In almost every other profession, people have a pretty good idea of what others are making, and I think, in writing, among the people I know, people have no idea. And the difference between people who do very well and people who are just getting by is a big range.
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Susan Orlean
Susan Orlean (born October 31, 1955) is an American journalist and author. She has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1992, and has contributed articles to many magazines including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside. She is best known as the author of the 1998 book The Orchid Thief, which was adapted into the film Adaptation (2002). Meryl Streep received an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Orlean. 2Personal life Orlean was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Edith (née Gross 1923-2016) and Arthur Orlean (1915-2007). She has a sister, Debra, and a brother, David. Her family is Jewish. Her mother's family is from Hungary and her father's family from Poland. Her father was an attorney and businessman. She graduated from the University of Michigan, studying literature and histor
For each person it can be a different financial arrangement. For a long time [at the New Yorker] I did what many writers do, which is agree in the beginning of the year to do a certain number of pieces, and then that amount was paid out to me over the year -- the aggregate of all of that. So I would…
The reality is, more and more and more, being a writer is running your own business. While I've had salaries, and I've been an employee, overall and ultimately and certainly increasingly so, being a writer is running a small business.