<
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/93301-author-incomes-post-small-gains.html>
"A new author income study released by the Authors Guild provides a dizzying
array of numbers and breakdowns about how all types of authors—traditionally
published and self-published, full-time and part-time—fared financially in
2022. With such a deep trove of statistics, the survey offers something for
everyone, but the main takeaway is that most authors have a hard time earning a
living from their craft.
The survey, which drew responses from 5,699 published authors, found that in
2022, their median gross pre-tax income from their books was $2,000. When
combined with other writing-related income, the total annual median income was
$5,000. The median book-related income for survey respondents in 2022 was up 9%
from 2018, adjusted for inflation, with all the increase coming from full-time
authors, whose income was up 20%, compared to a 4% decline for part-time
authors.
While the combined income (book income plus other writing-related income) of
full-time, established authors (those who had written a book in 2018 or before)
rose 21% in 2022 (to $23,329) from 2018, the median income was still below
poverty level. Earnings solely from book-related sources increased from $9,997
to $12,000 in that period. The importance of nonbook writing-related income to
authors cannot be overstated: 56% of respondents reported that such activities
as journalism, conducting events, editing, ghostwriting, and teaching more than
doubled their income.
The report did have some good news for aspiring authors, finding that the top
10% of established authors who participated in the survey had median book
income of $275,000 last year. On the flip side, the bottom 50% had median book
income of $1,300.
The survey, conducted by the Codex Group, also took a close look at how
traditionally published authors fared compared to self-published authors. Here,
the report delivers what appears to be an important emerging trend. While in
2022, the median book-related income for full-time self-published authors was
$10,200—much less than full-time traditionally published trade authors, who
earned $15,000—established (five-plus years of publishing experience) full-time
self-published authors more than doubled their book income in 2022 compared to
2018, to $19,000. Over that time, established full-time traditionally published
trade authors’ book income only rose 11%, to $15,000, demonstrating that
experienced self-published authors are now significantly more effective at
boosting their earnings than their experienced traditionally published
counterparts."
Via Esther Schindler.
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
