There’s a certain romance to the idea of making money writing books — crafting stories on a beach, writing a few chapters from a coffee shop, and landing that six-figure book deal. But how realistic is it? In an age where social media is king and everyone’s a creator, can writing a book still be lucrative?
Dubai-based novelist Alex Shaw said it wasn’t about the money, it was about the passion when he first started. “I just wanted to prove to myself that I could write an entire novel,” he said. Although it did take him a number of years to get it written. After that, more books came and he created the successful Aidan Snow thriller series.
Karen Osman, a successful novelist and writing coach, echoes the sentiments. She wrote her first novel in 2016, found herself a literary agent, and then secured a three-book deal. “At that point, I wasn’t focused on whether fiction writing would be financially viable. I was simply excited to be published. At the time, I was already running a content writing business I’d started in 2011, so I was earning a living from writing, just not from novels,” she explained. Today, she generates income from a mix of royalties, freelance content writing, speaking engagements, online courses, plus one-on-one coaching for aspiring authors. 
it’s a marathon
So, the first piece of advice is to write because you enjoy it, and don’t expect to make money straight away. What else do professional novelists suggest? “Concentrate on making your writing the most effective it can be before you attempt to sell it either directly or via an agent and publisher. Only write in a genre which you as a reader enjoy as this enjoyment will be discernible in your writing,” advised Shaw.
It also helps to take a long-term view. “Making a living from writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Most authors write because they love it — and many supplement their income with day jobs. The key is to stay consistent, diversify your income streams, and keep learning,” suggested Osman.
Novel writing is a labour of love, and around four million books are published every year. More than half of these are self-published, with the remainder come from traditional publishing houses. It’s a very competitive market. Even getting published doesn’t automatically mean a life of wealth and riches.
“I would love to say that once you get your first publishing deal that you can resign from that job and write books from a log cabin in the woods, or that beach hut with views of the sunset, but it’s simply not true,” said Helga Jensen-Forde, a Dubai-based author. “You need to build up a back catalogue of books and even then, nothing is guaranteed. It is hard work, just like any other job. ”
Osman adds: “Getting published is just the beginning. Most authors still have to market their own books, build an audience from scratch, and juggle writing with other responsibilities.”
Go it alone
Self-publishing has become popular in recent years; some 2.5 million books a year are self-published. As the author, you fund everything and get a much higher perecentage of the royalties, compared to using a publisher.
“Whilst I have never wanted to self publish as I like having a publisher behind me, I am hearing more and more about self-published authors earning more than ever. I do believe that some can earn more due to the fact they are not sharing a chunk of their royalties with other parties. However, you would need a very good marketing strategy,” said Jensen-Forde.
Before Shaw was signed by his first publisher, he decided to go down the self-publishing route. “For me, it worked as a stepping stone to become traditionally published, but that is not to say that it is not a viable way of publishing for those who want to remain ‘Indie’.”
While it’s harder to get a significant number of sales as a self-published author, those who do reap the rewards as they take up to 70 per cent on the Amazon sales price compared to the 10 to 25 per cent for a traditionally published author. “I’m glad that I started out as a self-published author as I learnt a lot about marketing, cover design, interior formatting, typesetting and editing that I otherwise would not have,” added Shaw.
For those looking to self-publish, one useful resource is The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), which has a huge catalogue of resources on how to publish and market your work. If you decide to go down the traditionally published route, get a list of publishers who publish that specific genre and contact them directly. Check if they accept direct submissions by reading their submissions guidelines. Or, you can draw up a list of literary agents who specialise in the genre you write in.
Personal brand
Writing a great novel is only part of the battle. You also have to market it and yourself as an author. This is where social media comes in. “A personal brand is important for a writer as over the past couple of decades readers have wanted to know more about the person behind the book, and social media enables them to connect with their author of choice and, in many cases, become not just Facebook but real friends,” said Shaw.
“Some authors are blunter with ‘buy my book’ posts, etc. I try to be subtle and use humour when I post about mine. I’m sure quite a few people think I’m a little mad,” he joked.
Osman said building up an email list and writing a blog can also help build your personal brand. “Publishers take this into account when considering new authors. Platforms like #BookTok on TikTok, which has generated billions of views, are now significant drivers of book sales”.
Myths
There are misconceptions aplenty when it comes to writing a book. How easy it can be and how you don’t become rich just because your novel has been published. However, if your book gets picked up by Netflix or a big movie studio, that’s a different story. “The biggest myth people have is that we are all millionaires (some of us are, most are not), and that we live in literary castles and not in the real world with mundane real-world problems,” said Shaw.
“Writing can be a hobby, a job, a career, a profession, and a vocation. Personally, I find the beauty of being an author is that people pay to read or listen to my random thoughts and daydreams, which I’ve managed to structure into an 80,000-plus word book.”
And don’t expect to be an overnight success, they don’t exist. “Keep writing, even when the first book doesn’t take off. The authors who succeed long term are the ones who treat it like a career — not a one-time event,” added Osman.
