Myth 2: You'll get rich writing romance

(or why you shouldn't give up your day job)

Erm...no.

Not unless your name ends in Roberts, Cartland or Steele. Like any industry there are those who are at the apex and there are many, many more shuffling around for space at the fatter end of the pyramid. Romance is massive business around the world but it's important to understand, first, how many people are writing in the industry and, second, where the money from every sale goes.

Authors, retailers, agents and designers get a percentage of everything sold but nothing on what doesn't sell. Even publisher profits are offset by the cost of producing books that are returned, unsold, for pulping. Every book that does well has to carry its neighbours that don't.

But the print industry... Printers get paid for 100% of the 100 million books produced every year. Regardless of what ships, regardless of what sells, regardless of what is returned for pulping. So when I die I'm coming back as a print company share-holder.