The Death and Rebirth of the Author

Jules Evans is research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London, and the author of Philosophy for Life and The Art of Losing Control.

Jules Evans

A workshop for authors looking at ways to make a goddam living. 

A survey by the UK Authors Licensing and Collecting Society (ACLS) found that the average income for a professional author is £10,500. It’s fallen by 42% since 2005. In the US, it’s slightly better: a whopping $16,800 a year, or £12,800.That’s total earnings. It’s well below the poverty line. It’s five grand less than a street-sweeper earns.Where do authors go for advice on how to make a living and support their families? There is zero help out there. I have earned my living as a writer over the last 20 years, from freelance journalism to tutoring to talks to books and podcasts, and thought I would share what has worked for me and what hasn't. I will explore some of the things I have done, including: - Journalism (radio, print and TV)- Blogging / personal newsletter (how to earn via Medium, Patreon and Substack)- Podcasts- Think-tanks- Adult tutoring / personal coaching- Public talks (including setting up your own Meet-up Group)- YouTube talks and TEDX talks- Online courses (Teachable, Udemy etc)- Offline courses- Business coaching and keynote talks- Business consultancy- Trade books- Self-published books- Academic research. Not everything I have done has worked at all. I’ve written books that didn’t sell much, a self-published book that barely sold at all, a business coaching workshop that was a disaster, and I’ve given far too many talks for free…it has not all been roses. I will be completely honest about what has worked for me, and what hasn’t.On the other hand, I’ve been a BBC New Generation Thinker and presented programmes on Radio 3 and 4, presented a podcast for Audible, wrote for publications like Aeon, run the largest philosophy club in the world, have a popular newsletter with paying subscribers, have several tutoring clients, have published trade book bestsellers and self-published books, and was even an ‘in-house philosopher’ for a rugby team (Saracens). Above all, I get to write exactly what I want, explore the topics I want (from Aristotle to ayahuasca), and to play with multiple mediums. It's not always easy or secure, but it's fun, and you can save time by learning from my experience. Much of what I've done has been done by many others - you can learn from what I've done, do similar stuff, and create your own revenue streams. I am sure that YOU also have useful experience and advice, so will leave lots of time in the workshop for your input, and opportunities to network with each other. All attendees will get the slides, useful links, and a 30% discount for a one-on-one online session with me. If you can't make this time, you can still buy a recording of the talk and get my slides for a 50% discount - email me for this option at jules.evans@mac.com

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The Death and Rebirth of the Author

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The Death and Rebirth of the Author

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