Hai Beautiful!
Agh… Here goes nothing!
I am not a big creator by any means but if someone reads my content and enjoys it, then I am happy about it. I know I will not be paid for the hours I put into my content on any platforms and over the 5 years of blogging I have come to terms with that.
I’ve seen something going around Twitter recently where for some reason bloggers are speaking up about how much they are being paid to ‘blog’.
I don’t know what sparked this debate and I surely didn’t stick around to find out. I just posted a comment that simply stated “$0” and exited the application.
There has been a lot of hatred and calling-out of creators and authors amongst Twitter recently as the subject of people’s timelines changes from Black Lives Matter to something else entirely.
Now, I will not stop advocating for Black or Blak lives. I have learnt so so much in the last week or so. I took the last couple of posting days off to educate myself and amplify Black and Blak voices. Even attending my first ever protest.
I’ve learnt so much from doing my research and listening to Black and Blak voices from both overseas and at home. Although, I have noticed a shift in the Twitterverse in which people are taking to calling out (sometimes rightfully so) creators and authors in a way that may be bordering on harmful.
I am not one to speak out or join in on the conflict, especially online but I feel that it is my duty as someone with a platform to stand up and speak up at times like this. I just want to put a gentle reminder out to everyone to stay safe and think about what you post before you post it. Even if it has to sit in your drafts for a while, if you have nothing nice to say please don’t say anything at all.
I will always accept constructive criticism, I’ve said that many times before in my posts but I will not tolerate hate. Jasper + Spice along with all of my platforms are safe spaces for anyone in the LGBTQ+, POC and other communities.
There is so much more I can say in regards to JKR and other things I’ve seen in the community but that would be counterintuitive as I want to keep harmful content off of my pages. I hope you are all doing well and keep away from content if you find it harmful or triggering.
But back onto the topic at hand in which creators have been posting about how little they earn for their work and calling out other people for supposedly being paid large sums of money for their work. One such Tweet called out Rick Riordan (or Uncle Rick as he is affectionately known), the author of the Percy Jackson series and President of the ‘I-hate-the-Percy-Jackson-films’ Fanclub. He Tweeted back, telling OP how little he actually earned from the films.
I saw someone else call out Sasha Alsberg, Youtuber and author of The Andromeda Saga for how much they think she earnt from the sale of her novel. Now I don’t follow her close enough to know why people are against her but I like her and the way she presents herself online. What I don’t like is people’s hatred towards others who come into wealth from hard work.
Everyone is trying to make money.
Whether this is by getting a job, writing a book, starting a YouTube channel, etc. We are all looking for some means to make money. You’d be lying to think otherwise, and I’m not saying Sasha or other creators went into YouTube with the intent for money, but people see the power in recognition which in turn acquaints you with people, gets you a nice following and that eventually turns into success.
Whatever money Sasha or others make from the sale of their book/s, regardless of how good/ bad the novel is, they deserve every cent. Creators put their entire hearts and souls into their work, their videos, posts, etc. Much like I am doing now with writing this post. The only difference is, some get money for it.
Creators work to create that connection and rapport with their audience which allows them to gain success and oftentimes this success is measured by how many people know you, what they think of you and in the end, how much money you have (or are perceived to have).
So yes, people who have worked their butts off to produce content, create that rapport with the audience and successfully sell that product are worthy of the praise and monetary gain.
I am only speaking of those within the book community!!
Other creators with malicious, ill-intent or just blatant disregard for those who consume their content should be challenged. I understand that my words may be taken out of context but please understand that I will not support anyone whose actions or words are sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or just plain disgusting.
Back again to the blogging community $payment issue.
I, myself am in no way a big creator. I, for may years have always thought I was doing something wrong by not earning money from my blogging. I thought people hated my content or it just wasn’t good enough. I love blogging and would be over the moon to make it a full-time job, I could never understand what I had to do to achieve that.
This isn’t like lifestyle, food or travel blogging where there are infinitely more opportunities for monetary gain from writing articles about experiences. We deal with and are sometimes taken for granted by publishers which (I can only make assumptions) are not the most generous industries when it comes to funding creators that do not have a large reach.
So oftentimes, the majority of us book bloggers go without pay. Actually, I have not heard of a book blogger who makes money off of their blogging.
Over the five or so years I have been running Jasper + Spice blog I have had to come to terms with the fact that it will always be a hobby. It will always be something out of my field of occupation and a skill on the side that I can continue to refine but never make a living out of.
And I know very well that not many people will even read this post. I can assure you that I don’t receive comments on my posts and I don’t receive feedback regardless of how much I ask for it, but that’s okay. I can continue to be down about this or I can move on, putting more and more effort into each of my posts until I hope that one of them reaches someone who takes something away from it.
I do this for entertainment and educational purposes only. This used to be something I told myself to make me feel better but now I mean that wholeheartedly.
Paying $18 a month for hosting my own site has made me happy, but without an income at all right now, especially during COVID-19 and certainly no income from my blog, there are times when I ask is it worth it? The answer I tell myself is yes, it is worth it. My happiness and passion for my craft is worth it.
I’m not the greatest at marketing myself or boosting other bloggers but just know that I stand with my fellow creators who don’t make a single coin from what they do, especially the ones who lose money from their craft. I also am beside the ones who’ve busted their arses doing hours upon hours of work to actually make coin. I support and love you all!
Last of all, to you reading this. Thank you so much for making it down here to the very bottom of my post. I hope you have learnt something from my frantic ramblings and the last I ask of you is that you may leave a comment of any sort to let me know that you are here.
I love you and stay safe xxx
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