My year as a full time author

12 MONTHS OF LIVING THE AUTHOR LIFE

I am a full time writer. I achieved this professional milestone about a decade ago. But my ultimate goal has always been to wake up and write books. Nothing else. 

This past year, that’s exactly what I did. Let me tell you how it started and how it’s going. 

In March of 2023, I gave up my final writing contract. It was a six figure copywriting contract that had served me well for years. This is the contract that allowed me to put myself through novel writing class, to take trips to New York and Los Angeles to network, and to send my daughter to university in the U.K. 

So giving this up was not a light decision. I knew the implications. I knew what it would take to replace that income but I was ready to take on the challenge. And let me tell you right now…it was a challenge. 

My mission was clear: full time author for one whole year. That meant the income I received could only come from writing books or activities related to being an author. I defined that income and those activities as advances, royalties, author visits, literary festivals, and workshops. 

Here’s how things worked out, but first a quick caveat. I teach as a professor at a local college once a week. The income is insignificant, but it is still income so I just want to acknowledge that. I also want to acknowledge that I live in Toronto, which is one of the most expensive cities in all of North America.

Okay, now that we’ve made that clear, here’s how my year went: 

The first significant cheque I received was the final installment of my advance from Penguin for my novel And Then There Was Us. That was at the beginning of summer for 2023. It was a five figure cheque (less than $20,000) for turning in my final edit. 

Click here to grab your copy of And Then There Was Us

I’m assuming most of you already know, but in case you don’t, advances are split into two or three payments. For me, it was three payments. I received one when I signed my contract, another when I delivered the first major edit, then the final installation when I turned in my final edit. 

The next five figure payment I received (less than $20,000) was for a summer workshop. I worked half a day for one full week teaching writing exercises for summer school students. Together with the advance, this got me through the summer and into the fall. 

Once fall started, I was booked up for school visits. When I say I was booked up, I mean I emailed these schools from a database I’ve built over the years and secured speaking engagements and workshops for myself. I started with the schools that have already supported me and then reached out to those other schools that responded to my emails but things didn’t work out. Then I sent more emails to schools that never got back to me. 

I did about two schools a month at anywhere between $800-$2,000 a school, depending on what type of workshop and the school’s budget. 

In the winter of 2024, I received a writing grant from the Ontario Arts Council. This was another five figure cheque (less than $20,000) that helped get my year off to a good start. I really needed those funds because sending my daughter to school was far more expensive than I thought so things were tight. Super tight. 

This is partially what led to me making a decision to cheat. 

Okay, I hate admitting this but we’re being honest here. In winter of 2024, my friend asked if I would do copy for her organization’s website. I told her I’m not doing any copywriting, but still entertained the offer because, like I said, money was running low. 

The contract was for five figures (just below $20,000) so I took it. Yes, I took it. I want to pause here for a second to give you some time to think about this. I had a goal, right? No income outside of my author life. I had turned down plenty of opportunities before this contract but I gave in to this one because the money was significant. Was I wrong? 

Should I have stuck to my mission and turned down the contract because that was the promise I made to myself? I think about this all the time. In a way, my experiment failed as soon as I said yes. But I really needed the money, and even though I only had two more months to reach my goal, I took it. 

My only justification was that we live in capitalism, and in capitalism, the need for money wins. I maybe could’ve held out, but I had rent to pay, bills to pay, and people to take care of. But even as I write this, I still feel some kind of shame and disappointment for not sticking with it, especially with only a few months to complete my mission. 

For the rest of the year, so from spring till the fall of 2024, I’ve only taken on one other contract and it was a ghostwriting contract. Even though I technically failed, I think only taking on two contracts in a year and a half is pretty good. On the flip side, it’s also been really, really difficult. 

I’ve been on a festival run since mid summer and that has helped a little bit. Literary festivals pay about $1,000 for participation and all travel and accommodations are taken care of, but it’s not money you can live off of, and it’s not meant to be. 

I’m sharing this because I know how many of you want to write books. I know your dreams and in many ways, I’m living a dream right now. I’m writing for my favourite publishers, I’m in so many literary festivals I lost count, I’ve been on half a dozen airplanes since the summer, and all of this because I write books. It truly is a blessing. 

But I wanted to give you the full scope of what my life is like. Yes, it’s beautiful, but everyday brings a different challenge. And if you’re not ready to face those challenges, then you can find yourself in a precarious situation.