do writers make a lot of money ?

Question

is selling books make a lot of money ? i mean non ficition books ?
can you range it please ?

SPEAK NUMBERS PEOPLE!!

Answer 1

Here are some numbers for you to crunch:

On a typical book deal, the author will earn a royalty of anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of the cover price. Let's say ten percent. If the book retails for twenty dollars, the author makes two dollars a book.

A modestly successful, fairly typical book may sell four thousand copies. For the author, that's eight thousand dollars. The book can sell fewer copies or many more, of course. There are a few books each year that are million-copy sellers.

There is more money, and more reliable money, in non-fiction than in fiction, but the author's percentage of the retail price will be the same either way. Some books take a lot of time to research and write. Some are a lot easier to crank out. But when you write the book, there's no guarantee that you'll have a buyer. (Another plus side for non-fiction, though, is that you can usually try to sell the book before you have written the whole think, so if there's no market for it, you'll know that before ALL of your effort has gone down the drain.)

The range is $0 (books don't sell to a publisher) to millions. The typical non-fiction book-and-article writer (among the ones I know) makes something in the range of $20,000 to $40,000, and the sky is the limit. Write a smash hit, the book that everyone has to have, and you can retire on it. Or you might struggle through a long career, never getting beyond minimal advances and niche markets. Writers don't starve. Usually they are smart enough to quit and do something else before it comes to that. But I have seen writers lose their houses.

Writing is uncertain. The range you ask for is almost meaningless because you'll occupy your own space within that nothing-to-millions range, and no one can say before you try what your space will be.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

I have a couple numbers for you. First, less than 5% of all writers make a full time living from writing alone. The other 95% have day jobs.

Second, a first time author can expect to make less than $5,000 on an advance. If you are writing niche non-fiction or working with a small press, then we are talking much less (like $500 or even no advance at all). Few authors earn out their advance on the first book. Unless you are writing the next big diet plan, or know someone who can get you on Oprah, you are not going to make a lot of money writing non-fiction.

You can supplement income with freelance writing (such as articles and copywriting) on the side. It still won't make you a full time living.

Stay in school.

Answer 4

For the most part, writers do not make a lot of money. There are exceptions. Stephen King is one. Most writers make a living but are not super rich or even rich. Most would probably be middle class or so.

Answer 5

Oh...you can't really say. It doesn't matter the size of the book, or the type. It depends on how good the book is and how much the publishers are willing to pay to get it.
Best of luck.

Answer 6

Maybe. J.K. Rowling, for example, is one of the richest authors around. Stinky Pete, the guy on the corner who tries to give away copies of his book down on the corner, is one of the poorest.

It really depends on how good of a writer you are (and what sort of deal). I am not aware of a more specific number than that.

Answer 7

It takes awhile to get a publisher and you have to know a lot about everything almost to write fiction, as money wise you could get a lot in the millions, if you worked hard and long hours.

Answer 8

Some do. Many don't.

That's the best answer I can give you.

It's not a guaranteed profession. You've got to be good, you've got to have someone who wants to buy and publish it, and you've got to have people that want to buy and read it.

The are NO numbers. No figures that you can read up on.

Read this article, maybe you'll understand.
http://www.hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/faqs5.html

Answer 9

Only writers who write about things that publishers will believe people will want to read.

Answer 10

I am sure that they make decent money as long as they are good at what they do:)


By the way, just because one is married does Not mean that they are not lonley:)