Let’s go over three of the questions people ask writers, some more bearable than others:
QUESTION No. 1: «Is what you wrote true?»
And I ask, does it really matter? If you enjoyed the story, this question belongs more in celebrity gossip. That said, an egocentric writer will be delighted to hear it because it gives him a golden opportunity to talk about himself.
Obviously, writers draw a lot from the rivers that flow through their lives. Even in the most outlandish fiction, there are elements that, if not strictly true, are at least inspired by real events.
QUESTION No. 2: «How many books have you sold?»
The reality is that very few writers can make a living from their books. But how few is «very few»? I estimate that only about 5% or less of fiction writers earn enough to live on. In Spain, according to The Writer’s White Book (Libro Blanco del Escritor), around 16% of all writers (across all genres, including self-help and essays) can live off their books.
Writers typically earn about 10% of a book’s price, from which they must deduct all the money and time invested in promotion, hours of creation, printing and digitalization… Another striking fact: most writers earn less than €1,000 per year from their work. So, as you can imagine, this is an uncomfortable question.
We should also consider why someone might ask this question. Possible reasons include:
- Curiosity or even morbid interest. Fun fact: the first definition of morbo in the Spanish Royal Academy dictionary is «disease.» Enough said.
2. A business-minded approach. Some ask to assess whether writing is a profitable career, which is fair enough: nowadays, almost everyone has written a book, started one, or wants to write one. But there are four major phases to the writing process:
- WANTING to write
- WRITING
- PUBLISHING
- SELLING
The gap between each phase can be enormous, and the leap from phase 3 (Publishing) to phase 4 (Selling) is particularly daunting —think of it as wider than the Mariana Trench… (Too dramatic?)
3. To judge your worth based on sales figures. If «you’re only worth as much as you sell,» then The Little Prince would have been an absolute failure in our hearts. But that’s how people are; if someone tells you a painting is worth a million euros, you’ll assume it must be excellent. A real shame.
The value of a book lies in what it offers you as a person, and this value rarely aligns with its price, whether too high or too low. After all, we don’t usually ask people how much they earn at their jobs.
QUESTION No. 3: A lighter one to end on.
When I visit schools, two questions are guaranteed from kids: «How tall are you?» and «Which football team do you support?»
Unlike adults, they do not respond according to social patterns of morbidity; they’re simply naturally curious.
As for the first question, what matters is not how tall you are, but what you can do with who you are.
And regarding the second, in Spain this is basically a trick question: it’s another way of asking whether you support Real Madrid or FC Barcelona. So, I won’t answer and get myself into a mess. I will say that I have a soft spot for Albacete Balompié, and when it comes to top leagues, I simply appreciate good football.
We’ll be back soon with more reflections on writers, after all, they give us plenty to talk about and discuss with the reading public.
Do you like to read? I love to write
References
The Writer’s White Book [Libro Blanco del Escritor]: https://www.acescritores.com/wp-content/uploads/LBE_Ferro_Web.pdf
How to cite this blog post (APA format):
Ruiz, G. (2025, March 17). Three Questions People Ask Writers. Blog de Germán Ruiz, escritor. https://www.germanruizescritor.com/three-questions-people-ask-writers