Last night, I tried to establish that the careers of authors are as varied as the authors themselves. Most of us aren’t going to make enough money off our writing to change our lives. If that’s the case, how does the author measure their success?

It just so happens that over on Bluesky, a couple of well established authors have been talking about success. Delilah S. Dawson described what it’s like being a career writer right now, and how stressful it is because so much of a writer’s success comes down to luck. All it takes is for the right person to pick up your story at the right time, and suddenly, your dreams are realized. As Delilah puts it, the equation is skill + time + luck. You have control over two of those factors, so keep honing your skills and putting in the time, and hope that luck finds you.

John Scalzi also reiterated how much luck has played a part in his career. He acknowledges that he is an excellent writer, because he is, and he has also been quite fortunate to find his path through the proverbial jungle. He’s recently returned from a trip to Budapest where he received The Grand Prize of Budapest. I think if anyone exemplifies the formula Delila Dawson described, skill + time + luck, it’s John Scalzi.

So, if skill + time + luck = success, what does success look like?

Sometimes, it looks like money. If you’re able to support yourself on your writing alone, I would say you’re successful. If the money you make from your writing pays your way to go to conventions and writing retreats, you are successful. Hell, if it allows you to take the one you love out to a nice meal, that is also success. Writers sink a lot of time into their stories. It’s nice to get paid for that time.

Then again, some writers aren’t looking to publish. Are they not still successful? Jennifer Carson and I had a conversation on this blog 9 years ago about what it is to be a successful writer, and publishing is not necessarily part of that definition. Most people that set out to write a book never get to the end, so simply finishing a story is a huge win.

If you’re looking for a way to measure success, measure it in joy. Does your work make you happy? Are your stories bringing joy to others? Our capitalist society wants you to believe that something only has value if you can put a price tag on it, but that is a lie. There is value in happiness.

I haven’t talked about fame or recognition as measures of success. Not all writers that are recognizable are rich. My buddy Michael Gallowglas is quite popular in many circles, but if you’ve attended any of his live storytelling shows, you’ll know from context that he’s not pulling in Stephen King, George R. R. Martin, or J. K. Rowling money. (If you haven’t attended one of his shows, you should correct that. What I just described is a bit from his show.)

To a certain degree, fame seems more like a curse than a blessing. I remember running briefly into Brandon Sanderson on the ship during Writing Excuses Retreat 2022, and there was a moment of fear in his eyes. We’d met many times before that, and I don’t think he recognized me. He saw that I recognized him though, and he probably thought I was about to mob him like so many of his fans. I gave him a smile and a greeting and kept going, and he visibly relaxed.

Suffice it to say, fame can be a measure of success as an author. For my part, it’s not what I’m looking for.

I’m looking for readers. I want fans of my stories, which sounds a little bit like fame, but I see it differently. I want people to sink into my stories and get immersed, and when they climb out the other side, look around hungrily for the next book. I want to make people feel and think. With The Repossessed Ghost, I want people to be able to escape for a little while and have a fun adventure.

If I measured success only in dollars, I would just focus on the Day Job. I’m well paid for my work as a programmer, and an enormous paycheck would have to arrive for my hourly rate as a writer to come close to comparing to my hourly rate as a programmer. It’s not something I’m ever going to expect.

In summary, you must define for yourself what success looks like as an author. No one else can define it for you. And if you don’t know the answer now, that’s okay, too! Just keep writing, putting in the time.