Posted on January 25, 2013
Posted by John Scalzi
124 Comments
Each and every every so customarily someone within the comments right here says, in overall as an apart to one thing else, that no one turns real into a author to secure filthy rich. In present a level of clarification, and to present everybody else who’s a small excited by this vogue of comment one thing to level at:
Howdy, I grew to turn into a author to secure filthy rich. I’ve consistently been within the writing industry now not only appropriate to write down, and now not only appropriate to secure money, nonetheless additionally to secure quite a pair of money — in most cases, to secure filthy rich at it. Why? Because talking from ride, being sad sucks, and on this planet we live in, issues are a complete bunch more straightforward whenever you own quite a pair of money. The article I attain finest on this planet in a legitimate sense is writing, so if I had been to turn into filthy rich, getting filthy rich by writing gave the impact admire the maybe plan for me to realize it.
Making money — and making quite a pair of it — has consistently been piece of my legitimate writing sport thought. It’s one causes why I in actuality had been every shameless and unapologetic about the commercial parts of my writing, whether it’s me working as a writing/editing advisor for industry or writing accessible novels. The cash I secure from writing plan less time now I in actuality own to commit to sources of profits in its place of writing, and never more time later having to search out other sources of profits when (inevitably) my profession slows down from its fresh contented level. The cash I secure from writing permits me to realize nothing in its place of writing. So it helps to secure quite a pair of it if at all doubtless.
Close I write handiest to secure money? No; I write for hundreds other causes as effectively. Close I handiest take into account money in terms of deciding on writing initiatives? No; I’ve written issues for the pure enjoyment of writing them as effectively as for other components, although after I turned into as soon as finished with them I customarily seemed to have a examine how finest to income from them. Does writing with money as a consideration and being filthy rich as a design indicate that waving money at me is the magic key to release my participation in one thing? No longer consistently, due to now not all money is created equal, and the money I’m is now not handiest what’s being waved in front of me now, nonetheless what taking the mission will secure readily available within the market within the prolonged flee. I’m in a position to come up with the money for to acknowledge prolonged flee due to creating hundreds money turned into as soon as consistently piece of my pondering, and since of it has been (alongside with many other components including staggering neutral appropriate neutral appropriate fortune) I in actuality own the flexibility to expose down work that doesn’t meet the prolonged-term monetary targets, and work that neutral appropriate doesn’t appeal to me, for regardless of reason.
(Nor attain I come by that everybody has to write down with the design of getting filthy rich or creating wealth. Other folks hang to quote/paraphrase Samuel Johnson, who as soon as acknowledged “No one nonetheless a blockhead ever wrote with the exception of for money,” nonetheless Johnson is as stuffed with shit as any author on the topic. That you can write for all forms of causes, money being handiest one. Whereas that that you may per chance maybe be attempting to be a legitimate author, writing for money helps. Otherwise? Optional.
Furthermore, sadly, acknowledging you write for money (or to secure filthy rich) will now not affirm success in that endeavor. Sure, that sucks. Nonetheless there it is.)
On the end of the day, on the opposite hand: That is what I attain for money. I don’t are attempting to own to realize one thing else, now and (as a ways as I’m in a position to imagine) within the prolonged flee. As neutral appropriate fortune would own it, grand of what I hang to write down, and the vogue I hang to write down it in, looks to lend itself to the acquisition of money. So, certain, I write to turn into filthy rich. It’s consistently been piece of my thought. I believe that there have to not any less than a pair of other writers doubtlessly write for the identical reason. I imagine, admire me, it’s now not their handiest reason. Nonetheless it surely’s soundless a reason.
As a final realizing on the level, one amongst the explanations that “no one writes to secure filthy rich” and “no one writes to secure money” worm the crap out of me is that right here’s the vogue of pondering, intentional or otherwise, that affords execrable of us quilt to screw writers in regards to money, and affords hazardous writers a reason to shrug off being screwed. Whereas you as a author prefer into the foundation that that you may per chance maybe’t/received’t secure money and that that that you may per chance maybe’t/received’t secure filthy rich, then that that you may per chance maybe be bigger than midway to guaranteeing that you received’t, genuinely, secure money (grand less secure filthy rich).
So don’t accept it. When someone says it, in actuality be overjoyed to contradict them. Some of us attain write to secure money, and maybe even to secure filthy rich. It doesn’t lessen what one does as a author to acknowledge that creating wealth, and maybe even expectantly making quite a pair of it, is one amongst the explanations to realize it — if genuinely it’s one amongst the explanations one does it. It’s miles for me.
