I was at a coffee shop last month when I overheard a conversation that made me pause, cringe, and sigh all at once. From what I overheard (turns out I am not that great at eavesdropping), it was one self-published author discussing her recently published book with a friend.
“Oh, I don’t care if I make money from my books,” the author said. “I just write them for me.”
“Then why did you go to the trouble of publishing it?” the other person asked. I tried not to laugh out loud. I actually love it when people call out other people like that.
Long pause, then “Well, you know, just for myself and my friends and family…” then she added the words that I KNEW SHE WAS GOING TO SAY BECAUSE IT’S WHAT ALL AUTHORS SAY:
“I have to admit, I’m kind of sad it didn’t catch on and become a bestseller.”
That exchange perfectly captures a contradiction I’ve noticed again and again in the writing world. Authors often claim they don’t care about making money from their work, but their actions and hidden disappointments tell a different story. Let’s talk about why this happens and what we can do about it.
Why Do We Say We Don’t Care About Money?
Look, I get it. I won’t say I’ve been there, because I always wanted to make money from my books. In fact, I don’t get people who say they don’t want to make money. Like, why? You spent all that time writing a book. You thought enough of the book to learn how to self-publish it. Why would you do all that if you didn’t want to make money?
Because you’re lying, that’s why. You actually do want to make money. You just don’t want to admit it.
I believe that saying you don’t care about money feels safer somehow. It’s like wearing emotional armor that protects us from several uncomfortable truths:
–You’re scared of failing. If you admit you want your books to sell well, you’re also admitting you might fail. It’s much easier to say “I don’t care” than to acknowledge you might pour your heart into something and watch it struggle in the marketplace (or not take off organically, which books DO NOT DO anymore).
–You’ve bought into the “true artist” myth. Somewhere along the way, many of us absorbed this idea that real artists shouldn’t care about money. As if getting paid somehow taints the purity of our work. But here’s the thing – even Shakespeare wrote for money. (And he seemed to do okay artistically, right?)
–You feel like an imposter. Sometimes we’re dealing with such intense imposter syndrome that we feel guilty even thinking about making money from our writing. Like we haven’t earned the right yet. But if we’ve put in the work to create something valuable, why shouldn’t we be compensated?
What This Mindset Is Really Costing You
When you pretend not to care about money, you end up shooting yourself in the foot in some pretty serious ways:
- You sabotage yourself without even realizing it. You might skip marketing opportunities, underprice your books, or turn down chances to get your work in front of more readers – all because you’re trying to maintain this facade of not caring about commercial success.
2. You make your writing life harder than it has to be. By not taking the business side seriously, you often end up having to squeeze your writing in around other jobs, rather than being able to focus on creating your best work.
3. You don’t bother to learn about marketing. Since you’ve convinced yourself that promotion is somehow beneath you or unnecessary, you miss out on valuable skills that could help your book find its audience. Instead of viewing marketing as a way to connect your work with interested readers, you see it as something distasteful that “real artists” don’t need to do.
4. You reach fewer readers. This one really matters. When you undervalue your work, you often lack the resources to get it into the hands of people who might love it. It’s not just about money – it’s about connecting with your audience.
Breaking Free: How to Change Your Money Mindset
Here are some real-world strategies that have worked for authors who’ve made this shift:
Start with honesty. The next time you catch yourself saying “I don’t care about money,” pause and ask yourself if that’s really true. What are you actually feeling? What are you afraid of? What do you actually want from your writing career?
Flip the script. Instead of thinking about money as something that corrupts art, try thinking about it as something that fuels art. Making money from your writing means you can spend more time writing. It means you can invest in becoming a better writer. It means you can reach more readers.
Get practical about it. Learn about the business side of publishing. Yes, it can feel overwhelming at first, but understanding how things work helps remove some of the emotional charge around money.
Set real goals. Be honest with yourself about what you want – both artistically and financially. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your books to both move people AND pay your bills.
Finding Your Balance
Here’s the truth: You can care about both the art and the money. The most fulfilled authors I know have found ways to honor both. They create work they’re proud of AND they make sure that work has the best possible chance of reaching readers.
Think of it this way: If you’ve spent months or years crafting a book you believe in, don’t you owe it to that book to give it the best possible chance of success? That means learning about marketing, understanding the business side, and yes – being honest about wanting it to sell well.
Moving Forward
Start small. You don’t have to transform your whole mindset overnight. Maybe begin by:
- Admitting to yourself what you really want for your work
- Identifying one fear that’s holding you back
- Learning one new thing about the business side of publishing
- Finding other authors who are open about both their creative and commercial goals
- Taking one small step toward treating your writing more professionally
Remember this: Caring about money doesn’t make you a sellout. It makes you someone who values their work enough to want it to succeed. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The next time you’re tempted to say “I don’t care about making money from my books,” try this instead: “I care about my work reaching readers, and I’m willing to learn what it takes to make that happen.”
Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s really about – giving your work its best shot at finding its audience. And yes, making enough money to keep writing is part of that equation.