Can You Make a Living Writing Romance Novels?by Stephanie Bond The following article appeared in the August 2005 issue of the Galley, Georgia Romance Writers' monthly online newsletter. Permission is granted to sister RWA® chapters to reprint with credits to author and chapter. Most aspiring writers dream of the day they will sign
their first contract. A very few romance writers will sell their first
novel for big bucks, but the typical romance writer will labor for years
to sell a book for less money than she expected, then spend the rest of
her career on a financial rollercoaster. Category romance novels are earning
less money. Single title mass market romances have lost ground The most obvious answer is "it depends." It depends on how much money you perceive as "making a living." It depends on how many hours you have and are willing to devote to your writing. It depends on how much you are willing to bend your stories to the market. And it depends on how aggressive your agent is at selling you, or how aggressive you are at selling yourself. Know
your expectations. How much money will you need to earn annually to make writing
worthwhile? Are you trying to replace your corporate Know your earning potential. Research what category lines earn out on the average, or what you might expect to earn on your book based on your print run and an average sell-through. How do you know? Ask your agent and/or editor for conservative estimates. Be honest—tell them you're trying to plan ahead for estimated tax payments and you'd appreciate any general information they can provide. (This is a good time to ask your agent and editor about subsidiary sales positions)
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