And now, a word from our sponsors...

People have been making a living from writing for centuries, but the way the words translated into money (and food, and shelter, and so forth) has gone through a series of changes over the lifetime of the written word. From patronage to endowments to royalties and advances, writers through the ages have found ways to avoid starvation (though sometimes only just).

I suppose that's part of why I'm not afraid of the current shifting of the publishing business model - as the way we buy and read books becomes about convenience and format (words that would have meant something very different fifty or two hundred years ago). There will always be a place for writers with the determination and flexibility to roll with the changes. (And I happen to be one of those odd people who really like change.)

I was thinking last week about the different ways writers make a living, chatting with a friend who was working as a freelance writer - ghost writing & writing for "packaged" children's books. I don't know much about that side of the industry (and certain aspects make it unlikely I'll delve deeply into that side any time soon), but I was intrigued by the fact that the brand is not the author but the subject matter of the book. Like the Magic Treehouse books.

It got me thinking about the different ways an author can be known. Many of the big authors start out by being "the author of ___" and then progress to being known as a Name in their own right. Fill in the blank - Twilight, Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code. But when did Stephen King stop being "the author of The Shining (Carrie, The Stand...)" and become just Stephen King. When did Grisham outpace "the author of The Firm". Is it about the depth of their body of work? Is it about a level of celebrity?

I was watching golf last weekend (I know, like watching paint dry, right? And I enjoyed it. I just shocked myself with that sentence right there). Anyway, I'm watching golf with my dad (we were all doing the 4th at my g-parents in Ohio) and he makes a comment about how you can tell how famous certain golfers are by checking out the sponsor logos on their clothes. I responded with my usual snark, saying when I'm rich and famous people are going to pay me to write in pajamas wearing their logos. This book written entirely while wearing the Nike swoosh!

But it got me thinking about how few celebrities these days make their primary income from the thing which they are actually famous for. Endorsement, sponsorship, merchandizing, putting their smiling face on a billboard or in the middle of a Right Guard commercial - that's where the real money is.

Companies sponsor webstreaming of television shows... others give large grants of money to individuals that are selected by voting from their members (current Pepsi project, former Visa & Amex projects). Support the arts has gone corporate (because it makes them look good).

Just wait until this trips over into writing. It's a new kind of patronage, in a way, but now instead of being sponsored by Lady Moneybags, this book will be brought to you with limited commercial interruptions by Nissan.

What do you think? Cool new wave of the future or dystopian nightmarescape? Would you buy more wickets if they brought you great literature?