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How Will Authors of the Future Make Money?

March 31, 2011 by Nathan Bransford 62 Comments

So! We have spent author monetization week talking about some newfangled ways authors can make money, from self-publishing to blog ads and merchandising to using Kickstarter to fund a book project.

And what’s funny about those three posts is that they’re actually just new versions of very old traditions. Ben Franklin used his own printing press for Poor Richard’s Almanack, Mark Twain made money from the ancillary lecture circuit, and Kickstarter is just a new version of the patronage system.

So. All that said, how do you think authors of the future will and should make money? Should it come from the books? From secondary streams? Will that whole moneymaking thing go away entirely?

And in case you’re curious about my attempt at selling t-shirts and mugs, so far I’ve sold 1 t-shirt and 0 mugs. Zero mugs!! And everyone needs mugs.

Making money? It ain’t easy.

Filed Under: Business of Publishing Tagged With: Future of Publishing, Publishing Economics, You Tell Me

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kevin says

    April 1, 2011 at 1:57 am

    One piece of feedback, regarding the merchandise:

    I wasn't aware that you sold merchandise, and, now that I am, I can't find it.

    Reply
  2. February Grace says

    April 1, 2011 at 4:33 am

    I go away for a month to get my eye fixed up and the Jedi starts selling coffee mugs?

    I do need one. Will have to put it on my b-day list (not that I want to think about this bday i's a big one *sigh*…)

    ~bru

    Reply
  3. McKenzie McCann says

    April 1, 2011 at 5:13 am

    In a writers' world, they would make money like celebrities, promotion, ads, merchandise, and product sales. However, this generation seems to be reading less and less. My guess is that writers will mostly make their money through books and advances and such.

    The sad fact is that today's youth, the kids in my school, don't give a shit about literature. They don't think "The Odyssey" is relevant and despise grammar.

    My opinion is dark, but unfortunately, it is how I feel.

    Reply
  4. Jamie says

    April 1, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    You had me at the title. That's it. I make pennies (relative to work involved) with freelance opps. "The" book. Well, there never seems to be much time to work on "the" book — since I'm so busy making a pittance. But I love it so. Okay, that was joking, but it's true too. Got to believe if you follow her heart and work hard, money will follow. Right?

    Reply
  5. J. T. Shea says

    April 1, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    'What do you have against rhetorical questions?'? Good, but a little formal. 'What have you got against rhetorical questions?' would be more colloquial and catchy. Or even 'What you got against rhetorical questions, dude?' Or 'dudette' as the case may be.

    And maybe bigger print, particularly on the women's tee-shirt, so people won't have to stare at her…front…too long. Unless they want to stare at her front too long. And she wants them to stare at her front too long. Staring at women's fronts too long should always be mutually consensual, of course. Except maybe on subways…

    Reply
  6. Kristy says

    April 1, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    Don't kill my dreams, man! I want to write for money!!! Just haven't found anyone willing to pay me yet…

    Reply
  7. Other Lisa says

    April 1, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Mugs? Where?!

    Reply
  8. Matthew MacNish says

    April 2, 2011 at 1:18 am

    WTH NB? Where's TWIB?

    Reply
  9. K.T. Koulos says

    April 2, 2011 at 10:46 pm

    I hope that making money as an author isn't going to be too hard…I plan on not being a full time author, because…it's not realistic :/ Those dang people at my school want me to have a 'real' goal. 😛 Anyway, I'm going to have my book published AND I'm going to be a teacher (Art, math, or special ed)

    Reply
  10. writeintention says

    April 5, 2011 at 7:05 am

    I write because I love to write and I believe that if I do what I love the money will follow. Until the money shows up, I keep my day job and that's ok too.

    Reply
  11. Mira says

    April 25, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    You know, I was thinking about a couple of other ways a blogger/author with a strong following might make money. They could offer:

    workshops
    webinars
    a wide range of editing/feedback services
    retreats
    small "how to" writing books
    professional consultation services

    Just some more thoughts.

    Reply
  12. Stephen Von says

    September 27, 2011 at 12:56 am

    Talk about leveling the playing field – the cost of entry is nearly zero thanks to the internet!

    Reply
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Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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