What is the life of an author like?

Many people ask, what is it like to be an author? Well, to answer that, I would say there are pros and cons.

Often authors are depicted as famous authors like J.K Rowling, author of Harry Potter, Suzanne Collins, author of Hunger Games, and Dan Brown, author of The Davinci Code.

These authors are usually associated with living a luxurious life, vacationing in the Caribbean, touring the world on glamorous book tours, or sitting in a prestigious library at an Ivy League school.

The reason most people know about these authors and associate their lifestyle with wealth is because their works have become blockbuster movies. And successful films is usually where the magic happens.

So what is the life of an ordinary author like? Well, I can tell you one thing for sure. It involves a lot of writing, even among the famous ones. You may be surprised to know, however, that the typical salary for an author is about $41,260 per year according to Indeed. Now that is just an average, there are some that make more, and some that make less.

Most authors I have spoken with usually work two jobs, writing and their other job. Or their second job is full-time marketing for their book. Or they are married, and their spouse works as well. The field of writing is not an easy one, and those who genuinely pursue it, do it because it is their passion. Or they feel some deep life calling that it is what they should do.

So what are the pros to being an author? What is the lifestyle life for most authors? Well, the great thing about writing is the creative process; as the author, you are are in control of your book. While you may have agents or a book publisher offer suggestions and advice, you are generally in control. The book is your artwork, and there is something that is so satisfying when you see your work published with a cover and going out into the world.

The other great thing about writing is flexibility. Not having a boss and being able to take breaks when you want is a great perk. For some authors who love writing and building a world in their imagination, work is fun. It feels very fufilling. Another perk is passive income, you write a book and then money continues to come to you.

So what are the cons? Life as an author is usually one of solitude. Because you don't have coworkers and are often alone writing, lost in your imagination, you don't get a lot of social interaction. Another con is that you have to split your royalties with your agent and your publishing company, or with Amazon or whatever platform your book is on. Another con is marketing. There is a common misconception that a publishing company will do all your marketing. While they may help, they really do expect the author to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

So there you have it, just a little glimpse into a life of an author: there is a lot of writing, alone time, creative fufillment, and marketing that needs to be done. That is why they sometimes write blogs as a form of marketing...