What Authors Really  Earn (and Why It Matters) According to the Authors Guild’s 2023 survey, here’s the reality of author income: Full-time authors earned a median book income  (advances, royalties, and licensing) of about $10,000 , and a median total author-related income  of just over $20,000 . Traditionally published authors in commercial markets did a little better — a median of $15,000  from books and $25,000  total. But when you include all authors (part-time, indie, or