To anyone who fancies writing as 'a career'.

[panik]

The Orange longlist, with total sales for each of the nominated books.

 A Gate at the Stairs is on there? Seriously??? Worst book I've read this year.

Comments

[sheenaghpugh]

Yes, it's interesting, but some of those haven't been out long - Maria McCann's for one came out in February so 700-odd in a month is pretty good.

Well of course.

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

None of them have been out for even a year yet, most just a few months, but I think it's illustrative of how slight book sales are in general and why the average author earns £4,500 a year from their writing. I'm not sure - considering some of the comments I see on Twitter and various writers blogs I follow - most people realise how difficult it is for most writers to make a living out of writing. There aren't that many Dan Browns around (resists temptation to make obvious remark).

Re: Well of course.

[sheenaghpugh]

Yes, it must come as a shock to many!

[cerebralpig.livejournal.com]

A Gate at the Stairs is on there? Seriously??? Worst book I've read this year.

I agree. It was a dreadful book. I can hardly believe I read it through to the end.

Those do look very slight as you say. I'm surprised.

can hardly believe I read it through to the end.

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

I kept going in the hope that something might eventually happen. :o)

Re: can hardly believe I read it through to the end.

[cerebralpig.livejournal.com]

Yep. I think that's exactly what happened with me.

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

Who the heck fancies writing as a career? Pterrys, for example, are few and far between, and in NZ it's always been such a tiny market that it's automatically assumed that you'll be writing in between your 'real' job.

Who the heck fancies writing as a career?

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Urm, well, me, actually. It's how I make my crust. :o)

Pterrys...?

Re: Who the heck fancies writing as a career?

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

Pterrys

Sorry. Terry P as in Pratchett. It's a fan nickname.

I guess it depends on how you define writing as a career, because that encompasses so many varieties of writing. But I think most people 'on the street' as it were think of the big A-list novels, the Dick Francises and Dan Browns (and Pterrys *g*) of this world, and that doesn't come along like no. whatever buses, that's for sure.