Why are so many writers and authors so broke? I’ve wondered this after attending writers’ groups. Sure some of us have made some money at this place, but most of us are broke. Why? Often it’s because they have low self-esteem and don’t ask for pay to match their work or worth. This is a personal problem, but there are also other reasons. Another reason is for simple economy; offer and demand. Today, anyone can be a writer or author thanks to word processors, software, and the Internet, and that means more writers, and while there are also more places that require this skill, even poor writers look good all things considered. garbage online. Okay, before we get into any kind of tirade, let’s talk.
Not long ago, an acquaintance of mine, Dr. Gary S Goodman, asked me; “Should you write for free?” Then he asks a deeper question: “A clear sign that you’re a professional is that you get paid for your work. If you don’t get paid, does that mean you’re anything less?”
My opinion is that if what you write has value, then someone will be willing to pay you for it, unless they can get it elsewhere cheaper or for free. In that case, the buyer of such written material is getting something inferior because of its adverse price, its marketing is insufficient, or what it writes is not necessary. Today, information is very cheap, sometimes free.
Writing, in my opinion, is not usually a very wise profession, however, all industries need writing and the written word (currently) to get that information to willing buyers and sellers. So there is plenty of room for writers, at least now, in our pre-Artificial Intelligence era, as writers, not even fiction writers, will soon be needed; Most likely, the writers’ days are numbered.
When I look at my personal library of some 4,600 books and growing, I realize that there are many published writers and authors, all of whom sell their work and have sold books, so by definition they are professional writers and authors. Still, since those terms are loosely defined, anyone who writes an online essay on her blog that has advertising actually gets paid to write, right? Therefore, the definition of a professional writer or author applies. Interesting, maybe we need a clarification on this topic. Your thoughts, comment below.
