I have made the decision and notified the school where I work that this will be my last year teaching. So as of Memorial Day weekend of 2020, I’ll be a full time writer.

Because there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about authors and how they earn money, I wanted to put this into context. I could absolutely not do this based on my writing income alone. My books have been pretty successful. Planetside sold through a while back, and Spaceside will almost certainly sell through in the next few weeks. It’s good to have that income. But enough to live on? No.

I have other sources of income. Most important, I have medical insurance from serving for 27 years in the army (medical insurance being, perhaps, the biggest barrier out there to people who want to write or do anything self-employed full time). I also get a monthly retirement check for that service. This security gives me the privilege to make a decision that not everybody can make.

Secondly, I’m 51. Quitting work at 51 is a lot different from doing it at 35. It’s almost more like early retirement than taking on a new career. I just happen to be supplementing it with earnings as an author. It also mitigates risk. My books may stop selling…but as long as they sell for a little while (and I have another two book deal), I’ll be fine. My kids are grown, I don’t have debt, and my wife and I are pretty basic in our needs.

So…why now? I’ve been turning out a book a year while doing a job (teaching) that I really enjoy.

There are a few reasons.

1. Stress. While I can turn out a book a year and still do my job, there are a lot of days when it’s…well…a lot. A lot of times I feel like I’m not doing the best I could with one or the other endeavor, and I’m not a guy who does well with that. I want to put my best into everything. The inability to do that stresses me. Most days it stresses me a little. Some days it’s a lot.

2. Health and family. To do two jobs at the level I want to do them, some things have to give. Those things have been my health and my time with family. I want the time to spend taking care of myself physically and the time to spend with my wife, my sons, and my granddaughters.

3. I want to write more than a book in a year. I have so many ideas. More than that, I’m happiest when I’m writing.

So that’s it. The things that make me happiest are my family and writing. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can make those things a priority.