According to published results of a recent survey by the New Zealand Society of Authors our writers are, on average, earning around $8,000 less than the minimum wage in this country. Which begs the question “Why do we write?”
Realistically, I’m not so certain that those polled are, in fact, full time authors, and that some of the figures gleaned via the survey have come from one off sales of works, i.e. book-length manuscripts, articles, short stories, children’s books and stories, etc., which to my way of thinking are probably not an accurate reflection of results. But still, without the carrot of livable income what drives writers?
Is it ego? The belief that we have a better story to tell than anyone else out there?
Is it drive? The fact that no matter what else we do we are constantly driven to give ‘voice’ to the stories/characters etc in our head?
Is it hope? That one day we will be famous and revered for our ability to tell a story?
Or do we write just because we want to. Because we like to.
And if we get to earn a living, either meagre or affluent, then is that just a bonus or is it a result of good planning?
One of the things that constantly surprises me is how, when people hear you’re an author, the first thing they want to know is how much you earn. Personally, I would never ask someone I’ve just met such a personal question. I am unashamedly old-fashioned in that I believe matters financial are the very personal and private property of the individual concerned. But what makes people think that because your writing is in the public domain, that your income should also be open to their scrutiny? Maybe I should direct a few people to the article link above 
. The only thing is, maybe it might make people view the quality of your writing as being less than if they thought you earned mega bucks. There are many authors who do earn mega bucks, just as there are CEOs who do the same, but is their work valued more by readers because of what they earn?
What do you think? Does a good story have a price? Does a good author?
