Saying Sayonara To Your Day Job
Monday, March 29, 2010 Question of the day: My question is: At what point did you realize you could write full time?
If you're asking me to speak from personal experience, I'll offer the caveat of the fact that I was already doing writing in the form of PR and marketing when I segued to magazines and then later to fiction. So I don't really think that I should hold myself up as the prime example of when to quit your day job because, well, writing was already my day job.
That said, I'm asked this question - when can I quit to write fiction (or freelance) full time - and my answer is always the same: not as soon as you'd like. Establishing yourself in the freelance world, especially these days with the magazine market tanking, can take years. If memory serves, I believe that I earned 35k my first year of freelancing. I had a spouse who was also bringing in money, but that's around where I came in, and it wasn't for lack of trying. I was pitching my ASS off, working my ass off. But you get what you get, and despite my ferocious work ethic, I wasn't exactly rolling in the dough (for a NYC salary) for the hours I put in. From there, I built on this salary every year and yes, eventually, I made six-figures from my magazine assignments, but I also supplemented with corporate writing and always had the parachute - if things really went bad - that we were a two-income family.
With fiction, it's even trickier. While with magazines, you can sort of anticipate (if you're lucky) of building on previous success, I'm not even sure that the same thing can be said with fiction. Most debut advances are terribly low (we're talking 10k low), and don't forget that they get paid in three installments AND your agent deducts 15%. Yes, if your book is a break-out success, you'll earn more the next time, but - and this is just me being honest - most books aren't break-out successes, even when you're sure they will be. And even if your debut advance is higher, very few debut authors will earn something akin to six-figures, and even if you do, then what? You won't get paid again until you sell your next book (or earn out your advance, which no author should bank on), and if your debut doesn't live up to expectations, there's no promise that your next advance will be higher than your first.
Wow. That sounds depressing. I don't mean it to be. Look, I'm proof that you CAN earn a great living as a full time author. But for every one of me, there are dozens of other published authors who have kept their day jobs until their third book deal or so. (Which in no way elevates me above them or anything like that - I'm just trying to present the financial realities of being a writer. PLEASE don't think I in anyway am disparaging people who have day jobs. I'm not. In fact, I'm impressed by them! I don't know how the heck they do it all!) But I'd be irresponsible and remiss not to tell you to keep working wherever you're working for a good long while. If you get the half-million dollar offer for your debut? Well, then, without knowing your tax return, I can't tell you what to do, but I'd say it was safe to quit. Barring that, keep working AND keep writing. I think you'll know when the time has come to tell your boss you're outta there.
Anyone else want to weigh in? Do any of you juggle day jobs with being published authors? How and when did you or will you know that it's time to quit?
Life as a writer, Money
Reader Comments (12)
There is also that pesky issue of health insurance. For this reason alone, I think I will be keeping my day job for quite some time, writing success or no. While it is a lovely dream to be a full-time writer, one positive aspect of trying to squeeze in writing time during weekends and breaks is that I still view writing as something fun, something that diverts me away from my "real life." Perhaps Allison can respond to this, but I'm curious if writing full time takes any of the magic away or makes writing seem like more of a job. I know it's probably still the best job one could ever have, but I wonder if there's a different mindset involved. Thanks, as always, for an insightful post!
I don't have the magic answer for when to quit the day job, but I do have another idea: compromise. That's what I did. I quit my "real" job and became a receptionist (at the same company, which was nice). This gives me a lot more time and energy at the end of the day for my writing, and in my case I'm also able to write while at work. It definitely takes some adjustment to find the right rhythm (interrupted by phone calls a lot, and errands, etc.) but I've been much more productive and happy.
Just food for thought. :)
For me, having a book under contract and making it your job does take some of the magic out of it, but I suspect that would still be the case if I were working 8-5. (New magic comes along, though. Like reader fan mail).
People at readings seem to always ask me if I write "full time" and sometimes, make veiled (or bold!) inquiries as to how much money I make. I'm almost always asked how long it takes me to write a book.
I don't have an easy to answer to the "full time" question. Writing my novels is my primary job, my work, my career. But my work-life is complicated. As my 7-year-old son put it to me once, "You have a lot of jobs!"
I'm a novelist, a co-editor of fiction for Literary Mama, a freelance writer for our local paper's book page, and a mom of two small children. For two holiday seasons, I was also a part-time bookseller. Do I do any one of those things "full time" in the classic definition of that term? No, but I'm busy as hell.
