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(WestSide Books, Dec 2011; Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Feb 2012)
SkinWalkers: 
How much do writers earn?
You’ve heard the stories about amazing book deals, and think the writing life could be cushy, right? Or you think about J K Rowling, and think you could be like that. Or maybe you know better. Writers who make a great living are the exception. A lot of writers need another job or a supportive partner to help augment their income.
Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy (a fantastic fantasy–see my review here) has a great post on how much writers earn. Check it out. You might be surprised.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
My friends are all the time telling me that I’m going to make millions like JK Rowling, and I’m like, yeah right, you should see the REAL rates a writer gets. Not that it’s a bad check, but it’s a far cry from $300 million a year.
Still, I HOPE I could earn that much someday, but as long as I can earn enough to keep bread on my table and a roof over my head, I’ll be happy.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Madison, it’s good you know the reality of publishing; that way you won’t get shocked when you get your advance!
I know what you mean about wanting to earn enough to have enough. Me, too.
October 27th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Thanks for the info. It was actually more than I thought it would be. But I do think authors deserve way more for their incredible product.
October 28th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Deanna, it was more than I thought it would be, too. But notice that she says that it’s the most she’s ever earned, and that it’s a good year. Other writers can earn much less.
And yes, I think authors deserve more, too. I think they must be some of the least paid per hour of work put into a product than any other profession.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Of course, there’s a problem with paying authors by the hour. I mean, it’d get pretty expensive with them paying us even when we have writer’s block!
But, hey, I wouldn’t complain! 
October 28th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Madison, you’re right; of course they couldn’t pay us by the hour. BUT we often work thousands and thousands of unpaid hours. Especially for manuscripts that have been revised a few times. It’s definitely a labor of love.
October 28th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Of course. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t do it. I’m the type of writer who will write whether she gets paid or not. It’s in my DNA. OK, maybe not literally, but y’all know what I mean!