A living wage from writing erotica? Now, that's the dream...
I make decent money off my writing, but it's nowhere near enough to live off, even in the cheapest parts of the country. I make a surprising amount from it - it does take a lot of the pressure off.
My story might not be typical - maybe you could do better. It takes more than being a good writer, though. Getting to where I am has also taken time, cleverness and grit.
I've spent about a year charging for my writing. When I started, I was earning a pittance from it. I did better than most, though, since I'd been publishing my stories (and building a following) for free for a good five years before that.
I have a business model I'm proud of (it's not compatible with Fantasy Feeder though, hence why I have so few stories here). On average, I publish 12,000-15,000 words worth of fiction a week, most of which is for commissions. I also publish an eBook every month or so. It's a lot of work and if I take more than a few days off, my commissions and sales drop off sharply.
In short, it took a long time to get here, I spend a lot of time on it, my income drops if I slack off, my business model is better than the typical erotica writer's (though that's not hard) and I make good money from it, but not enough to live off.
I do it because I love it enough to put the work in.
Like I say, maybe you can do better than me. Just have realistic expectations. Writing of any kind doesn't earn most writers a living.
It can help, though, and it sure beats flipping burgers.
3 years
