In this article, I'll take a look at the practical economics of trying to make a living writing short fiction in the U.S. This topic regularly comes up on message boards and at conventions. People usually speak in generalities ("You can't make a living writing stories!" "Can, too!") or cite specific-but-individual anecdotes without other data or analysis.

I'm going to take the approach that it is possible to survive on the proceeds from short fiction; the question then becomes, under what conditions can it be done?

Let's start by looking at the U.S. federal government's standards for poverty. The 2006 US poverty threshold for a single person is $9800, which works out to $817/month. A person working 40 hours a week at a job that pays $6.85/hour -- which some rural school districts in Ohio are paying teachers, so it's not just burger wranglers bringing home this kind of paycheck -- makes about $890/month after taxes.

As millions of college students know, it's entirely possible to survive on $800 (or even less) each month if you're able to split costs with other people and you can approach your financial situation with some savvy creativity.

Let's assume, for this scenario, that you are living with a group of other people in a large house. You are not anybody else's dependent for tax or other purposes (meaning your costs are lowered but nobody's there to bail you out if you can't make your share of the rent) and you likewise do not have any dependents (not even a goldfish). You are not trying to pay off loans or other debts. You live in a city and can use a bicycle, public transportation or carpools to get around so that you don't have the expense of maintaining a car. You are willing to shop at thrift stores, get most of your books and CDs from your public library, and you're not above dumpster diving if the situation warrants it.

Furthermore, we'll assume that you are fundamentally healthy, do not have a drug/alcohol habit, and are not accident prone. The budget we're going to work will not support your blowing $60 at the bar every Friday night, nor will it support the kind of health insurance that would actually keep you from going bankrupt should you actually get sick.

Under the above scenario, you could probably rent a room in a shared house in a student neighborhood for about $200 a month¹. Your share of the utilities might come to $50, your food about $250, your transportation costs perhaps $45, plus $55 for things like aspirin and shampoo and the occasional treat at the neighborhood coffee house.

This means that each and every month, you need at minimum $600 to survive. At $600 per month, you'd be under the federal poverty level and would qualify for food stamps, but getting food stamps as a freelancer is often an unreliable prospect at best so we'll pretend this option doesn't even exist. But be aware that it could be an option, as might other forms of public assistance depending on where you live.

So, we know what you need to make; now let's focus on how you're going to make it.

The SFWA/HWA-designated professional rate for fiction is $0.05 a word. But most markets really don't pay that, and you might not have the luxury of shopping a story around much, so let's go with $0.03/word. At three cents a word, you'd have to sell 20,000 words worth of stories every month at minimum without fail.

Working from the assumption that 30% of your writing has to be rewritten/scrapped or simply doesn't sell for the required amount (and this is a very generous assumption), that output increases to 28,600. But if you think about it as having to produce 954 words a day to make your minimum, it doesn't seem that bad; most proficient writers can crank out a page an hour, so you're looking at 4 hours of butt-in-chair work each day.

By a similar calculation, if you wanted to upgrade your lifestyle and make $817/month, you'd have to write 1200 sellable words of fiction each day.

Things get much better if you're able to write children's stories and technical nonfiction. You can get $0.25/word for children's stories from the top markets; a 1,500-word story at that rate gets you $375; sell two of those and you've earned your nut for the month.

Writers with scientific knowledge and good research skills can sell short technical articles for $0.50 or $0.60 a word; a 1400-word article that might take you three solid days to research and write would earn you $800. Sell one of those a month, and the pressure's largely off. Sell two of those, and you're doing better than a 1st-grade teacher's aide in Delaware, OH. You could get a cat! (If your roommates will let you)

Things get even better if your fiction passes as literature in the eyes of the arts community and you can get yourself a grant every once in a while. (Finding and landing grants is a specialized skill in itself, but a good first step is to check listings offered by your state and local arts groups).

However, things get considerably worse if you think about how long it takes some publishers to read and respond to your work, and that many fiction markets don't pay until the work is published. If you send a sellable story out to market, it might be over a year before you see a check for it, even if it gets accepted by the very first place you send it to. Having some savings to fall back on becomes very, very important when you think about the dry spells you might encounter.

Once you've sold a stack of stories to decent publications and have started getting a name for yourself, a producer may notice one of your stories and buy the rights to it for film or television. That's like winning the lottery, both in payout and probability. More realistically, as a "name" story writer, you may be able to sell a collection. Collections are hard to sell to publishers because publishers find them hard to sell to readers, but if you succeed you may get a fairly decent advance of anything from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The advance for a story collection most often won't be as good as what you'd get if you sold a novel, unless you're clever and you've written a bunch of short stories featuring the same characters and have strung them together to make your collection look enough like a novel that publishers and readers will accept it as such.

