To finish off our anniversary, I'm to share my favorite of the posts I've written. This was a little long-winded and a probably a little to religious for some, but it hits at the heart of why I am so passionate about teaching great literature to teenagers and why I want to write it. I believe that reading widely great literature is what makes a man empathetic (there are studies to back this up), and I think this planet could use a bit more empathy. :)

WARNING: This is the rant of ONE religious blog member who can’t resist giving her own slant on the need for a Banned Books Week on the blog. Enter at your own risk. I promise this is probably the only religious post I'll do.

As someone known for being book-obsessed, many of my religious friends often come to me regularly to ask what they should read/have their kids read. Most of the time, they’ll include a qualifier, though. They don’t want to read anything that isn’t “clean” and “uplifting” and then rattle off a list of offending titles that do not fit the bill.

Hmmmmm. That list of offending titles often reads an awful lot like the list of books I would’ve just recommended.

 And so the dilemma. What to say? While this isn’t usually what I do say, it’s what I always want to say: “Depends. If you want to be more Christian, I’d start with one of the ones on that list. I have an extra copy of Catcher in the Rye, if you'd like.” Smile.

The reasoning: Now, I’m definitely not saying that every book that isn’t “clean” is worth reading. Personally, I don’t see any value in wasting my time to read porn, bad-writing, and all shades of gray, and the like, but the classics? Works of tremendous literary merit that show the depth of the human experience? Works that in an attempt to show us humanity at its most honest may include things like rape, violence, sex, swearing, etc.? How is that not worth reading???

I think this point was driven home best for me one lazy summer afternoon at Book Passage bookshop. I’d just listened to the brilliant Isabelle Allende and had asked her to sign my copy of The House of the Spirits, a book I teach. She remarked that many schools had banned it and chuckled, and then went on to talk about (or at least this is how I remember it) how interesting she thought it was that so many parents fought so desperately to stop their children from seeing what it would’ve been like to have been born in other, less lucky, more violent circumstances.

I got to thinking. The book is a magical re-telling influenced by the stories of her family. Her cousin once-removed, Salvador Allende, was violently overthrown and she includes all of the fallout that brings as well as other family traumas that her own family may very well have experienced. And yet, her life, the one she may have experienced as an innocent child, was too dirty for the other kids to see. Wouldn’t want them sullied too. Wouldn’t dare to want the clean kids to do something terrible like learn to empathize at a time (teen years) when a brain is literally wired to develop empathy. Nope. Let those unlucky kids suffer alone. Poor suckers. Totally what Jesus embodied.

Or not.

While there are many aspects of the Christ-figure I love like the model for re-birth, strength-in-kindness, etc., the one I love most is that Christ is the perfect model of empathy. In the Bible He suffers everyone’s sins for redemption, and in doing so, it makes Him uniquely qualified to give comfort at man’s lowest moments, having literally experiencing the same pain. And one of the most unbearable aspects of suffering is the loneliness that often accompanies it. Isn’t it?

So I think that I would like to do a little of that, too, but unfortunately, I haven’t experienced everything. There are a lot of dark places my loved ones have spent time in that I can’t even fathom. Or at least not without the help of books. And sure, I don’t need to go there. I can stay peaceful and clean. But that’s not what Jesus did. Jesus chose to experience all of the pains this world can heap on man. And I think He wanted me to follow suit, and so he gave us books. Great and powerful sometimes un-clean books.

Books that even talk about rape (just ask David’s daughter Tamar) or violence (Abel might be able to comment on this one), sex (oh David!) and the like. BTW my examples aren’t even past 2 Samuel in one of the greatest banned books ever written.

And it gets even better because talented people keep writing books that honestly portray and grapple with these issues in modern ways that make them applicable to today's special ills. How awesome it that!

So, yeah. I’ll admit it. I'm going to keep reading/recommending banned books from The Bible to Catcher in the Rye to The House of the Spirits to To Kill a Mockingbird, to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, to Speak and more and more, and in each uncomfortable moment I’m hoping to develop more of one of Jesus's best traits: to be the kind of person who is prepared for the next time one of students or friends needs to feel just a little less alone.

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Thinking to Inking Blogversary: How Much Do Authors Make?

Thinking to Inking is two years old this month! To celebrate, we're highlighting some of our favorite posts and giving away all kinds of fun swag (scroll down for the Rafflecopter!)

When I considered which posts have been my favorites, I thought immediately of some of the nitty-gritty business posts that Stacy has done. Her willingness to share details is refreshing in an industry where many people play it close to the vest.

