You are visited by a genie. He offers you two choices.
One, your book will become a runaway commercial success and you will want for nothing. You will sell bazillions of copies, make bazillions of dollars, but even though it’s popular, pretty much everyone thinks your book sucks.
Two, your book will not sell that well, but it will be remembered forever. You will win a major award and be widely regarded as a notable writer, but you will receive very little financial benefit and will have to continue to scramble to make ends meet.
What do you choose?
Art: Lais Corinthiaca by Hans Holbein the Younger
Anonymous says
Depends on what day of the week it is. I've found myself wishing for both/either.
Fadzlishah Johanabas says
Right now? Big bucks. Plus, massive sales means possible movie-in-the-making. MORE BIG BUCKS!
Ted Cross says
I'd take the latter. I prefer a type of immortality that can come from a book being remembered long after I am gone. Money is nice, but it would eat at me to have so many people think my writing is no good.
Keith Willis says
Hey, wait a minute… Isn't this about 50 Shades of the De Vinci Code?
Personally, I'd go for choice # 2. If I was in this for the money I'd be on a fool's errand.
abc says
Money. I wouldn't mind acclaim, but I can do a lot more with money. Pay for my kid's college, travel, start that animal sanctuary, give back to my community, a nicer couch…
K.E. Skedgell says
Money.
Magdalena Munro says
The latter! I'm not a fan of excess wealth.
Isaiah Campbell says
Before my book came out, I would have said the latter. I wanted the recognition that it was as good as I thought it was.
Now? I'll take the money. I can write more books with the time I can afford to spend devoted to the craft instead of other paying gigs.
Isaiah Campbell says
Before my book came out, I would have said the latter. I wanted the recognition that it was as good as I thought it was.
Now? I'll take the money. I can write more books with the time I can afford to spend devoted to the craft instead of other paying gigs.
Aimée Jodoin says
Definitely the award. But I'm an unpublished writer, so that could change.
Anonymous says
I read the classics and I admire the writers for managing to create something so timeless. Something that resonates with so many, that spans across time and cultures. I just finished Romain Roland's Jean Christophe – I identified so much with the main characters, although I am neither a man, not a musician, nor talented, nor German, nor lived at the end of 19th century. How about that for timeless.
The latter of course.
Patricia Smith Wood says
That's easy, Nathan. I'd go for the second option. I've never wanted to be a writer whose work "sucked" and I much prefer the award and the being long remembered for an outstanding book. Call me crazy, but once you're dead and gone, no one will remember the money (well, except maybe your heirs!)
CourtLeighLove says
I want my cake and I want to eat it, too! But if I had to choose, I'd go with money. Like someone said above, having lots of money would give me the security and time to work on more books, and maybe one of those later books wouldn't suck.
Fun question!
CD Cole says
Great question. I'd like both of course but if pressed, I would rather have my work respected. I have such a belief in my own ability to manifest that I feel that even if my book didn't turn out to be a runaway success, I'd find another way to support myself.
Bruce Bonafede says
When I was young I would've gone for the award. Now I would take the money. If I were rich I'd at least have the time and freedom to try to write a better book. Being broke all your life means lots of hard work just to survive and that can greatly undermine your writing efforts.
bluerabbit says
I've tried to sell out many times. Nobody buys and I feel like a worm. The prize probably won't come either, but I'd really like to contribute something lasting.
Toby Neal says
I already have option A. I like to think people consider my work no worse than mediocre, however. This has made me want to write that one awardwinning book next.
🙂
Toby Neal, author of Lei Crime Series
T L Thomas says
Money – to buy me time and security while I write the great American novel!!
Dr. Judy G says
Love the post. Love the question. Love the candid responses. What people think of me and/or my writing has never been a determining factor in my life. I'm used to people not getting me. So, if the bonus is freedom that comes with big bucks, then my response would definitely be options #1. HUGS <3
katypye.com says
Good question. I'm grateful my debut novel has earned four awards along with a bit of cash. Would love it to get buckets of attention and make money, but am a realist about the book market these days. Kudos for good writing and story are going to last me longer and feel better than big bucks for sucky prose.
Chris Bailey says
My first thought was to take the money, because who wouldn't want to have all the deliverables? But I wouldn't be able to ignore the criticism, and I would die trying to prove my worth in a world that would probably say, "She only got a contract for the next book because the first one made so much money. It's a little better, but…" Plus, the undying optimist inside says surely if my book is that good, it'll make more money than you propose!
Brian switzer says
The award. There are many, many ways to put dollars in a bank account- I do pretty well right now and have yet to finish my first novel. But the opportunity to leave a true legacy that will be remembered long after I'm gone? That's a gopher that rarely raises its head up out of its hole.
Norma Beishir says
Show me the money!
Janiss Garza says
Could I have one of each? Then the former could support my ability to publish the latter. 😉
Cinthia says
That's easy: The award. There are already too many "sucky" books out there selling big-time copies. I guess it depends on why you write: Do you do it for money or because you have a story you need to share with the world? Ideally, though, it would be cool to be able to do both.
I've noticed that a lot well-written and compelling literary fiction flops as far as sales. Still, since that is what I read I'm keeping my fingers crossed that writers will continue to produce such works, not for the money so much as for the beauty of the language and the interchange of ideas and conflicting thoughts.
Natalie Wright says
I've been thinking about this lately, how "everyone" can think a book "sucks" but it still sells a gazillion copies. So I guess anyone who's not "everyone" must think it doesn't suck, at least that it's not so suckish that they won't fork out their dough to buy it.
