Calling Time
After much deliberation I have been forced to come to a single, unhappy conclusion. I am currently contracted to write two more books for Pen and Sword, the first of which is on Constantius III. However, after completing these books I will not be writing any more.
This may seem a drastic decision, given that there are many more subjects which could be covered – the Third century, the Early Republic, the Constantinian Dynasty, Theodosius I – the list goes on. The trouble is that the financial rewards for the months/years of work that goes into writing one book makes it no longer worthwhile.
Possibly the main reason is the rise of the ‘E-book’. Although cheaper to produce and easier to store than print books, and therefore of greater appeal to the public, the net result is that the poor author receives pennies in royalties for these books.
Please don’t mistake my comments here: I can fully understand why people buy e-books rather than hardbacks or paperbacks, not least the cost. I may prefer ‘real’ books to e-books, but I do have quite a few of the latter as I have begun to run out of room in the house. And as money is tight, they are the most affordable version to get.
For the author, that is small comfort. For example, in the last royalties statement I found that I was being paid two-and-a-half pence per book for one of the publications. Strangely, this is not enough to justify the work and commitment needed to write a full manuscript.
As a result, I have recently resumed my career in Education – though on a lesser scale than previously – where I can earn more in one week than I earn in royalties for six months. Hopefully, readers can understand this decision and will accept that paying the bills must come before the vanity of seeing my name in print.
This does not mean, however, that I will now immediately stop posting here or responding to queries and comments. I still have two more years of writing before me, so will be around for a time yet!
5 Comments
Hello Mr.Hughes,
I hope you are well and that your health is holding up. I’m a fan of your work and am saddened to see that your stint with Pen and Sword will be over after the completion of your next couple of books. I’ve just discovered your site and was wanting to make a recommendation for a book about Ricimer. There aren’t any in-depth English biographies on him and I thought that you would be the perfect person to introduce him to the world. He was a very interesting figure and played a prominent role towards the end of the Western Roman Empire. Anyway, keep up your terrific work. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. A fan.
Steven Berry
Hi Steven
Thank you for your kind words. I hope you and yours are healthy in these disturbing times.
I too am saddened by the state of affairs for those who are not selling books in the vast amounts needed to succeed as an author, but that is the new publishing world.
As for Ricimer, everything I could find about him and his times is included in my book ‘Patricians and Emperors’. Sadly, there was not enough for a separate book so he was included in a ‘compilation’.
Cheers
Ian
Hi Ian
I hope You are well in our difficult pandemic times. It’s very sad news that You are going to resign from writing. I’m a fan of your Late Rome books, I like your style of writing. I’ve all of your print books.
From one side I understand You that your good work should provide You beside personal satisfaction as an author and historian, also financial benefits.
But on the other hand it’s really a pity that besides these two new titles You will not write any more books on Ancient Rome. In my opinion, Pen and Sword should change its’ approach to such good authors as You. It’s crazy. I wish You a lot of success in your new/old career in Education.
I’m also impatiently waiting for your last new books – including Constantine. But I still hope that You change your mind in future.
All the best, good health for You nad Your loved ones
Pawel
Pawel
Hi, Ian.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading “Stilicho,” which even for a late-Roman history buff, had more information than I even knew how to digest. It is one of the most well-researched and detail history books I’ve ever read. I look forward to reading more of them in the future. Glad to see your health is back in good shape, and would encourage you to keep writing as much as possible… even if just blogs instead of books. It would also be fantastic if you collaborated with one of the many “history short/documentary” channels on YouTube, as I’m sure your areas of expertise would be right up their alley. Best wishes to you, and here’s a video clip you might appreciate… Mike Tyson is an expert on The Fall of Rome… dead serious:
https://youtu.be/rhThso-PE_o?t=1820
Regards,
-Connor
Hi Mr. Hughes,
Very delighted to hear your health hasn’t deteriorated lately. I sincerely hope doctors will bring right decisions regarding your health and that radiation will not be necessary in your case.
I bought and read your Constantine and again it is a great military biography as all your books are. I wasn’t aware at all how difficult is to differentiate Diocletian’s military reforms from the ones of Constantine. I was also surprised to find out that he hadn’t been a culprint for a barbarization of roman army. Till recently this was one thing I holded against him.
But wouldn’t you agree with me that Diocletian is maybe the only roman emperor who really understood that without some functional transfer of power roman empire would stop to exsist? I personally believe that this understanding of his makes him the greatest of all of the roman emperors. Sadly he failed in his experiment.
Best regards from Slovenia,
Robert