One percent!

Walk into an average bookstore and look around. Guess how many of the authors of the books you see make their living by writing books? Just take a guess?

One percent.

Not one percent of all writers. One percent of the successes, one percent of all the people who got published by a major publisher, who made it to the big time, who are doing good! One percent of the big time writers!

That means the vast majority of writers, even if they are a success, have a day job. They toil. They work. (source: an unnamed industry source, as quoted by Randy Ingermanson in his latest blog)

If that prospect right there is enough to shake your faith in writing, you need to get out. Seriously. This is no business for the faint-hearted. If you really want to write you need to be prepared for endless drudgery that will never pay off. Seeing your words in type, knowing at least one person loved them... that needs to be enough for you.

If it's not, you need to go into some other profession. Somewhere they actually do reward your faithful efforts.