This post, from Jim C. Hines, originally appeared on his blog on 1/4/10.
This is the third year I’ve posted about the income I make as a fantasy author. (See the Money Posts from Year 1 and Year 2.) Money tends to be a taboo topic, but given all of the myths and illusions about writing, I think it’s important to get some actual data out there. Because knowing is half the battle!
The background: I’ve been writing and submitting my work since 1995. Goblin Quest was my first book with a major publisher, and came out in the end of 2006. 2009 saw the publication of my 4th and 5th novels with DAW. So while I have five books in print, I’m still an early-career author.
I am not a full-time writer, for reasons which will soon become apparent. I also write only fiction, unlike a number of authors I know who write both fiction and non-fiction (in part because the latter usually pays better).
Thanks to a last-minute D&A (delivery and acceptance) check from DAW, my writing income for 2009 came to $28,940.
Breaking that total down, I earned:
Read the rest of the post on Jim C. Hines’ blog.