Cynan Jones: 'The chances of making money writing are very slim' | Books | The Observer

Cynan Jones: 'The chances of making money writing are very slim' | Books | The Observer:

Believe it or not, it was easier 30 years ago. Screenplay options were lucrative. Writing grants were plentiful. Paying markets for freelance journalists were more plentiful. This is my sense anyway. I feel sorry for the timing of my students. Yes, getting exposure is much easier -- but getting paid harder.

However, for genre pop lit authors, the burgeoning Kindle market is making quite a few of them pretty rich! This indeed is a revolutionary change, so significant that a number of established authors with mainstream print publishers are abandoning them to self-publish in this lucrative new market. Quite amazing development actually. About 1/3 of the best sellers are from new self-published authors. No literary equivalent that I see, alas.