BEING AN AUTHOR DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE RICH....DECEMBER 16 2011......

Unless you are Stephen King, Danielle Steele, James Patterson, etc.

Being an author means you are doing something you are passionate about, something you love to do and share.  Forget the getting rich part.

First is the actual writing...that takes a lot of time, sometimes years.  Second is finding a publisher.  I am lucky, I have a publisher who is also my daughter, but I do not get preferential treatment.  It is a business, after all.

The manuscript is submitted.  It is put on the list by the publisher of THINGS TO DO.  When your number comes up, you manuscript is next, then the real work begins.  What the author does is just preliminary.

There is the editing, formatting, creating the cover, and then the publisher has to send the book to the printer.  The printer puts it on their THINGS TO DO list. 

Finally the printing process is in progress.  The books are done and ready to be shipped.  They are sent to the shipping department and put on their THINGS TO DO LIST. 

Finally, finally, they are shipped.  Except for my newest one. As of yesterday it was still on the shipping department's THINGS TO DO LIST.  So much for having the books for distribution to my customers this weekend.  Maybe by Christmas.

Now, about the "getting rich" part.  You have a contract with your publisher.  The publisher foots the bill for all the editing, etc., unless you self-publisher, then you foot the bill, then sends it off to the printer, who does whatever they do, and one (that's right - 1) book is printed - the proof copy, and sent to the publisher for approval.  Once it is approved, then it gets expensive.

You place your order with your publisher.  The publisher, in turn places your order with the printer.  But not for free.  The printer has to be paid x number of dollars for each book printed.  So you as the author pays x number of dollars to the publisher so the publisher can pay the printer.

I sell my books, when I finally get them, for $20.00 each.  Out of that $20.00 I have made a profit of $2.00 on each book sold.  It boils down to approximately $16.00 for printing each book, including shipping, the publisher gets a % of each sale, that is how she stays in business, and I get what's left, after all I am not in the business, I just like to write.

We write because we love to tell stories.  We write because, well, we love to write.  

So I sit here, biting my nails, will the books arrive next week?  I may be riding along with Santa on Christmas eve delivering books.  So if you notice him flying by in his sleigh, with a tag-along, you will know that is me.

I found this picture on the inter-net.  I am still looking for him every year, hoping to get a picture.  So far not in the right place at the right time.


I will do my best to get all my orders filled by Christmas Eve.  In the meantime, don't panic, you WILL get your book, one way or another.

Anyone have an extra Santa suit I can wear, it will probably be cold riding in that open-air sleigh.

Have a good day and God Bless.