We are a non-paying market, asking writers to give us their work for free. We also get paid not a dime for what we do. As a 21st century writer, it is harder than ever to get paid and this beautiful outline of the traditional publishing model tells us why. But we are not alone. Musicians, photographers, visual artists…they are all trying to figure out how to get paid.
What do you think? Can you make a living as a writer? Do you count on your readers to help you out as the finances get tighter? And maybe the toughest question of all: does the literary community owe you anything? I don’t know what to make of this…tell me your thoughts!
Original Image via Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of Anurag Agnihotri
Well, I figure I have one more day to drunkenly torch my platform. Sad thing is I don’t drink. I am apparently this stupid when sober 😛 . Actually I am writing this as a follow up for my rant from the day before yesterday, because knowledge is power.
Writers need this. Your friends and families need this. Readers need this. The more people get how this industry works, the more everyone can start working together for everyone’s benefit.
In my book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World, I go into a LOT more detail and I highly recommend you get a copy if you don’t have one. I spend the first chapters of the book explaining how the various forms of publishing work so you can make an educated decision.
All types of publishing have corresponding…
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