Interesting graphical representation of the publishing industry in today's Guardian G2 section, portraying the key statistics. The ones I found especially ominous:

* The average advance for a 1st time author: £5,000
* 75% of books never earn back their advance
* A survey by the Society of Authors in 2000 revealed that 61% of its members earned less than £10,000 a year from writing.

Also that adult fiction only forms 29.1% of consumer book sales. Time that rose steeply!

Andy

Also that adult fiction only forms 29.1% of consumer book sales.

I think that's pretty encouraging, considering that many people - men in particular, the surveys suggest - read no fiction at all.

And considering that 29.1% of consumer books sales works out to an absolutely minute percent of book sales overall, and that apparently the entire UK book trade - from authors via distributors to 2nd hand bookshops - employs fewer people than Shell UK, it's remarkable that fiction has such a very high profile in the media.

Emma

If there was absolutely no money to be made from writing, not even by the Stephen Kings and the JK Rowlings of the world, would they continue writing? Would we?

£5,000 sounds jolly good to me!

Frances

I haven't seen these statistics before but I can't say they surprise me. It's the world we live in. Don't give up the day job - even when you make it into print. Hey, at least I won't have any trouble earning back my advance!

Personally, I'd continue writing for the same reasons that I choose to act in an amateur dramatic company - it gets my adrenalin flowing and gives me a real kick. Whether or not I ever earn anything from writing (other than articles for professional journals) remains to be seen, but I cherish the ambition!

Andy

This is depressing - there goes my dream about the huge advance and giving up my day job. I'm doomed.

We all dream of giving up the day job, though there are precious few who ever can - even very 'successful' writers have to teach and review and so on.

But when I come across a successful author's 4th or 5th novel seeming rather too like their earlier ones - a sort of samey-ness even when the ostensible subject is different - I do wondered whether it's partly because they've given up the day job, and are spending their whole life inside one or other part of the book industry.

Emma

Interesting theory, Emma. One hopes a professional writer has studied sufficiently that he is able to evolve his/her style and develop the career rather than get into a formulaic loop - certainly the talented ones will. Zadie Smith's new novel shows evidence of how she can reinvent herself in terms of outlook, themes and styles.

Come to think of it, this demonstrates the inverse relationship between size of advance and inventiveness of writing. For my own writing, I'd probably give up and do something else if I felt I was on a treadmill churning out wallpaper by the yard. You can easily understand how Agatha Christie came to hate Hercules Poirot...

Cheers

Andy

I fear you don't even have to be Agatha Christie. I'm trying to think out a novel at the moment, and find that when I come up with ideas that would result in something too different from my last, I think, 'yes, but Headline wouldn't like that!'

This is not good...

Emma

Emma, I'm sure what Headline really want is for you to write the book the way you believe it should be written. That's why they signed you up for a two book deal, no? But I have a feeling you don't need me to tell you this.

Good luck,

roger.

Roger, in a sense, no I don't, but I've been telling myself just that, loud and long, for the last two months, and so has my agent, but my mind's still saying it on occasion so a bit of re-inforcement doesn't hurt. Thank you!

Emma

The biggest danger is surely being pigeon-holed either by the publisher or, more likely, the buyer. The publishing world, like the film industry, is full of me-toos on the grounds that that reduces the risk to return on investment. The more uncharted territory you head towards, the less encouragement you will get, unless and until you become a banker in the eyes of your publisher and a must-read to your public.

Andy