Scalzi on writing and money

Science-fiction writer John Scalzi delivers some “unasked-for advice to new writers about money” on his blog Whatever.

You gotta give Scalzi some credit, few people talk about money, especially writers who often work a lot to make very little. Although, I suspect, it’s easier to talk about money when you make as much as Scalzi. But Scalzi has paid his dues. Here’s a list of his Science Fiction earnings. In 1999 he earned $400 in 2007 $67,000. (Note: he supplements this income with a fair amount of corporate writing, blogging, non fiction writing, so he was able to feed his family in 1999.)

Anyhow, here’s my favorite point of his unasked-for advice:

8. Unless you have a truly compelling reason to be there, get the hell out of New York/LA/San Francisco.

Because they’re friggin’ expensive, that’s why. Let me explain: Just for giggles, I went to Apartments.com and looked for apartments in Manhattan that were renting for what I pay monthly on my mortgage for my four bedroom, 2800 square foot house on a plot of land that is, quite literally, the size of a New York City block ($1750, if you must know, so I looked at the $1700 - $1800 range). I found two, and one was a studio. From $0 to $1800, there are thirteen apartments available. On the entire island of Manhattan. Where there are a million people. I love that, man.

The other day someone in the publishing industry told me that I sound like the type of guy that should move to New York to be in the mix. He even drew a picture something like this: I would arrive from Indiana, stand on the street corner all wide-eyed with my weathered suitcase, a bag of apples my mom packed, full of naïve optimism, and marvel at the big city.

I told him that although I’m sure if would be nice to have connections, if I moved to NYC, Annie would leave me, which would not be a good thing and would completely go against Scalzi’s tip #3. Also, like Scalzi points out, the big city is expensive. In Indiana my writing career affords a pretty nice life (supplemented by my day job and Annie’s) in a 2400 sq foot home. But In NYC, it would afford a pretty nice cardboard box. And I like not having to worry about my walls getting soggy when it rains.

If I lived in a big expensive city, the pressure to earn money would have probably put a stop to my writing career long ago.