So I'm going to go with #1. I'd be happy to join the small but happy club of authors without a financial care in the world, reaping the benefit of appealing to a very wide audience of anyone who isn't "everyone," smiling with great satisfaction and giving zero ***ks about "everyone" who thinks my book sucks.
LadyRosalind says
I'd prefer the latter. My husband, I'm sure, would just like for me to make bank.
Robin Ambrose says
Money. I'll win an award with one of the scores of other books I'll have time to write once I don't have to worry about money anymore.
Plus, being hated can be fun, and I do always like a challenge.
Topher says
I struggle to see how a book everyone claims is rubbish can make so much money. secretly people must think it is a stonking good read, even if it is not the height of literature. On that assumption I would choose the first option as I would much rather my book be popular than win literary acclaim. I never set out in life to be a writer and so have no illusions of my prowess with words. As many others here have said, having so much money that I could give us the day job to write full time would be a dream come true 🙂
T.J. says
I'd love to say the award, but I know I'm greedy. So yeah, money.
Peter Dudley says
I'd take the money. I doubt Shakespeare is enjoying his fame very much today.
Peter Dudley says
… and you, Nathan? Which would you choose?
Nathan Bransford says
Peter-
Probably money for the same reasons as you, though it really depends on the day.
Miriam Joy says
If it's popular, there's somebody out there enjoying it. And tbh, even if my audience is entirely people that proper Literary people think have no taste (i.e. teenage girls, whom I adore and would happily write for forever), I'd rather think it was reaching some of the right people than none of them. Sure, it'd be nice if people thought it was good, but as a reader I'm much more likely to read a book that's popular because I'll hear of it — I've never picked up a book solely because it won an award and rarely pay any attention to those things.
Karen A. Chase says
My first book won 7 independent publishing awards. It has consistent sales, but I make very little on it because it's a 99¢ ebook. I'm okay with that this time. It's helped me build a writing portfolio that proves my writing is worthy of the publishing industry.
Next time around, I hope the dollars will follow. I don't need a big award, just lovely readers who say to me, "I didn't know about that part of history before I read your book. To thank you, I bought one for someone else."
GSMarlene says
Money. Then I'll have time to write the well-written one!
Joanna says
The money, definitely the money. Awards are ego boosters but cold hard cash buys choices. The freedom to choose what I want to do, what I want to write, where I want to live.
Steve Eells says
You do it because you love to write, but some money will be welcome.
Anonymous says
Money. This is a job. I'd love for it to be my only job. I'll dry my tears over the criticism on my big pile of heat in the winter and being able to afford clothes without holes in them cash.
Kaz Masters says
Writers write don't they? SO it stands to reason that one could write more than one book in a lifetime. perhaps that one would suck in comparison and sell a motza? I write because I love it. Outcomes aren't important.
Mark Jones says
Naturally we want both. We write because we love it and want others too as well, but I doubt I'm the only one wanting to make a full-time career of it. So, money if it must be a choice.
Tonya Moore says
An award sounds nice but I'd take the money. Then maybe I could consider giving up up my job to write full-time and worry about earning an award later on.
I say that but my way of writing seems to indicate that I aspire to neither… odd.
Deborah Bruss says
It depends on the book I get to write. If it helps save planet earth by waking people up, then I'd be happily poor. Otherwise, I'll take the money. I really don't care about immortality.
Ekta Garg says
After getting some positive responses to my first book and my first negative review last week, I would definitely say the award. As so many others have said today, that knowledge that my work impacts people and makes them feel something is payment enough.
Justin McKean says
I'm a big "why choose" kind of guy, so I'd want book one to win the award and book two to make the money.
But having to choose, I'd pick the money. I'll tell you why:
Once upon a time I'd approach my building looking at my apartment window to see if the lamp I left on is still shining. If it is, the electricity hasn't been cut off. Yet.
Once upon a time I'd go two or three days in a row, sometimes more, without eating anything at all because I didn't have the cash for food.
Once upon a time I lived in a shed in a friend's backyard for six months because I couldn't afford to stay anywhere else.
Awards don't pay for my daughter's college bill, you know?
I'll clap for someone else with my head held high. And I'll mean it. But I don't need that for me. I'll take the direct deposit, thanks.
Amalie Berlin says
I want readers. I'd love awards, sure, but readers is the actual goal. I want lots of readers. Having great reviews from your few readers really stinks. Doesn't matter how good a book is if no one reads it!
So I'd take the money. At least then I could know that lots of people spent money with the intention of reading the book 🙂
And, you know, better lives for family and loved ones. There is no exchange rate for accolades. You can't get security, health insurance, and a vacation somewhere near water because someone thinks your book rocked. But you can totally take care of loved ones and support your community with $$.
Money please. (And readers, zomg)
Disperser says
I choose to write one of each books.
dream521 says
At 73, I'm managing on what I have and thinking more about what I'll leave behind, so I'd take the second option. In a way, though, it doesn't matter. For 1476me, the real reward comes from seeing what I write each day. It's so often a surprise–"I didn't know I thought that!"
wendy says
Like everyone else, I find money fairly hard to come by so I'd go in that direction if I really had to. However these genies are notoriously tricky, so I'd be tempted to trick the trickster by pushing him towards my real preference. I've always wanted to write that one – or more – powerful story that could really delight, inspire, enchant, uplift and transform lives. I'd swop money, fame, accolades for that one thing.
gargimehra says
Can’t I just be JK Rowling and take both?