My Semi-Charmed Life: 2018 Finances

Ah, yes, I know it's been a while, but I've been pretty busy on the production end of things (lots of exciting news on that front to come). But, having just finished my taxes I figured it was time for another round of: "My Semi-Charmed Life!"

By way of explanation, there are a number of full-time authors who regularly post their writing income--John Scalzi (although not so much anymore), Jim Hines, and Kameron Hurley, for instance. That being said, these are working authors (i.e. people who write for a living). 

So, I figured it might be interesting for you all to get a glimpse at the semi-pro side of things, a view from the middle of the heap as it were. While I do try to write regularly, and it brings me great joy to do so; for me, writing is a side-hustle, at best. I have a full-time job, a family, hobbies, and a life outside of fiction. 

So, without further prevarication:

Could I have cut corners, yes--as always. I went and hosted a writer's retreat for a number of colleagues, but in my experience, those sorts of things always pay for themselves in ideas, networking, and well...good times.

Most of my fiction sales came from The Black Library (fine folks, all). The upshot is that they pay professional rates, but the timetable leaves less room for writing original fiction. Still, I wouldn't change things for the world. It's been a true delight to have the chance to write in an IP I grew up loving. 

I set out this year, as I usually do, with the goal of my hobby paying for itself. It did (and then some). So, once again, I count myself supremely lucky.