Author Compensation Declines Worldwide

(Newswire.net — January 21, 2016) Cluj-Napoca, Cluj — Authorship within the UK is slowly dying as publishers do not pay their authors properly for e-books. If this trend continues, it becomes more likely that professional writers will become an endangered species, warns the Society of Authors. The SoA, which represents professional authors, say that if this trend continues, book lovers will soon be left with few options in the quantity and quality of the books they read. The inequity has become such that the union has called on publishing executives in an open letter, pushing for the fair treatment of authors, less punishing contracts, and more generous payments based on their written works.

According to The Telegraph, the median income of British authors averages £11,000, far below the level considered necessary for a suitable living standard and below minimum wage standards. A study by the University of London showed, as of April 2015, only one in ten authors could afford to earn a living from writing alone. This is a massive 40% drop from April income levels reported in 2005.

“Writing a book is one of the most fulfilling things anyone can do. It’s as important a milestone as getting married and having a child,” says Radu Balas the face of the website Publishing Addict, which builds websites especially for books from the ground up. “In fact, it’s just like having a child. You’ll think about it, wait for it to develop over many months, watch it grow, nurture it, give it everything you’ve got, and then send it on its way – out to the public to live a life of its own, and it will be part of your legacy, something you’ll leave to the world.”

“We believe in helping our authors with positioning their content to represent the highest quality possible. In an increasinly competitive market, the difference between poverty and a living may lie in the way their books look…people judge a book by its cover. They also judge the author by his website,” said Balas.

It is nearly impossible to be recognized as a serious writer without an online presence for your book. By creating a creative, useful and high-impact website, your work will not only become the first like that readers find when they search, but will be easy to read and connect with. Balas’s company, http://publishingaddict.com is able to do that and much more. “If you think you are just a writer you’ll probably fail. In addition to writing, authors must also be a marketer, branding expert…basically a business owner. Even if you fortunate enough to be backed by a publishing house, authors need to position their content in social media, public speaking and other venues. There are many tools that can help you grow your author business, believe it or not, writing, is just one of them,” states Balas.

Website building has become increasingly popular across the world. So much so, that a simple site can be set up for very little investment. However, the perceived value of a free wordpress site cannot compete with one that is professionally styled, positioned and monetized.

“Besides our marketing and design skills, we bring to the table a wealth of experience and knowledge, in making your book a best seller. In fact, our partners have created over 156 best sellers,” said Balas.

Publishing has gone digital. While anyone can publish, publishing well and making it a success still eludes most authors. Perhaps Balas and his team have an edge not just on understanding the economics of authoring a book, but helping authors earn more than minimum wage. 

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