BAIPA monthly meetings are now on Zoom, with occasional hybrid meetings (Zoom and in-person). The Zoom links will be provided to you via email on the Friday evening before, around 9 PM.
Therefore, all non-members MUST register in advance in order to participate. However, all current BAIPA members will get the Zoom info for this session automatically.

Please scroll down to the bottom of this page if you need a non-member ticket.

The general meeting begins at 9 am, the speaker presentation is at 11 am, after Q&A, networking time, introductions & announcements.

(Click here for the schedule for the day)

To earn a living from writing and publishing, most writers must look beyond book sales.

Few authors are transparent about their book sales and some take offense if you ask. But most aren’t earning a living through book sales alone. So where does the money come from? Find out.

Getting a book published is a major milestone that every author should celebrate, each and every time it happens, yet it rarely leads to the kind of success or earnings that everyone hopes for. Few authors are open and transparent about what they earn and most will take offense if you ask. Because of the taboo surrounding earnings, it’s easy to assume everyone is doing better than you. But they probably aren’t. Few people make a living solely by writing and publishing books, unless they have a big platform or a long career with a big backlist. So where does the money come from if not sales? In addition to day jobs, writers earn money through patronage/donations, advertising/sponsorships, and services.

Key Takeaways include:

• 4 key ways that writers earn money
• How strategy differs when you’re appealing to gatekeepers vs readers
• The most likely type of writer to earn a living through book sales alone
• The often overlooked and ignored ways that writers can earn moneyKnow that it’s easier than ever to publish books—and harder than ever to sell them.

About Our Speaker: Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer, second edition (University of Chicago Press, 2025), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.

Connect with Jane: janefriedman.com