And that's the moral of this writeup: if you want a career as a fiction writer, you need to start writing books, and that means writing novels, Harlan Ellison's career notwithstanding.

Of course, you could always try to become a creative writing professor. If you have the patience to teach and the temperament to deal with academia, a faculty position is a pretty sweet gig if you can find one. If you have a Master's degree, solid literary publication credits and luck, you might be able to find a job at a community college. If you want to teach at a large university, though, you'll need an MFA as well as lit credits and teaching experience. MFA programs can be tough to get into^2a, expensive, and will likely mean you have to move to a new state for school ^2b. Furthermore, they pump out many times more graduates than there are waiting faculty jobs.

But what if you don't want to (or find that you can't) write novels, don't want to teach (or can't do an MFA), and you don't have savings to fall back on? A part-time job that doesn't suck out your soul ³ can help tremendously. Some part-time jobs at colleges and public libraries can come with health insurance benefits; competition for these low-paid jobs can therefore be fierce, but they're worth looking for and applying to. Also, check out your local Starbucks; some stores offer health benefits for part-timers. Having a job that doesn't devour your energy but which gets you out of your room (and your own head) a couple of times a week can be a huge mental health boost.

In short, you can survive as a short fiction writer if you're healthy, single⁴, hard-working, prolific, and willing to cut a very low economic profile. A few thousand dollars saved in the bank before you start won't hurt, either.

---

1: If you live in an expensive area, $200 for a room in a 5- or 6-bedroom house may require some very hard searching and willingness to compromise your personal standards when it comes to cleanliness, building integrity, housemate appeal, and neighborhood safety; in very expensive places, it may be virtually impossible. There are other alternatives that determined writers have taken, however. I know of a young male writer who, for about a year, lived in an old van parked behind a friend's small house in California and wrote/submitted stories on a laptop connected to the household wireless network. He showered at the gym at a nearby college and was able to cook his meals in the house. Eventually he started making enough money that he was able to get a proper apartment.

2a: MFA programs can be particularly hard to get into if you've actually been getting paid for your fiction and have consequently been tainted by genre.

2b: Locals need not apply to many MFA programs.

3: The soul-sucking jobs are often well-paid but can cause despair that in turn causes chronic illness and writer's block; if you suspect you might have a soul, it's best to avoid evil jobs if you can.

4: Suffering for your art is noble; making your family suffer for it is bullshit.

Labels: economy, employment, writing

Posted by Lucy A. Snyder | Link For This Article

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To get a job as a copy editor, you must have a rock-solid sense of grammar, spelling and punctuation and a keen eye for errors and typos. You must be able to read quickly and accurately. You must be able to write well and speak well. You must be able to work alone with very little direction, but you must also be able to work as a team member under a micromanaging senior editor; either work scenario is possible, as is anything in between.

Copy editors at magazines and book publishing companies check materials for grammar, punctuation, readability, style, etc. They also generally do fact-checking and suggest minor revisions. They may do research for writers, and they may be called upon to produce materials for websites.

People seeking entry-level copy editing positions at magazine/book publishers generally need a bachelor's degree in English or journalism. However, publishers that produce scientific, technical, or highly academic works will often accept (or might even require) degrees in relevant academic fields along with evidence of being able to do the particulars of the editing work.

Editing for technical publications often pays better than similar jobs at mainstream publications. So, if you want a job as an editor and are majoring in something besides English or journalism, you can do well provided you get some decent experience on a student paper or magazine while you're in school. Conversely, English and j-school majors will do well to supplement their degrees and student editing experience with a good grounding in other disciplines, particularly the sciences.

Copy editors on newspapers are usually called upon to create the headlines for stories in addition to editing copy; they will also often lay out the stories.

I worked as a copy editor for a small daily paper many moons ago when I was in grad school. It was a tedious, stressful, utterly thankless job. The paper had to be laid out and delivered to the printer a little before midnight, and often reporters and desk editors didn't get copy delivered until well into the evening. I remember several instances in which there were two of us who had less than an hour to check the entire paper before it had to be sent to press.

Newspapers often have a hard time retaining copy editors, which doesn't surprise me given my own experience. The pay was practically nil, you got little appreciation from the other staff when you did your job properly, but if you messed up and overlooked something, you got your butt chewed out.

The only advantage to working as a newspaper copy editor is that it gives you invaluable experience so that you can get better, saner work later in your career. If an employer sees that you could cope with daily newspaper work, he or she will know you can handle an enormous amount of deadline stress and chaos.

