Published: 3 February 2026

There Is No Money In Writing

“There is money in writing” is the primary sentence that prevented me from choosing a career as a writer. In elementary and high school, I excelled at Math. English? Not so much. But, I did not have a passion for Math. I preferred the comfort of Mark Twain, or Robert Heinlein, or even Ayn Rand to that of Leibniz and Newton and their Multi-variable Calculus. But, I was told I had what it takes to work in computers, and tech was the future, i.e. where to make a lot of money.

Besides, college-level math was hard and didn’t come as easily as in lower levels of education. But, I loved evaluating the works of Fitzgerald and Shakespeare and Faulkner in high school and college English literature classes. I loved writing my analysis on why Rand was full of shit, Even if my “C+” grade was due to my not “getting” the nuance of past present dangling participles in my paper. To this day, I still don’t “get” what a dangling is.

It is 40 years after those first high school literature courses, and while I made good money in tech, I was never happy working on the next version of some software that could improve (yea, right) the lives of thousands, if not millions. But I was never satisfied with releasing the latest version of any app. Not like the satisfaction I received when I finished writing some procedural guide or analysis report. It wasn’t the topic as much as it was the act of writing, editing, and finally having a version good enough to publish – even if it was to a small audience.

I sat by as I watched new authors gain in their heights of recognition and pay checks as their works became best sellers or fodder for movies and television. I was glued to the television watching interviews with authors about their latest published novel and what it was like promoting their works on a book tour. I dreamed of sitting at a crappy table in a book store signing my freshly printed novel for eager fans.

But, alas, version 2.3.who-the-fuck-cares of some app needed to be released. And, I needed to write up my progress report. At least, there was some writing in my “yob”.

“There is no money in writing” is a misnomer, told by frightened parents that their child will never leave the house. Told by parents who want their child to ride the wave of tech (or medicine, or law, or whatever high earning career) to riches. To just write? No future in that.

The Publishing Industry Is Dead

How often have we heard that the publishing industry is dying? Amazon is killing it? I would say it is not dead, but it isn’t a monopoly anymore either. With blogging (some bloggers make some really good money, btw), self-publishing (thank you, Amazon), Substack, Blogger.com, Medium.com and other social platforms, etc., traditional publishing is just one of many other channels for getting one’s works out into the world. And, in some cases, to get paid for the effort.

Why Write?

“Why write?” is a great question for anyone who puts words to paper, electronic or physical.

For me, I have had enough of Corporate America and the dissatisfaction that came from working there. I have finally quelled the “No Money” sentence. And, later in life I have decided to follow a second career that I actually enjoy. I am trusting I will be able to make some Euros out of my effort – at least enough to live on.

I also feel a compulsion to express myself. Get my story out there, so to speak. I am tired of being some unknown Program Manager launching yet another piece of crappy software. I am an individual and want to be recognized as such. Writing is one way I can meet that need.

And yes, I want recognition for my work, beyond a launch party in the lunch room, with pizza and soda for all. I dream of being the author in the interview on the TV, and of sitting behind a crappy table in the corner of some little book store in Santa Monica, CA signing my latest book for my fans.

Until then, having my name on a blog in the corner of the internet will do.