Robert McCrum in Guardian Unlimited’s World of Books
Robert McCrum in Guardian Unlimited Not just for writers, but a must for anyone interested in books, this is quite simply one of the best places for keeping up with the literary world on the net. http://books.guardian.co.uk
(After writing about the high advances paid to some new authors and the huge amounts received by bestselling authors - including Forbes's estimate of $36 million to J K Rowling and $28 million to John Grisham in the year 2000)
'The truth about advances is that they are a stark reminder that books are a business. Historically, a very few people - writers, booksellers, literary agents, publishers - have made a great deal of money out of books. What's forgotten is the fate of the countless thousands who have made virtually nothing after a life of unremitting, hard, lonely work. The average earnings of the writer in Britain are, very roughly, less than the take-home pay of a moderately industrious house cleaner.'
