I speak at seminars about getting non-fiction books published. I’m often asked about the average advances authors get from major publishing houses and the average time it takes to write a polished book….the kind that interests said houses. And invariably, folks don’t like what I have to say much.

If you were to do the math, you too would quickly figure out that the effort involved yields you about $1.50 per hour when all is said and done.

If you thought a big advance was what makes the effort worthwhile, I’m here to burst that bubble. (Call me Mrs. Killjoy.)

And these numbers stand up in the literature as well. (You like facts, and I do too.) According to RainToday.com (not to mention Forbes)who surveyed more than 200 professionals who’d published at least one business book,  the average author could expect to make…

A median direct income of $34,000

And a  median indirect income–from more speaking engagements, the ability to generate more leads, charge high fees, close more deals, and so on–of $100,000

Most of those authors reported a strong or very strong influence on their ability to stand out against competitors

Another big chunk of them reported a strong or very strong influence on generating new clients.

And next to everyone said that publishing a business book affected their professional practice either positively or extremely

positively.

And of course, I’d love to expound. Because that’s just who I am.