The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Do you realize that a pizza delivery person makes more money per hour in the United States than does an average writer?

Do you realize that most mid-list writers are NOT fulltime writers, and that most of us hold down one or more grueling fulltime jobs -- just like YOU -- in order to feed our kids and families and pay the rent, and yet manage to write late at night or early in the morning on little or no sleep?

How would you like to never have a day off, and to work every single weekend of your life?

Do you realize that a writer makes only pennies off each single book that is sold (the rest is paid to the publisher, editor, agent, promo dept, art dept, distributor, packager, book chain or other middleman) and yet we are supremely grateful for each and every book you buy, because you put food in our mouths?

Do you realize that we write because we cannot stop, and will continue to do so for as long as we can, and that often we will work all kinds of menial or other undesirable jobs, just so that we can bring those dreams to life, and give your own life moments of joy and wonder when you share our dreams that we put on paper?


And do you realize that the world would be a very different sad and empty place if books were not written, and you, the reader would never experience the curiosity and excitement and mystery and romance and adventure and passion and sheer spirit that is brought to you by the act of immersion in a book?

--Vera Nazarian

That is so true. Not to mention that the technology today allows sharing of all forms of art so easy. Books, music, name it... It's truely a shame, but I cannot say I can see it getting any better...

If it is a good book and a good author it will sell well. If not I wouldn't suggest people buying simply out of charity. Why flood the market with crap?

Since Evangius has already deemed the work of authors on VR to be crap, I thought I'd point out that, in reality, "good" books don't sell. Books that traditional publishers dump millions of dollars on for marketing and promotion sell. And they only do that for books by authors who they've milked millions out of before. Just because an author is new, and not published by the biggest of publishers, does not mean their work is "crap." The publishing business is not the open, competitve market you suggest it to be.

Yep, Most of the big publishers won't take a chance on anything new, no matter how well written. Most just want yet another cheap rip off, of whatever made to bestsellers list last year. There is hope though. Self and internet publishing are on the rise. That could make the market much more consumer driven than it is now.

I like how because I don't applaude you and kiss up to your viewpoint you seem to have a need to insert words into my mouth. I never once suggested that the work that VR authors do is crap. Show me where I explicittly pointed to this? I made a general statement that if the books were crap by (any) authors it was not going to sell. Why support work that many of us don't even know about? You aren't instilling that the work is good you are crying about how you don't make money.

I could debate that millions of dollars are dumped on a lot of products that don't sell. Why is it unfair that this would be in reference to books? I could cry about professors making sure to make updated textbooks in order to continue recieving royalties on a book that may or may not have needed that new edition. I could cry that the Mcrib doesn't make enough money for it to stick around year long for my eating satisfaction.

Show the product to be something special something that we want and I am sure it will sell really well. Don't come off like a bad charity case that we have to support you simply because you are not making it. If I was a computer programming that couldn't code worth crap or code in a way that people wanted to use, I wouldn't be making money on that occupation would I? So would my slogan be hire me cause I need the work? Or should I start looking for other work or improving my coding?

You can take it personal all you want, but the fact is if the product is inferior it isn't going to sell.

If I wanted to go on a real pity rant what about the martial arts instructors out there like myself? Are you aware that we too have to have a full time job?

That there are studios that have much more money than us which can blanket the city with their dojos and take away our students by offering lower prices than we can afford to keep our places open?

So what should I do? Stick up a slogan about how I need the work and they should pay me for it over the rest cause I make less than a pizza delivery man? Or maybe I should start offering something that the others don't, start improving the technique.

It is all in perspective folks.