Last Updated on October 11, 2019 by Dave Farquhar
And here’s some first-person testimonial about book-writing in the 21st century. Most of it rings true. It took me 9 months to write a book, vs. 2.5 years. But my advance was smaller than what she got. I don’t know my sales figures, but she seems happy with sales figures that I would have thought were disappointing. Royalties of a dollar a book are about right (mine were closer to $1.75), and working for less than minimum wage is definitely a possibility. She’s also right that publishers will not promote you. You absolutely, positively have to promote yourself. They’ll put your book on store shelves and send a few copies to reviewers, but from there you’re on your own to sink or swim.
Lack of a social life also rings true. When I was writing my book, I blew off steam by getting together with one or two friends, usually on a Saturday night, and watching a Peter Sellers movie. Or, if we were up for it, two Sellers movies. That was the entirety of my social life for 9 months. My normal routine was to get home from work around 5:30, throw something in the oven, write for 30 minutes, eat dinner at my keyboard, and write until 11 PM at the earliest. If I was on a roll, I’d keep going until it was played out, so sometimes I didn’t get to bed until 1 AM. Then I’d wake up around 8 and do my best to get to work by 8:30, and do it all again. And then I’d write all weekend, except for that break to watch a movie or two.
I may sound bitter, but I’d do it again. And if you want to do it, I can tell you how.
And a former coworker asked me this past Friday if I ever plan to write another one. I said I would, when it’s time. I had an inkling, about 10 months ago, but I don’t think the market’s ready, and I guess it took me about 2 months to figure out that I’m not ready yet. Another former coworker asks me from time to time to write with him. But if you don’t have something all-consuming to write about, there’s no point. When writing’s just a job, it shows. I ask him what to write about, and he repeats the question back to me. I really think the good ideas find you, not the other way around. I once wrote a song in the back seat of a friend’s car as we were driving to a gas station, and I think a good book idea comes that suddenly too.
The other thing that rings true is the spiky blog traffic. I have a fraction of the following I had when my book was in print. But there was no way, in 2000, for me to leave a good job to pursue writing and blogging as a full-time career. And with all due apologies to my then-boss, who may be reading this, I didn’t have a good job in 2000. (It wasn’t his fault.) If I could have made 75% of what I was making then, I probably would have done it. That may be possible in 2011. Google Adsense didn’t exist then. Amazon Associates did, but all Amazon sold was books. In 2000, I was getting 10 times the traffic I get today, but I think I actually make more today than I did then. If not, it’s close.
Would I leave the job I have now to write books and blog? No. Moderately successful authors make less than I make now. Superstar authors make considerably more than I make now. But I wouldn’t go straight to superstar status. As it stands now, I can’t give my family everything it wants, but I can give it everything it needs, plus a few toys. If I were a full-time author, we’d have to make more sacrifices than we make now.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.