I know people who make a living from their writing. A couple are fiction authors; a couple are nonfiction authors; a couple are freelance writers. Right now, I am not one of those people.
I want to be one of those people.
My Quest to Become a Full-Time Author
Actually, I plan to be one of those people. So, I asked my friend some questions.
Two things stuck out to me:
- It took 11 books to be full-time. 6 to even be noticeable.
- The daily expectation is 2500 words.
Did your jaw drop? Mine did.
Immediately, I compared that to my current state: five published books on Amazon. Two in progress. Not quite halfway there in terms of number of books.
Then, I compared the word count. Abysmal.
My friend is a fiction author, so more words are needed. But I didn’t put anything out into the world for a couple years. I wrote for clients. I wrote for personal reflection. But I didn’t write like this — something personal, that I published, for the intention of helping people, people like you and a person like me.
Thousands of Us Want to Be Full-Time Authors
An old friend reached out to me because his son thinks he might want to write for a living. A couple parents have reached out to me because their daughters like to write fiction. A couple other parents, who write childrens’ books, have reached out to me because they know I helped my daughter publish her book. A couple pastors have asked me about the process, trying to decide which routes to take with their book ideas.
I try to help them, give them tips, set expectations.
- We all want to be New York Times bestselling authors from the start.
- We all want to sell tens of thousands of copies and make a living from our writing.
- We all want to grow rich from our words.
- Your first book will probably suck. But you’ll learn a ton and you’ll get better.
- Only a few are willing to put in the work that it takes to be a full-time author.
- There is no shortcut.
Full-Time Authors by Genre / Types
My friends doing this regiment now were doing it long before they were full-time. They were doing 2500 words in the margins of life, before everyone woke up or after everyone went to bed. They might get a 20 minute break where nothing was scheduled and go crank out a couple hundred words, then dive back into the expectations and normal day routine.
Childrens’ book authors don’t need 2500 words, but they need multiple series mapped and published. They need a plan to market the books and get into schools, homeschool groups, and libraries.
Nonfiction authors might not need 2500 words, but they need 750-1000 per day. They need consistency and probably 6+ books to make meaningful money. Or, they need a profitable business on the backend and the book serves as a simple lead magnet to prospects on the frontend.
Fiction authors, we know what you need already. 2500 words a day. 10+ books.
Freelance writers, the expectations are shifting dramatically these days. You might need big-time clients who are committed to human writing not AI substitutes. You might need to become an in-house writer for a content magazine. The pickins’ are gettin’ slimmer.
By now, the point should be clear though: you must be consistent.
You have to treat it like a job, not like a hobby.
Last, but certainly not least, you have to be good.
If you put yourself to sleep, you’ll put your readers to sleep.
Are you discouraged yet? Or are you determined?
Both?
Me too.
Helpful Resources for Full-Time Authors
- On Writing Well – William Zinsser (or anything by him)
- Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott
- Something to Say – Rob Bell (audio)
- A Million Miles in a Thousand Years – Donald Miller
- Hero on a Mission – Donald Miller
- The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
Omer Redden 