How has your life changed since you sold your first book and joined the publishing industry? Did you maintain life as you knew it or ditch the day job and become a full-time author?
"I quit as soon as my contracts got big enough to support my family, and it's awesome. Last summer we moved to Europe, planning to stay there for two years, just because I'm not tied to a desk job anywhere and we wanted to try something cool and adventurous." - Dan Wells, author of Fragments.
"Honestly? It hasn’t changed much. I still live in the same place, still take care of my kids, still squeak in work where I can. Oh, except I have three kids now instead of the two when I sold. Maybe it’ll change more after debut, but for now I’m happy just how it is." - Natalie Whipple, author of Transparent.
"I was a stay-at-home mom, so I didn’t have a day job to ditch—but I would have in a second had I been working full time somewhere!" - Page Morgan, author of The Beautiful and the Cursed.
"I stayed at work through the publication of my first book, Dani Noir. The day I quit my last day job in a long series of day jobs was when I was writing my second book, Imaginary Girls, under a swiftly approaching deadline. I left my last work cubicle in excitement, relief, and sheer panic. Sometimes, and this always happens during low writing moments, I fantasize about just setting up camp in my old cubicle and surprising my former manager so he’ll happen upon me when he comes in with his morning coffee. 'Hi, Mark! I’m back!'" - Nova Ren Suma, author of 17 & Gone.
"My life changed dramatically once I sold my first book. I became a full-time author a few months before it was published in the UK, mainly so I would have the time to write my second book and to do all the promotional events and school visits to support it. I’m very happy. It’s my dream job!" - Dave Cousins, author of 15 Days Without a Head.
"Writing didn't change my life in an extraordinary way, but I didn't really expect it to. I've made some wonderful friends, and grown as a writer through experience. I used to write full-time, but now I'm back to teaching high school. I like getting out of my pajamas every day." - Suzanne Young, author of The Program.
"Other than the diamond necklaces showered on me by my publisher and the hordes of rabid fans pounding on my door day and night, life has remained pretty much the same. Actually, I started out writing as my day job, in addition to teaching horseback writing. I wrote educational books for years, and I still do. I've been able to write as my day job ever since--eight years now." - Emma Carlson Berne, author of Never You Let Go.
"I’m a full time author, which is pretty much what I was even before it was a paying job. (I guess that makes me my own intern – Ha!) Nothing’s really changed; I don’t even make a point to tell people what I do for a living. There are too many preconceived notions about what an author actually does and how their lives go. Trying to combat that with facts can be exhausting." - Josin McQuein, author of Arclight.
"It hasn’t changed. I still work my day job, which is real estate. Obviously, I now have marketing and publicity responsibilities for the book, but that’s in addition to my daily work, not in lieu of it." - Scott Blagden, author of Dear Life, You Suck.
"When I began writing for publication, I was a full-time librarian getting nowhere in the publishing industry. I started popping babies (3 in 4 1/2 years), so I quit my day job and became a full-time mama. It was about 5 years later that my first book was published, and I was still doing the mother thing. I've been fortunate to have a husband who's been the major bread-winner so I could indulge my writing passion without worrying about sales figures. So, no, my life has not changed since I began being published all those many years ago. Nor have I gotten filty rich from my work!" - Lois Ruby, author of Rebel Spirits.
Stop by Tuesday to find out what the authors think are the most widely influential books to be published in recent years.
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