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“I’m Not Looking For More Money/Readership”

By Robert Swartwood on April 14, 2010

If the title of this post makes you go “huh?” then you’re not alone.

A couple weeks back I saw this posted in response to some question online that basically talked about making money for your writing. And considering who the writer was that posted the comment, I wasn’t surprised at all, as this writer in question usually comes off as a douche.

Let’s be honest here — nobody creates art only for themselves. And I absolutely hate using the term art to begin with, but I guess that’s the best way to describe novels and short stories and poems and whatever else. (Why do I hate using the term art? Because for some reason when I think of art I think of snooty assholes who want to talk about their amazing creations which usually aren’t so amazing and treat everybody else like shit, and for the most part, writers aren’t like that.)

You can’t tell me that you’re going to slave over your novel or story, spending hours and days and weeks and months, for no reason at all except the fact you feel it’s your job as an artist to create something, and then when it’s done you’ll hide it away so nobody else will ever see it?

If that’s the case, more power to you, but I’d say you fall into the .00001% of artists out there.

I know when I write something, I write it with the hopeful intent of eventually selling it. When I submit stories, I try to submit them to publications where, if accepted, they will be read by as many readers as possible.

Does that mean I’m not an arteest?

Now I’m no psychiatrist (I’m pretty sure the diploma I got in that cereal box wasn’t real), but what I take away from that idiot writer’s comment is simply a kind of defense mechanism. By saying “I’m not looking for more money/readership,” the writer is basically ensuring that he will never fail. Because if he admits that yes, he would like more money/readership and more money or readers never comes, then there is cause for disappointment.

But you know what? Disappointment is just a part of being a writer. As writers we’re disappointed all the time. That’s just name of the game. Because we’re writers, damn it, and that’s what we do.

If that means I’ll never be an arteest, then good. I’ll take all the money/readership I can get.

P.S. A lot of great entries so far in the Penultimate Paragraph contest. Keep ’em coming in, folks! You have until Friday midnight to enter.

Posted in | 11 Responses

  • http://www.sophieplayleblog.blogspot.com Sophie Playle

    I think there are a lot of complicated thoughts that run through a writer’s mind when asked ‘why do you write?’ Sometimes general statements can never do it justice.

    Some people really do just want to create for themselves (but as you say, I’m pretty sure that’s in the vast minority). One writer that always comes to my mind is J D Salinger, hiding himself away in a log cabin and never submitting another manuscript into the wide world. I suppose the writers who don’t write for others or for money would be pretty quiet, though, so maybe there are more of them than we think… They could be lurking in every shadow…

    But yes, I do agree with you.

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  • http://www.roxanegay.com Roxane

    Yeah, the “I don’t do it for readers or money” rhetoric is pretty crazy. If that’s how you feel, fine but don’t look down on me for wanting to be read and compensated.

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  • http://www.smashcakemagazine.com Tracy Lucas

    Agreed, obviously.

    Maybe taken in context, there’s some way this makes sense… but judging from the post here, it’d be a hard sell.

    Caring for money over audience (or vice versa) is one thing; but what have you got without either? That’s not being a writer. That’s being a word-hoarder. Big difference.

    Sure, when I was an angst-ridden teenager, I wrote pages and pages of drivel that weren’t meant for other human eyes. But always, in my head, I was writing directly to the other broken, misunderstood teenage girl who would stumble upon my notebooks and realize she wasn’t alone. (No, I wasn’t emo. That wasn’t a word yet.)

    Exactly one imaginary person.

    But she was there.

    If you’re not writing TO someone, what’s the point?

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  • http://gristleandsmoke.blogspot.com Jeremy D Brooks

    I consider writing a form of art, in that it is a work of a (usually) singular creative force (or, inversely, the machine that is James Patterson™).

    But I do it for money and readership. If I knew that I would never make a living at writing, I’d still write, but I sure as well wouldn’t devote as much time on it.

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  • http://aaronpolson.blogspot.com Aaron

    Frankly, from what I’ve seen/read/learned, unless a writer hits the James Patterson/Dan Brown/Stephen King lotto, the money sucks.

    I’m going to write, though, regardless of the shitty payoff. Being paid is nice. Being read is nice. Being paid and read–which often go hand-in-hand–is even nicer. Neither is the sole reason I write, but I won’t turn either away.

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  • Robert Swartwood

    Sophie – The Salinger point would make for a great psychological research study. Was it the great success of CATCHER IN THE RYE that made the man not want to publish another novel? Was he, perhaps, worried that nothing would ever live up to the first one and, hence, be a disappointment? All questions, of course, we’ll never know.

    Roxane – Being read and compensated are the two of the greatest things in the world. Besides string cheese.

    Tracy – I’ve written stories that I ended up hiding away in a folder of my computer, never to be seen by anyone. I knew they weren’t great when writing them but wrote them anyway just to write them … so maybe that’s the same?

    Jeremy – I’m the same way. If I knew I’d never be paid or read, I would probably still write, but not nearly as much as whatever else I could be doing.

    Aaron – The money in writing fluctuates like crazy. Some advances are as low as 1k for a novel, but that’s mainly small press. Midlist writers are lucky to make 20 or 30k per novel, which isn’t bad but which isn’t great. There really is no industry standard. But I wonder how many of those writers nowadays would keep doing it if they weren’t being paid anymore and their books weren’t being published.

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  • http://poweringthedevilscircus.blogspot.com Jason Jordan

    I think you’re right about the defense mechanism bit. I’m glad I know who said it, where, and in what context. =)

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  • http://www.sophieplayleblog.blogspot.com Sophie Playle

    Ooh… I really want to know which blog this debate originated from.

    And yes, it would have been extremely interesting to get into Salinger’s mind.

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  • http://charlesgramlich.blogspot.com Charles Gramlich

    The way I think about this is that I’d like to make more money from my writing. I’ll try to make money from it. But I don’t let the desire to make money overshadow my desire to write what I want to write. And since I don’t make my living from writing, I certainly can’t say that I “write for money” without admitting that I must be pretty damn bad at it.

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  • Robert Swartwood

    Charles – I don’t like the idea that if you don’t make much money from your writing, you must be bad at it. Because there are a lot of writers who make money from their writing and they aren’t very good, at least IMO. There is no clear cut system of doing it right; we just do it and hope it works out.

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  • http://www.kvtaylor.com/welcome Katey

    Those people are giving the word “art” a bad rap. I don’t use it for my own stuff either, just feels dodgy. (Being an art historian by trade doesn’t help.)

    But I just wanted to chime in with a big fat /agree

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