Labels: editing, employment, publishing

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Contrary to what some people believe, the government doesn't pay you to just sit on your duff while you're receiving unemployment benefits. For all U.S. states I've heard of, you're expected to be actively seeking work you're qualified to do while you're getting the checks. Here in Ohio, that means you have to apply for at least one job a week, and to retain some kind of proof as to where and when you applied.

Some people do essentially sit on their bums, intentionally doing little or nothing to seek work, but these folk run the risk (perhaps small) that they'll be asked at some point to provide proof of their job hunting. One can expect to pay hefty fines if unemployment fraud is discovered.

The one-a-week requirement might not seem like much, but if you are, say, an unemployed archaeologist, you might have to scrape hard just to find one open position to shoot for if the economy's bad. And for those who genuinely do want work but who are falling prey to hopelessness and depression after months of rejections, the one-a-week requirement at least keeps them going through the motions.

Applying for unemployment does feel like you're going on the dole, but many argue that it is fundamentally different from welfare. Here in the U.S., regular unemployment benefits (more on that shortly) are paid for by the taxes your previous employer paid. You don't get benefits if you quit, or if your company can prove that they had a good reason for firing you; you get benefits if they let you go due to lack of work or other reasons beyond your control.

Thus, unemployment compensation is designed as a safety net for employees who did nothing to deserve their joblessness. While this might seem like socialist big-government interference to some people, we don't live in a Randian utopia of companies run by ethical, intelligent capitalists. We live in a world where company presidents run their corporations into the ground for the sake of their own greed, leaving scores of hardworking folks (and some slackers too, of course) unemployed. Any ethical government would seek to keep these people from losing their homes and starving, if for no other reason than to prevent national revolt.

And it's not like you can really live on unemployment; you usually get a check equal to half your regular weekly salary. Most of us can't last through a 50% reduction in income for long, but it's better than nothing.

How The System Works in the U.S.

Regular unemployment benefits last for 26 weeks (6 months) and are administered by the states; thus, the precise regulations will vary. The funds for these benefits come from corporate taxes. So, if you're applying for unemployment, don't fear that you're somehow taking money away from someone more worthy or needy than you are -- you're getting money that's coming out of the pocket of the company that laid you off. The benefits are your right; by all means, take them.

Your eligibility is partially based on how much you made; if your paycheck was too paltry, you might be out in the cold. But if your rate of pay was high enough (above or equal to the amount someone would get working full-time at minimum wage), even if you were working part-time, you could still qualify. Your eligibility is also based on how long you worked; if you didn't work a whole year before you got laid off, you won't get full benefits.

You'll have to make a sworn statement every week that you are applying for work as required. You'll have to report income like part-time work or retirement pay, and these sources of income will lower your unemployment benefits. In the old days, you and everybody else had to personally visit the unemployment office every week and stand in line for an afternoon to make your statement. These days, you can often just fill out a form to mail in, or file over the phone. In some states, you may never have to visit the unemployment office in person unless you report an irregularity that you'll have to explain.

If you exhaust your 26 weeks, the federal government currently offers 13 weeks of extended benefits. These extended benefits must be approved every year, and thus their duration can vary (or go away entirely) depending on how bad Congress thinks the situation is.

There are other special unemployment benefits out there. If, for instance, you lost your job when your company moved to cheaper digs in Mexico, you're eligible for special NAFTA benefits. You're also eligible for other monies if you're disabled.

Labels: employment

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Unemployment may cause a deterioration of economic situation, downgrading of social status, broken social relations, changed risk behaviors, impaired psychological well-being, and depression, consequences that may develop into severe illness.

-- Dr. Margaretha Voss, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, in a report in the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

There's an enormous difference between quitting a job and getting laid off or fired.

If you quit a job, you've most likely done it because you've already got a better gig lined up. You give your two weeks' (or longer) notice. Your coworkers give you a going-away party; there's gifts and congratulations and happy goodbyes. You leave your last day of work like a hero riding off into the sunset.

You feel exhilarated; liberated.

If you're laid off or fired, it's another story entirely. Sometimes it totally blindsides you. You think you're safe, that you've been doing a good job, until the day the boss asks to see you in his or her office.

But sometimes you see it coming from a long way off. The company's been shedding employees like a St. Bernard shedding hair in July. You've been living under the cloud of doom so long that you just want it to be over.

You think it will be a relief to finally get fired. But it isn't. You get taken into your managers' office. A security guard is there. You're given the news, and then just an hour or so to pack your belongings into cardboard boxes. The guard escorts you back to your cube; your coworkers are conveniently at lunch, or in a meeting. You're treated like a criminal as they hustle you out, afraid of an angry outburst, afraid your tears will rot the morale of the failing company.

