Friday, July 11, 2014

the median income of a professional author in the UK is only £11,000 ($US 19,000) a year


According to this article, a survey commissioned in the UK by the Author’s Licensing and Collecting Society of nearly 2,500 working writers shows that the median (half are above the figure and half are below) income of a professional author in 2013 was just £11,000, down 29% since 2005 when it was £12,330 (£15,450 if adjusted for inflation) and far below the £16,550 figure that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says is needed to achieve a minimum standard of living.

The median pay for everyone in the UK a year ago was £26,890 ($US 46,400) according to this article in The Guardian.

It reflects the situation that has affected all parts of the book publishing industry since 2007 and isn't confined to the UK, but seems to be the case in many countries.

Can most people afford to be full time workers in the industry these days?  The answer is fairly clearly no.

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