get to keep up to 70% of the sales price. So if your readers are willing to pay $9.99 for one of your self-published e-book titles, you’ll keep about $7 for yourself. If you compare that to the $1.50 you make through a traditional publisher, it’s great money on a per unit basis.
Of course when you’re doing your projections, you’ll want to assume that you’ll likely sell less copies than you typically do through a traditional publisher.
Those aren’t the only options, either. The point is, as an author you need to approach the business side of writing with the same level of creativity that you approach your writing. And you’re a creative person, which means that you can absolutely do it.
Don’t Be Intimidated
When I think about my own career, if I let the odds scare me off I wouldn’t have secured an agent. And I wouldn’t have secured my first book deal.
Look, I know my strengths and weaknesses. I’m not literary by any stretch of the imagination. I could never weave words and sentences together in the wonderfully poetic way that Laini Taylor does, but that doesn’t matter. There’s plenty of room for both of us. And there’s room for you, too.
My strength is telling a fun story that keeps kids glued to the edge of their seats. If I can pull that off, there’s a shot I can find a publisher who will help me reach 60,000 readers. My whole attitude is, “why not me?”
There’s no shame in having a day job if you’re an author. I don’t care if you’ve sold ten books to the largest publishers in the world or if you’re still waiting to break through with your first book. Whether or not you can financially support yourself or your family with your writing does not define your value as a human being.
Glory Days: When I Was My Own Boss
For a while I was able to pull it off. I was actually my own boss. My bank account was full thanks to healthy advances from two publishers. I even had enough money to rent an office in a building that looked like a Tuscan castle. It was perfect for an author who wrote urban fantasy.
I had the freedom to come and go as I pleased. Sure, I got distracted by email and social media on a fairly regular basis, but I was still able to write two or three thousand words a day. As long as I kept that pace I’d meet my deadlines. Life was good, but it wasn’t going to stay that way for long.
How Royalty Payments & Advances Work for an Author
Authors only get royalty payments twice each year. And we typically have no idea how much money we’re going to receive until the check shows up.
For those of you just starting your writing journey, authors only get royalty checks if your books have earned enough money to cover your advance. So in the beginning, you likely won’t get a royalty check at all.
That means in order to be a professional author you need two very important character traits:
Frugality: so you’ll have enough money until your next check shows up
Bravery: so you’ll ignore the fear that will inevitably rise as the resources in your bank account dwindle
Of course it wouldn’t hurt to have a trust fund or some kind of benefactor. At the very least, if you’re going to go out on your own, I’d aim to have six months worth of living expenses saved up (a year is better).
Making Stupid Financial Decisions
I’m not great with money. Growing up, I was broke and I tend to use that as an excuse to buy all the toys that I couldn’t afford as a kid. It’s led to ridiculous purchases on eBay like an original Millennium Falcon, a Tudor Electric Football game, and a vintage Marvel Super Heroes lunch box that I had in kindergarten (complete with thermos) .
If I wasn’t spending money on eBay, I’d take an extended lunch and head over to the local comic book shop where I’d make impulse purchases like Uncanny X-Men #14 (the first appearance of sentinels). But the real financial killer was the everyday purchases that I didn’t think much about.
I’d spend a few extra bucks each week on groceries. Or make a Starbucks run. Or buy a pair of shoes or a shirt that I didn’t need. I won’t even mention how many times I went out to lunch instead of making my own lunch.
After three or four months of overspending, panic started to set in. I knew things needed to change or we were going to run out of money, so my wife and I tightened our belts and vowed to cut back.
It worked for a while. Money was still going out, but things seemed to be under control. We had the comfort of knowing that a royalty check was coming in a few weeks, which was great. But then my car broke down. Repairs ended up costing over $500 and the panic returned.
How Fear and Anxiety Affected My Writing
Slowly running out of money created a ripple effect that affected what was supposed to matter most: the relationships with my wife and children. Everything was a strain. I was constantly angry. And I became a recluse, avoiding my friends and extended family because I didn’t want anyone to see what I had become.
I was already nervous because Borders had announced that they were closing all 686 of their bookstores (including Waldenbooks). Then there was the constant barrage of bad news about the housing market crash. I watched as friends lost everything, and my writer’s mind started to concoct a story. I was certain that we were going to lose our house and end up on the streets.
It almost happened.
Sales of my books had already started to taper off, but it wasn’t long before that tapering became a free fall. Panic attacks made it difficult to write. Instead of hitting 1,000 words/minute, I was lucky to top 250 words/minute. There was even a three week stretch where I worked over 300 hours and only produced 3 paragraphs.
I had two books due at around the same time and I was no longer on track to finish either of them on time. I had heard rumors that publishers were quick to cancel contracts with authors who delivered late manuscripts because they needed the financial relief like everyone else. If that happened, I’d owe back the first half of my advances and it was money I didn’t have. So I forced myself to sit in front of my computer and push through.
It Was Time For this Author to Get a Full-Time Job
I managed to finish one book thanks to my writing partner (Derek Benz), but I wasn’t making any progress on the second book. I decided to pack up the family and drive to Flagstaff, Arizona. While we were in the fresh mountain air, I didn’t write. Not a word. Instead, I watched movies, went on hikes, swam, played ping pong, and grilled.
I let my mind rest, hoping that my subconscious would help solve my problems. By the end of the week I had my answer. It was time to get a ful-time job.
The steady paycheck would alleviate my financial stress. That would free me up mentally and emotionally, and I’d finally be able to write.
It worked. I finished my ninth and final book and then walked away from the publishing industry. I was broken. The stories were gone. And it was time to move on.
Why a Full-Time Job Was the Right Decision for Me
Getting a full-time job was the right decision for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right decision for everyone.
I grew up in a household where our income was dependent on a starving artist. My dad played piano and he was also an illustrator. He was talented, but we lived in Des Moines, Iowa. And as much as I love Des Moines, it’s not exactly a fine arts Mecca. He never reached a level of success that matched his talent, and I simply can’t put my family through that.
I have three daughters. My oldest just turned sixteen and her car insurance alone costs $300/month. Our grocery bills aren’t cheap, either. Nor are the summer camps or all the fees associated with dance classes, voice lessons, acting classes, softball, volleyball, and everything else that they’re involved in.
Then there’s cars. College. Weddings. Not to mention the retirement fund that I need to replenish after emptying it so I could chase the dream of being a full-time writer.
If I was single and I didn’t mind eating Ramen noodles and sleeping on friends’ couches, I’d be all in. But right now it makes more sense to hold down a full-time job. It’s not very rebellious, but if inspiration hits, I can always write nights and weekends like I did in the early days of my career.
What about you? Where are you at in your writing journey?
I’ve yet to meet an aspiring author who isn’t counting down the days until she signs her first book deal and has enough money to quit her day job. That’s the dream, right? To be a full-time author.
