The Complete Guide to Becoming A Writer and Author
Real pay, real schedules, real rejection—what it actually takes to make it as a writer and author (and how to know if you should try).
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
What writers actually do all day, what they really get paid, and whether you've got the right stuff. No fluff.
About this book
Every year, thousands of people decide to 'become a writer' based on a gut feeling and a romantic notion of coffee shops and inspiration. Then they discover the 40-hour weeks of unpaid pitching, the 2% acceptance rates, and the real income spread that looks like a ski slope—with most people stranded at the bottom. This guide is for the person who wants to know what they're signing up for before they sign up.
You won't find 'follow your passion' here. You'll find actual hourly breakdowns of a writer's workday—the research, the drafts, the begging, the rewriting, the marketing that's now half the job. You'll see real salary data for staff copywriting roles, ghostwriting gigs, and trade-published authors, plus the side-hustle income that keeps most full-time writers alive. And you'll get a hard-nosed self-assessment that shows you whether your personality and habits are a match for this work, or whether you'd be better off writing as a hobby instead of a paycheck.
The goal is simple: after reading this, you'll either feel relief and excitement ('I can do this, and here's exactly how I start') or relief of a different kind ('thank god I found out now instead of five years from now'). Both are good outcomes. Both are better than guessing.
Reader Reviews
Jessica Moore
★★★★★I'm a high school senior trying to decide between a creative writing degree and something 'safer' like engineering. This guide didn't tell me what to do—it gave me actual numbers. The chapter on what writers really earn made me realize I'd need a freelance side hustle for at least three years unless I get a staff job. The day-in-the-life chapter was painfully honest about the isolation. I'm still going to be a writer, but now I'm going in with my eyes open and a business plan. Absolutely worth the money.
Mark Baker
★★★★★I've been a corporate software engineer for nine years and always thought about jumping to writing full-time. This guide talked me out of making the leap without a runway. The salary tables in Chapter 4 and the self-assessment in Chapter 2 were worth it alone—I scored high on 'enjoys revision' but low on 'tolerates constant rejection.' I'm going to start writing on nights and weekends for a year, save up six months of expenses, and then decide. The author clearly wants you to succeed, not just dream.
Richard Young
★★★★★Strong practical content overall—the Chapter 1 breakdown of exactly what the workday looks like was better than any article I've read online. The networking and first-job chapters were genuinely useful. I'm knocking off one star because I thought the education chapter leaned a bit too hard on the 'you don't need a degree' angle for someone like me who already has an English BA and wanted more validation that it wasn't a waste. But honestly, the data they cite about experience outweighing the degree is hard to argue with. I'd recommend this to anyone on the fence.