Do authors really need to publish print books? Not necessarily. Web novelists in mainland China, earning from fees and reader tips, often make more than authors publishing print books in Taiwan, where print fees may not even equal a month’s minimum wage. As a print author, Utsudo still loves watching her bookshelf fill up, but she wonders whether the longing for print books is just being bound by the idea that “only published authors count.” In the future, print books may become collectibles treasured by a few.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Publishing a book is many writers’ dream

I believe many people who write novels long for that day to come—publishing a book!

Seeing your book displayed prominently in a bookstore, maybe even on a big promotional billboard—how cool is that? Your friends and family would find it hard not to worship you! It not only satisfies your vanity but is also something worth bragging about.

Web novelists may earn more

But those of you who love web novels—especially the super-long web serials from mainland China—probably know that web novelists earn money from reader tips or site contracts. Some do publish print books, but only after long serialization and huge popularity. The vast majority of web novels never get a print edition.

Even so, whether from fees or online tips, they still earn more than authors who publish print books in Taiwan (sob

As for why there’s such a difference, I think it’s because of mainland China’s huge population and strong culture of tipping. Since I haven’t actually worked there, it’s better for those who’ve made their way in that web fiction world to share. I can only guess, so I won’t say more.

Authors with some success across the strait generally find Taiwan’s print fees “unbelievably” low. Frankly, they may not even equal a month’s minimum wage. Meanwhile, if their online serials are popular or top the rankings, the numbers are far beyond what print authors could dream of.

Not to mention if they publish print editions or sell rights abroad—that’s another substantial sum.

Is print publishing really necessary?

So sometimes I can’t help wondering: is print publishing really necessary?

Or are we too bound by the feeling of “holding it in your hands,” “seeing it on a shelf,” or even “you’re only a writer if you publish print books”? Print publishing itself is extremely costly. If we weren’t fixated on print, could we change the stereotype that print authors are more impressive than web novelists?

That said, as a print author myself, I still prefer having published books. Watching my shelf of book babies grow gives me an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

But sometimes I wonder whether thinking this way makes me old-fashioned.

The future of print books

Perhaps in the future, print publishing will become rarer and rarer, bought only by the few who want to treasure them. If you just want to read, you can read online without stockpiling books at home.

Anyway, when it comes to “becoming a writer,” the first questions people ask are “Can you make money?” and “Can you support yourself?” If you can make money from fiction online, why fret over whether you have a print book?

Even in this era when books are harder and harder to sell, most people still have a glamorous image of print authors.

Perhaps it’s this image that makes everyone want to become a print author.

Would you mind having only online works and no print books?

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #180: Sudden News of a Death
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.