Many articles are written about debut writers who get a big advance and whose lives are changed by having their books published. But only a few have such luck/opportunity. For most debut novelists, their book comes out, and after the flurry of readings and reviews, they return to a life much like the one they led before.
Merritt Tierce, in her essay, “I published My Debut Novel to Critical Acclaim—and Then I Promptly Went Broke,” published in Marie Claire, writes about her post-debut struggles. Her novel, Love Me Back, was widely written about and got much praise when it came out in 2014. She has sold over 12,000 copies. But this is still not enough to pay back her advance, so she has made no money from the book since it published. The essay is an honest look at how hard it is to make a living as a fiction writer, even if one does write a successful book. I appreciate having this story shared, even if it is not as uplifting as the ones about those who get a big advance..
And here at Proto Libro I have fallen behind with my reviews, but have some I’m working on and will post next month. I find Fall is a nice time of year to settle in with a good book.
Thanks for reading, stopping by!