Her post on how much authors can realistically expect to make is a great example. Read it below, or check out the original post here!


How Much Does an Author Really Make?

A week ago a blog post was forwarded to me, answering just the question I pose in my post: how much does an author really make? The author was incredibly generous with the information she shared, including the advance amount she received from her Big 6 publisher, the % she earns per book (print vs. digital), and where she's netted so far from an income standpoint.

Unfortunately her post was removed after it went viral because it included proprietary contract information. I won't share the numbers she posted for that reason, but I will share the broader message and open it up for discussion: don't write just for the money.

Here are a few things to take into consideration when doing the math and planning for your writing future.

1) You have to pay back your advance before you start receiving royalties.

An advance is NOT a bonus. It is exactly as the name states: an advance on future earnings. Many authors will not sell past their advances, meaning they will never receive royalties for their books. And for those who do sell past their advances, it can be a long time before they start to see those royalties hit their bank because it takes time for books to gain momentum. Net: what you receive upfront may be the only money you see for a while, or ever.

2) Advances are becoming smaller and rarer.

Publisher's Marketplace announces advances using the following terminology:

"nice deal" = $1 - $49,000
"very nice deal" = $50,000 - $99,000
"good deal" = $100,000 - $250, 000
"Significant deal" = $251,000 - $499,000
"Major deal" = $500,000 and up

Skim through the announcements, and you'll see that most debut authors fall into the "nice deal" range. But you'll notice that some don't have anything next to them, because the author didn't receive an advance. And if you do some Googling, you'll start to see that $4,000 - $15,000 is a realistic range for a debut author signing with a larger house. For smaller houses, advances are typically smaller, if they exist at all.

Yes, some authors get nice sums of money up front when a publishing house wants to make a bet that a book will be a big hit (especially if they're bidding against other houses). But most of the large deals are not tied to debut authors. And there seems to be a consistent message from the publishing industry as a whole that the industry is moving away from them, at least to some degree.

3) Royalties rates range, but don't expect a high take home percentage.

This is where things get sticky and proprietary to publishers, so truth be told I'm intentionally not posting the figures. If you quickly Google, you can get a decent sense of the averages.

Royalty percentages vary depending on whether your book is sold in print, ebook, or hardback. You will earn a smaller percent on physical book forms because the publisher is absorbing higher costs (and thus higher risks). Ebooks, therefore, typically pay higher royalty rates, although note that because something like a hardcover book has a higher retail price tag, your absolute earning per book may be similar because the percent is taken from a larger base.

In short, only a small portion of each book sale will go into your pocket. This means you need to sell a lot of books to really start raking in the dough. And in an increasingly fragmented market, selling a million books is no easy feat.

4) Don't forget that agents share 15%.

Agents work hard to get you a great deal, and their average reward is 15% of your advance and all subsequent royalties. Most people would argue they earn it in spades by getting you that great deal, but it's an important piece of the earning puzzle that should be accounted for - whatever you bring in automatically gets a 15% haircut if you're repped.

5) So how much does a "successful" author make?

According to my research, an average mid-list author will make an income in the mid-five digits ($50,000-65,000). But it will take time to get there, because success doesn't happen overnight. And the reality is that many of us won't actually get to that place (see point #1.)

There are other factors that can influence your overall earning potential as well, like your proliferation as an author. If you're releasing a book a year and are reasonably successful, then your earning potential increases. If you release a new book every two years, you'll likely see the number go down.

Yes, some authors rake in the money. They get huge advances, sell millions of books, and close movie deals. But they are the exceptions, not the rule. I'd go so far as to say they represent < 1% of the writing community. It's a fact that we all should recognize when making choices about our writing careers.

So maybe I won't quit my day job anytime soon, but I still consider myself a success.

I started writing because I had a story to tell. Whether or not I sell a million books or a hundred books shouldn't cloud my view of accomplishment. I said I'd write a novel, and I did. I said I wanted a publishing deal, and I got one. I said I wanted to see my book in print, and it will hit store shelves next January. For those reasons, I'm calling my writing journey a success, and I will do my best to keep that in focus regardless of the size of my royalty checks. I'll also keep writing because it's something I love to do.

And here's the honest thing: even though I've done the math, am very aware of the financial realities and consider myself a pragmatic person, there is still a little part of me that thinks I could possibly maybe someday be one of the exceptions. It's the same part of me that buys the occasional lottery ticket, won't walk under a ladder, and eats black eyed peas on New Years Day.

Because there's always a chance.

Happy writing, and may you all sell a million books!

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