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https://theconversation.com/two-thirds-of-australian-authors-are-women-new-research-finds-they-earn-just-18-200-a-year-from-their-writing-195426>
"Most Australian book authors do not earn enough income from their creative
practice to make ends meet. They rely on other jobs and other support, such as
a partner’s income.
In the 2020-21 financial year, the average personal income in Australia was
approximately $A70,000. Only one-third of authors earned this amount from all
their sources of income combined. The average total income for authors,
including all sources of income, was $64,900.
And the amount they earned from their books alone was far, far less.
In 2022, we surveyed over 1,000 Australian book authors.
We found the average annual income authors derive from practising as an author
is $18,200. That’s an increase from $15,100 seven years ago (adjusted for
inflation). But it’s a modest increase from a low base: it represents growth of
less than 3% per annum over seven years.
Book writing is a profession dominated by women, who make up two thirds of all
Australian authors. More than 80% of authors have attended university and
almost half have completed a postgraduate degree – a high level of education
that is not matched by high income.
In our survey (which followed up on an earlier 2015 study), we asked Australian
book authors about their income and how they allocate their time, the effect of
the Covid-19 pandemic on their career, their relationships with their readers
and publishers, and more. We wanted to find out what has changed in the last
seven years – and whether conditions are improving for Australian authors."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
