Unpacking the “Day Job”

Learning to view my career as a job…and how writers make money.

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Every now and then I’m asked by someone unfamiliar with the publishing world if I still work a job now that I’ve sold my novel…or if I just, like, write now.

It’s an incredibly sweet sentiment, one I have imagined endlessly, but I have to suppress a cackle. How could a person outside the world of writing know how little writers are paid? The numbers are nearly unbelievable given how hard it is to actually put coherent words on a page, let alone a book’s worth of them. But the sad truth (highlighted in a recently viral essay about the dire state of publishing) is that very few writers make enough money to only write books. In some twisted albeit predictable capitalist maneuver, writers actually make the least amount of money out of anyone involved in the publishing process.

So, no. I do not sit around and write all day — if only. I have a day job. Almost all novelists do, unless they’re Sally Rooney or have a spouse who supports them.

A lot of writers’ jobs are writing-related: copywriting, editing, journalism, teaching. But not all. My day job has nothing to do with writing. I work in tech, specifically in what’s called “product,” which (loosely) means figuring out what to build for an app or website and working with designers and engineers to make it happen.

I attempted to pursue the millennial mantra of “loving my work” … But when I discovered writing in my 30s, it became undeniable that, most of the time, I didn’t actually love my work beyond the rather flimsy sense of self it brought me.

For most of my professional life, my work was not so much a “day job,” as it was my career. Most of my decisions between the ages of 18 and 34 were structured around climbing a specific professional ladder to ensure financial stability. Second to that, I attempted to pursue the millennial mantra of “loving my work” — pivoting my business and tech background to nonprofits, socially minded business, running my own company. But when I discovered writing in my 30s, it became undeniable that, most of the time, I…