You feel small and weak and betrayed. You feel like a failure.

If you're not angry after having been laid off ... just give it a little while. The objective viewpoint of "Well, the company did what it had to do" melts into rage after the first few months of applying for jobs, any job, only to be rejected again and again. You're going to run through a maddening cycle of emotions as you apply for positions: hope, dismay, frustration, rage, depression, numb defeat. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Many people in today's depressed economy have become what the U.S. Department of Labor quaintly refers to as "long-term unemployed". Those who haven't had work for more than six months are much more common in recent years than in the economic downturn of the early 1990s.

Here are a few things to keep in mind in the unhappy event you should join the ranks:

• Apply for unemployment compensation as soon as you can -- I waited four months before I applied, and I really could have used the money during that time. It's easy to convince yourself at first that you don't need to apply, thinking, "I'm experienced! I've got degrees! I'll find work soon!" Yes, you could be lucky and get rehired quickly, but in the current market, it could be many months before you find something. A few weeks on unemployment money doesn't hurt anything; in most cases the funds come from taxes paid by the company that laid you off, so you're not taking the money away from anyone who needs it worse than you do. The only good reason to wait is if you've gotten a decent severance package; apply the last week your employers' benefits will run out.
  
  
• Know that your friendships will change -- If you've been at a company for a while, you likely have "work friends". Some of these people may have seemingly turned into "real" friends. Be aware that a lot of these people will be awfully scarce if you get fired. Many people don't know to expect this, and the additional pain of feeling shunned by people you thought cared about you can make the post-layoff depression all the worse. Sometimes you do indeed discover work friends' bonhomie was just an ingratiating facade. But sometimes, they truly did like you ... but they're scared. Scared that if their boss finds out they've been fraternizing with a fired employee, they might be next. Scared that your bad luck will rub off on them.
  
  But sometimes, you'll forge new friendships through commiserating with other firees. Take advantage of bitch sessions and post-layoff get-togethers; it helps to vent, and you never know who you'll click with.
  
  
• Know that some people won't understand your situation -- In fact, some people won't be willing to understand what you're going through. Employed friends are perfectly willing to go into denial about how bad the job market really is. Thus, your lack of success in finding employment must be some flaw in you rather than a sign of a truly awful economy.
  
  Parents will be confused as to why their bright young son or daughter can't find work. Surely they haven't raised a slacker? You'll find yourself repeating the same explanations over and over until you're hoarse: Yes, ma, I applied at ____. I tried ____. Yes, I bought a new suit. Yes, I called the agency back. No, I haven't found anything yet. Yes, I am really, really trying. People just won't get it until they're in your position; try not to take their disbelief personally.
  
  
• Find a positive outlet for your anger and frustration -- Work out. Write. Photoshop your former boss' face. Beat on a punching bag. Whatever you do, find a way to channel the bad feelings you're going to have, because they can build up and do terrible damage to you and the people around you if you don't. You don't want to lose a spouse, lover or a roommate because you've turned cranky and bitter (or depressed and withdrawn), and you don't want to find yourself losing your temper during a job interview.
  
  
• Keep busy, and keep focused -- It's easy for your life to totally lose structure during an extended stretch of unemployment. How many of us would get up in the morning if we don't have to? It's too easy to stay up all night watching bad TV and sleeping 'til mid-afternoon. Falling into that kind of schedule makes it hard to be sharp for interviews. So create your own structure; if you don't find a job, find some kind of interesting volunteer work. Consider going back to college, if you can afford it. Keep your mind and body in shape.
  
  
• Take care of yourself -- Heed Dr. Voss' warning. Her study in Sweden of over 20,000 twins has shown that, compared with consistently-employed twins, twins who have suffered unemployment are more likely to die in the 10 to 24 years following their layoff or firing. What do they die from? Suicide, mostly, particularly the women. The men die from accidents, some of which could be hidden suicide. There was also an overall increase in health problems in the unemployed, particularly problems related to alcohol abuse.
  
  
• Take advantage of employment counseling -- Sometimes you'll be offered services at an employment agency as part of your severance; sometimes these services seem pretty lame. But if you've been out of the market for a while, you will need help getting your resume and such in order. At the very least, do some research online and ask friends to look over your resume and test you on interview questions.
  
  
• Re-evaluate your employment goals -- The market's still tight; we can't be as choosy as we could be seven years ago. Are you applying for all the jobs you could potentially do? Do you need more training? Are you making sure that desperation isn't driving you to apply for inappropriate work that will make you miserable?
  
  

Most important, keep looking and applying for work, every day. Don't give up. Unemployment sucks, but if you perservere, it's only temporary.

Labels: employment

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