To get back to the original question, I quit my day job initially for personal reasons, and started to write seriously for publication because I couldn't imagine spending my entire day with only my household and child to absorb me. (Note: not a criticism of full-time moms. Just my own feeling on the subject).
So. Writing is my main job, but I couldn't support my family solely on this income. I tell my husband all the time I'll do my best to get famous so he can retire.
I am very similar to Kristan in that I rearranged my life and job so I could pursue fiction seriously. I worked backwards. I figured out my expenses and the bare minimum that I need to earn to survive and then I set about getting work where I could earn that money but still have plenty of time for writing. I feel really lucky in that I have spent some years in a corporate style job, so I was able to move to freelance consulting. And, I even like the consulting work too!
As always, a great post. I'm still at the early stages... have received 1/2 of my advance but not yet published. So what I've earned so far wouldn't even qualify as a legitimate salary. I work part time as a contract turnaround CFO for struggling companies so I make a very good living not having to work that much. To quit this job a) I would have to be making enough where I'm close to equalling the day job salary times 2 (to account for timing of cash flows) and b) I'm at the point where the writing has with it so many obligations I can't reasonably do both anymore (AND take care of my kids - I only have a sitter 16 hours a week after all!) I'm not anxious to get to that point. I really love my day job AND the writing and it's fun to have both because they are SO different.
Here's a different angle on the topic: When I was growing up, my Dad worked as a free-lance writer and author of non-fiction books (he was even on Oprah, before she was really "Oprah"!) Money was really, really tight at times, because his income was so sporadic. With three kids, I'm not sure where he and my mom found the courage to do it - but they did. Sure, we didn't have nice cars or take big vacations. Sometimes paying basic bills was a huge struggle. But I got to see my Dad do what he loved - pursue a dream full-tilt. It was a wonderful lesson to learn as a child. So, however you arrange your life to chase that dream - be it by switching around jobs, like Kristan, or cobbling together different pieces of work, like Kristina, or coming home from a 9 to 5 job and finding the strength to write (and my hat is off to you if you do this), I think it's terrific - and inspiring.
Thanks, everyone for sharing your stories and tactics!
Sarah P - I think that's a very good point. But I just can't be the one to tell someone to make that decision, and I suspect that if someone can cope with the stress of quitting their day jobs, that they already know that this is the type of person they are, akin to you dad, if that makes sense. In other words, if someone is ready to throw caution in the wind and has the stomach for that, he or she probably isn't writing me to ask for advice. :)
Following my first book I kept my day job full time. When my second book came out I went to part time (2.5 days per week) and that is where I currently remain. While I plan to leave my day job in the future, there has been a real comfort that comes in knowing I have a set salary that I can count on. It gives me the freedom to take more risks with my writing than I might do if I HAD TO sell the next book RIGHT NOW in order to meet bills.
Plus, there is the benefit that at least two days a week I get up and put up grown up clothes and talk to actual people (versus those that exist only in my head.)
Eileen-
You know what? As someone who spends her days in sweats, even after I've worked out and showered, I actually think there's a real benefit to what you're saying: having that routine of going in and interacting with people. Don't get me wrong - I'm too far gone to act like a professional now, but there are days when I do actually get dressed properly and have meetings/lunches, and can see why it's a really good thing!
I've worked as a freelance writer, and it took a toll on my finances and my sanity. I ended up churning out features on topics I wasn't interested in and taking on corporate work that I hated. I have long-term health problems and I was working crazy hours and made myself very ill more than once.
I've since realised that I would rather write only things that I'm truly interested in (narrative non-fiction, pop cultural criticism, the odd piece of journalism on a topic that engages me, and books) and if that means I have to find other sources of money, so be it. I need to not be so desperate for cash that I can't choose what I write because otherwise I don't enjoy and for me, that's the whole point. I learned that the hard way but I'm glad I've learned it. We all have different prioroties - someone else's might be to be published in as many magazines as possible - and it's good to get really honest about what yours is. There's no (OK, almost no) wrong answer.
Thank you for the response!
As a flegdling author, or more precisely an old writer returning to her roots, articles like this speak to me. I really appreciate Diane's comments because I'm struggling with my focus and direction right now. I definately don't want to write about what doesn't interest me (that's what scared me away from writing 20 years ago), otherwise I'm no better off than where I am right now, working in a job that doesn't engage me.