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When I picked up a pencil and wrote my first story as a child, I had high hopes of one day becoming a published author. I dreamed of the wealth and fame it would bring.
Then, reality set in, and I realized being an author is like running a business of any other kind. You get out of it what you put into it.
So, when I'm asked the pivotal question of how much authors make, there's only one real answer I can provide.
Unfortunately, there's no established salary range for authors. One could make millions and grow an empire, while others flounder, struggling to even make $1,000. Which begs the question:
Why is there such a vast difference from one author to the next?
There are so many factors that affect an author's earnings, it's nearly impossible to predict what one will make. It also depends on whether you seek traditional publishing methods or opt to self-publish, and how established you are.
In all honesty, though, the sky truly is the limit. You just have to learn how to harness your power. Dream of being the next Stephen King or Danielle Steel? You can do it!
Traditional vs. Self-Publishing
The first major difference you'll encounter that affects your salary as an author is whether you're traditionally or self-published. The payment structure differs for each.
Traditional Publishing
If you seek traditional publishing, through a publishing house, and are lucky enough to score a book deal, you'll likely receive an advance. This amount varies vastly from one deal to the next. First-time authors may see as little as $1,000, while established authors with a long history of success may see tens of thousands. They also don't have to pay for editing or marketing. The publishing house usually takes care of the business side of things, though there may be exceptions.
Then, once the author "earns" their advance through sales, they will start earning royalties, which can range from 5% to 15%.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing isn't really new, it's been around for quite some time now, having been revolutionized by Amazon's Kindle service. It's a popular route for those who were either rejected by traditional publishers or opted to take the path of least resistance.
With self-publishing, you do all of the work. You hire an editor, market the novel, and pay for it all out of pocket. The flip side, however, is that your royalties are much larger, typically 35% to 70%, depending on the structure you choose when publishing.
Which Path Should You Take?
There's no right or wrong answer to this question. Many choose to self-publish because it gives them a way to instantly put their book in front of their audience and make money. However, some still want the recognition that comes with signing with a traditional publisher, and that's okay.
You get to choose your path.
Royalties Explained
Royalties are different from advances in that they are the portion of the book sales you get to keep after the publisher takes its cut. That includes Amazon, which gives authors a self-publishing platform for free, but takes a cut of the sales price.
The publishers offer a much smaller royalty amount because they assume more of the risk. More than that, you have to first earn your advance back (in the form of royalties), which can take a year or more, before you ever get royalty checks.
With self-publishing, though, you'll be able to immediately earn royalties from the moment you put your book up for sale. If you publish through Amazon, royalties are paid out every 60 days from the time you earn them. So, if you put your book up for sale on August 1, and earn $100 in royalties for the month, you'll see that money in November.
What Factors Influence Income
I mentioned before that what you put into your business is what you get out of it, and that's what you are as an author—a business. Your books become your brand and product, and if you're self-published, you're going to need to put a lot of work into both to turn that profit. The good news, though, is when you start getting that ball rolling … it's all uphill from there.
I'm going to focus on self-publishing for this section because those who are traditionally published typically have a team that does this for them.
Marketing
Self-publishers really need to hit that marketing stride. That doesn't mean throw money at multiple schemes, that will only make it harder for you to make a profit. Be strategic.
Learn how ads work and how to best utilize them. There are many free webinars you can attend to learn about the process. They typically end in sales pitches, but the information you learn during them is still very useful and can be put to practice.
Your marketing efforts don't have to be complex. They just need to be consistent. Make it a point to evaluate your efforts, how successful they are, and be willing to pivot on a dime, because things change all the time.
Street Teams
Some authors gather street teams, volunteers who work together for the love of the author, to promote their works. It's a bit of an outdated concept, but it still takes advantage of the most powerful form of marketing: word of mouth.
Street teams could be pivotal in helping to grow your brand, especially if you have a very dedicated following.
Social Media
Social media still reigns supreme when it comes to promoting your books and engaging with readers. One of the best things you can do is set up an author page. Use this as part of your primary marketing tactic.
Then, as you start to gain popularity, create a reader group for your books. Many popular authors, such as Elsie Silver, Claire Kingsley, and Rebecca Yarros, for example, have huge reader groups with avid engagement. They even need admins to run the groups and regularly participate in the conversations, too.
Then, you can use Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to create reels, slideshows, and so much more to keep your readers in the know.
Author Engagement
As an author, it can feel like you wear all the hats. You're the writer, promoter, marketer, social media guru, and so on. It feels like a full-time job, on top of a full-time job. But, you've got one more thing to do: engage.
Engage your audience. Be present. But do yourself a huge favor. Schedule this engagement in your already overpacked calendar. Make an hour or two a week to answer questions and converse with your readers. Let them know you're not unobtainable, you're just like them! Trust me when I say they will reward you with loyalty, and you know what loyalty leads to? More sales. More word-of-mouth promotion. More success.
Genre Matters
If you write in one of the more popular genres, you'll make more. That's just the reality of being an author. There's a reason why people say to write to market.
The current best-selling genres as of 2025 are:
- Romance
- Erotica
- Mystery and Crime
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Horror
- Thriller
Romance and Erotica far outweigh the rest of the categories. Combined, they're a $1.5 billion industry. Mystery and Crime come in at $730 million, not quite half of romance and erotica. Fantasy and sci-fi are easily a half-billion industry, while thriller and horror still have quite a market share at around $80 million.
Write in one of these categories? You'll find a ready-made audience.
How Authors Can Boost Income
Boosting your income can be challenging, especially during that first year or so, depending on how many books you've released. But there are a few proven strategies that have worked for authors time and again.
Build up a Following
I'd love to snap my fingers and have 20,000 followers. Sadly, that's not the way it works. But, you can easily gain those followers by being present. Instead of just churning out books, show that you're a real, live person behind the computer screen.
Hire a social media team to help you boost your presence and be your voice. Just make sure they're people you can trust as reputation is everything. Especially in the beginning.
Create a Backlist of Books
We all like to think we'd strike it rich with one book, but the reality is far different for the majority of authors. In order to make money, real money that will help us quit our day jobs and focus solely on writing books, we have to have to build up that backlist. After all, the more you have to read, the more money you can make.
Market, Market, Market
Repetitive much? Yep! For a good reason, too. This is so important it's worth mentioning three times.
Marketing can make or break you. As in the more you market and put yourself out there, the more you set yourself up for success. Don't want to market or understand how it works? That's okay, we can't all know everything.
In this case, hire someone with a proven track record of building marketing and driving sales with the most return on investment (ROI). But, don't trust just anyone; this is your business after all. Do your research. Find someone who you vibe with. You're going to be working with them a lot.
It's Not a Get-Rich-Quick Career
We've all heard the tales of self-published authors who make six, or even seven, figures per year. Those are typically not the norm, especially not for new authors. If you're just starting out, you won't see those numbers. Typically.
There's always an exception to a rule, and you could very well be it if you have a strong following and excellent marketing know-how.
That's not to say you'll never make money doing it. Like anything else, if you're consistent and put out several books a year and focus on growing your brand, you can absolutely see nominal success, or even make it your full-time career.
Want to take the next step in your author career? More than just a writing tool, see how Sudowrite can help you boost your backlist and propel you towards success!