Author, painter, sculptor, or any other form of artist – do you get paid what you’re worth?
This question is not just for artists. Frankly, it applies to more or less everyone.
In America in particular, businesses are more likely to pay as little as necessary for workers. With a few exceptions, of course, many companies out there pay less than what a good employee is worth, offer few to no benefits, and care far more about shareholders, profit, and the C-Suite executives than their employees.
There is nowhere in America where the minimum wage is sufficient to live on.
When you are an artist, this is even more challenging. Particularly in a world where the arts are frequently undervalued, disregarded, or the focus is on just celebrities, superstars, and their earning ability.
That random actress in the dog food commercial makes a lot less than that recurrent actor on a popular TV show. That recurrent actor, in turn, makes less than the stars of that show. With a few exceptions, those stars make far less than big-name celebrities do for their projects.
As an unknown or lesser-known painter, author, or graphic artist, you make far less than your commercially successful companions.
Before we take this any further, let’s clear up one important thing. We’re not in competition. I’m not competing with all the other sci-fi and fantasy authors out there. We’re all in this together and supporting each other empowers us all.
The question of your worth can be further complicated by the marketplace.
Selling your books against big names
My dozen self-published sci-fi and fantasy novels all took a variable amount of time to write, edit, re-edit, format, and produce. Because I self-published, it’s easy to argue that I put in equal or greater time than a contemporary with representation and a publisher.
However, because I’m self-published, I can’t offer my books for the same price that Neil Gaiman or James S.A. Corey might.
Are my books truly worth less than theirs? On the one hand – yes. They have a lot more experience and a broader audience than I do. So, they have every right to charge more. On the other hand – no. I put a lot of energy into my books – I should get paid what I’m worth.
However, this is a dangerous road to travel down. Charging the same as an established, traditionally published author is not going to get you sales. You have to look at other self-published authors at various levels of success and popularity.
Additionally, you need to consider what YOU would be willing to pay to buy a novel from an unknown or lesser-known author.
I sell the first book in any series of mine for less than the rest of my series. My pricing is not high – but utterly fair. Am I getting paid what I’m worth for my art? Yes and no. But getting paid for books I wrote and published is what matters most here.
My pet peeve about getting paid what you’re worth and Kindle pricing
Please note – I am not in any way, shape, or form disparaging Amazon. My works are all available on Amazon. This pet peeve is about the choices some authors make regarding how they price Kindle books.
Allow me to elaborate.
When it comes to printing a book in paperback or hardcover – there are going to be costs involved that fluctuate with a couple of different factors.
The size of the book (6×9 versus 4.25×6.87 inches), glossy versus matte cover, white or cream paper, and color or black and white, will all impact how much it costs to print.
After that, there’s a margin set by Amazon for how much you must charge to cover the bare minimum. Pricing paperbacks puts you closer to established and traditionally published author book prices.
Kindle, however, is a whole other story. And this is where my pet peeve lies.
Unlike creating a physical book, the process that goes into digital is more arbitrary. You can make a lot of choices about your eBook that won’t impact what you must charge readers to buy it.
As far as I can tell, the minimum price I can charge for a 472-page book is no different from the minimum I can charge for a 214-page book. Clearly, traditional publishers can charge whatever they want for Kindle books.
Overall, I prefer my eBooks under $10. I get charging up to $12 for a thick, “heavy” eBook. But even then, given you aren’t paying for ink or labor, I’m less inclined to buy.
As soon as you charge over $12 for an eBook, I am disinclined to buy. Really? $14.99 for a 300-page book that has zero print cost? I want you to earn what you’re worth, really – but that seems rather greedy to me.
But I digress.
Getting paid what you’re worth and self-worth
Choosing to pursue a vocation in the arts is challenging. Getting paid what you’re worth to do your art isn’t easy.
And sometimes you must walk a fine line between your worth and your standing in the marketplace. To compete for the attention of readers and their money, you must price your offerings accordingly.
You’re not competing with other writers or artists. That’s not the nature of the beast, as we are all better off when we work with each other. But when it comes to the huge volume of available books on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever – you compete to make sales.
How is that different? Because it’s not you versus another author. It’s you versus a finicky marketplace.
And – This is not about your self-worth.
It’s easy to feel disempowered when your sales suck. If you’re not generating a decent income from your art, it’s easy to take that personally. And taking that personally will impact your self-worth. But getting paid what you’re worth isn’t a reflection on your actual, factual self-worth.
But your self-worth does matter when it comes to creating your art. You’re worthy and deserving of taking it to whatever level you care to.
Everyone has a gift to create. How that gift manifests is as individual as each of us. But you’re worthy of your gift – and that self-worth is not set in one place, but flexible as you grow and evolve. No matter who you are or where you come from – be as you as you can be.
Go out there, kick ass, take names, sell your art, and get paid what you’re worth.
How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
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