How Much Money Do You Make Writing Those Books?

My first novel had only been on the market for a month when it seemed as if everyone in my family, my neighborhood, and the Greater Phoenix Area needed to know how much money I made. Frankly, it was easier to tell them how much money I spent considering the entire marketing aspect. Still, the questions persisted.

“So, how much money did you make?”

“Are you still going to keep your other jobs?”

“I don’t need the exact figure, but approximately, how much do you make a month?”

Initially, I dismissed this mini-inquisition into my finances and simply said, “I’m doing OK. I’m just getting started.” But I kept getting hounded. And with each new book that was published, the nagging continued.  

“I just need to know how much money you make because I may decide to start writing. Of course, I’ve never written anything before, but if it’s a money-maker, I may just go ahead and write my own novel.”

“Are you making more money now that you have written other novels? How much more?”

I’ve avoided actual responses to these questions the same way I avoid confronting the coyotes in my neighborhood when I take the dog for a walk. I duck in-between houses, run as fast as I can while carrying a squirming 10 pound dog, or I shake a soda can of rocks at the coyotes and yell, “Go Away! Go Away!”

Unfortunately, I can’t go around shaking rock filled soda cans all the time. And then, it dawned on me. I need to do the same thing. With any luck, they’ll be running from me.

“So, how much money did you make with that telemarketing job last year? If it’s substantial, I might just get use to yacking on the phone.”

“Can you tell me your monthly income working as an insurance agent? It it’s decent, I might just consider it, even though I have no experience.”

“How much money did you make with AVON last month? Was it more than you made when you sold GOLD CANYON CANDLES?  I may want to do something like that.”

Yeah, it may just work. Of course I really don’t want to alienate my family and friends, so I think I’ll settle for this response.

“I didn’t make enough money to move me into another tax bracket, but when I do, I’ll shout it from the roof of my house and send out a massive email! In the meantime, I just hope Time Travel Mysteries catches on because the personal investment I’ve made out weighs anything else.”