The business of writing
So here's what I've recently discovered about the writing life. The average full-time writer spends many thankless years toiling away at a manuscript. The lucky ones eventually catch a break and they are offered publication, which usually involves a nice offer of advance on royalties. This money comes in several sizeable chunks. Then the government (at least in Canada -- I don't know the rules elsewhere) swoops in and scoffs up a good percentage of the take as if it had actually been earned all in one year, rather than averaged over the years in which the work took place. This eventuates in a sizeable windfall for the government.
For me, the worst of this is I may have to see about half of the money I've earned be sucked up and sent to Afghanistan, used to fill potholes in giant roads so that more trucks can belch down them carrying millions of plastic dolls from Asia, and pumped into subsidies for the oil industry so that they can be helped to clean up the giant mess they're making in Western Canada -- we wouldn't want to eat into their profits, after all, or, in accord with the mighty forces of globalization, they might just up and move to....those other tar sands......hang on.....
I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a day job. Even if I had never written a word, I'd be able to feed my kids and get out to the movies once a week as well. But imagine if writing is all you do. You spend ten years crafting a brilliant novel and by some incredible stroke of luck you're not the only one who thinks it is brilliant and it actually earns some money. One big jackpot in one year. And then it's back to macaroni and cheese in your basement apartment for ten more years while the roads keep getting wider and the air keeps getting messed up, all thanks to your kind financial contributions.
I'm actually tempted to take all of my advance and donate it. Well, maybe not all of it. I still need that espresso machine.
What I'm hating this week though is that at a time when there are so many cool and fun things I could be spending my time on, I've had to spend a lot of hours researching corporate tax law and accounting practices so that I can swot up on the same kinds of tax-saving tactics used by great companies like Texaco and Monsanto. At one point I actually wondered about opening a bank account on Grand Cayman, but I think the price of the golden key to open the safe is higher than my advance.
It's made me great fun to live with. In fact, after supper last night (truthfully, more like in the middle of supper), I bolted down to my little basement hole-in-the-wall to brood. This little hole I call a study is tax-deductible by the way. But only the heat (of which there isn't really any) and the light (which is all pumped in because I'm below grade and have no windows).
Is it really spring?
For me, the worst of this is I may have to see about half of the money I've earned be sucked up and sent to Afghanistan, used to fill potholes in giant roads so that more trucks can belch down them carrying millions of plastic dolls from Asia, and pumped into subsidies for the oil industry so that they can be helped to clean up the giant mess they're making in Western Canada -- we wouldn't want to eat into their profits, after all, or, in accord with the mighty forces of globalization, they might just up and move to....those other tar sands......hang on.....
I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a day job. Even if I had never written a word, I'd be able to feed my kids and get out to the movies once a week as well. But imagine if writing is all you do. You spend ten years crafting a brilliant novel and by some incredible stroke of luck you're not the only one who thinks it is brilliant and it actually earns some money. One big jackpot in one year. And then it's back to macaroni and cheese in your basement apartment for ten more years while the roads keep getting wider and the air keeps getting messed up, all thanks to your kind financial contributions.
I'm actually tempted to take all of my advance and donate it. Well, maybe not all of it. I still need that espresso machine.
What I'm hating this week though is that at a time when there are so many cool and fun things I could be spending my time on, I've had to spend a lot of hours researching corporate tax law and accounting practices so that I can swot up on the same kinds of tax-saving tactics used by great companies like Texaco and Monsanto. At one point I actually wondered about opening a bank account on Grand Cayman, but I think the price of the golden key to open the safe is higher than my advance.
It's made me great fun to live with. In fact, after supper last night (truthfully, more like in the middle of supper), I bolted down to my little basement hole-in-the-wall to brood. This little hole I call a study is tax-deductible by the way. But only the heat (of which there isn't really any) and the light (which is all pumped in because I'm below grade and have no windows).
Is it really spring?
posted by Colin at 9:43 AM
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