Author
Authors write books, scripts and other long-form works, turning an idea or a period of research into a finished piece of writing.
- Median salary*
- $78,000
4.6%vs last year, before tax
- People employed*
- 3,800
2.7%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +18.2%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- 6 out of 10
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
- Authors work largely on their own, usually freelance or on contract, and are responsible for their own hours and for finding the next project.
- The work is longer and more self-directed than journalism: a book, script or essay develops over months or years rather than to a daily deadline.
- Most authors hold a degree, and many combine writing with teaching, editing, journalism or other paid work while a manuscript is in progress.
How much do authors earn?
The median full-time salary for an author is $78,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,600 since 2018.
Most authors are paid through advances, royalties, commissions or freelance rates rather than a weekly wage, so annual earnings swing with how many projects are published and how well they sell. Trade publishing advances are often modest and paid in instalments, while educational, technical and screen work usually pays a set fee per project. Teaching, grants, speaking fees and other writing work are common ways to steady the income between books.
What does an author do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Developing original ideas, themes and characters, often across several drafts before a publisher or producer sees anything
- Researching settings, subjects and background detail, from archives and interviews to site visits
- Writing and revising manuscripts, scripts or long-form articles, usually to a self-imposed schedule
- Working through structural and line edits with an editor, agent or script producer
- Pitching proposals to publishers, agents or commissioning editors, and handling the rejections that come with it
What skills do authors need?
Employers look for content creation and writing, project management, backed by Microsoft Word fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Content creation and writing
- Project management
Software and tools
- Microsoft Word
- Scrivener
- Google Docs
- ProWritingAid
General skills
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Time and deadline management
- Digital literacy
Is the job growing?
About 3,800 people work as authors in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 18.2% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become an author?
Here's the path most authors take, step by step.
- 1Write the manuscript
Agents and publishers want a finished manuscript, or a proposal with sample chapters for non-fiction, rather than an idea. Most authors write at least one unpublished book before one is contracted.
- 2Study writing or a related field
A bachelor degree in creative writing, literature, communications or journalism is the common route, and about 38% of authors hold one, with a further 10% holding a postgraduate qualification. TAFE diplomas in professional writing are an alternative, and neither guarantees publication.
- 3Build a publishing record
Literary journals, anthologies, competitions, self-published titles and freelance articles give an agent or editor something to judge. Screen work usually starts with a short film or a spec script.
- 4Find an agent or submit directly
Most trade publishers accept submissions only through literary agents, while small presses, journals, educational publishers and production companies often read direct submissions. Self-publishing works for some genres, though it shifts marketing and distribution to the author.
- 5Learn the business side
Contracts cover advances, royalties, rights and reversion clauses, and peak bodies such as the Australian Society of Authors publish guidance and minimum rates. Grants, residencies and copyright payments from the Copyright Agency are common ways to fund time to write.
Study that can help
No set qualification is needed for this role in our data. These qualifications are not required, but the study can help.
- Bachelor of Creative WritingBachelor degree
Teaches writing across forms, editing, research and how publishing works, all part of an author's work.
Prefer something shorter?
A short course can build some of these skills without a full qualification. These aren't accredited, and we don't rank or recommend providers: compare a few before you commit.
Creative writing
Search on CourseraSearch on UdemySearch on LinkedIn Learning
These are ordinary links to each provider's own site. We don't currently earn anything from them.
Ready to apply as an author?
Whether you're working toward becoming an author or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an author move to?
Moving into Journalist typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $11,500 a year more on average.
- JournalistSuggested move$89,500+$11,500
- ScreenwriterSuggested move$75,400−$2,600
- ProofreaderSuggested move$66,600−$11,400
- Publishing EditorSuggested move$65,000−$13,000
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
Journalist Authors bring research and narrative skills, moving into journalism with substantial retraining in news reporting. | +$11,500 | 38% | reskill |
Screenwriter Authors bring narrative craft and dialogue skills, moving into screenwriting with a short course in script writing. | −$2,600 | 58% | short course |
Proofreader Authors bring close reading and language skills, moving into proofreading with a short course in editorial standards. | −$11,400 | 64% | short course |
Publishing Editor Authors bring manuscript and storytelling skills, moving into publishing editor roles with a short course in editing. | −$13,000 | 75% | short course |
Podcast Producer Authors bring research and storytelling skills, moving into podcast production with a short course in audio production. | −$13,000 | 39% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an author?
The typical author is 48 years old; 56% are women, 58% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 48
- Median age
- 56%
- Female share
- 58%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an author?
The year is shaped by projects rather than a roster: research and drafting, then redrafting, then pitching, with long stretches alone and short bursts of contact with editors, agents and audiences. Income is uneven and the gap between starting a manuscript and being paid for it is long, so writers usually keep some other work going alongside. Authors tend to enjoy the autonomy and the depth of the work more than the pitching and the uncertainty around money.
What people like
- You set your own working day. Outside contracted deadlines, the hours and the order of the work are yours, which suits people who write best early in the morning or late at night.
- Long projects reward patience. A novel, a non-fiction book or a script allows months of sustained attention that a news desk or an office job rarely offers.
- The finished work stays in print. A book or script can keep finding readers and earning royalties years after the advance has been spent.
- Research opens doors. Authors interview experts, visit archives and travel to settings, which is often the most sociable part of the job.
What people find hard
- Income arrives in lumps. Advances are usually paid in instalments and royalties once or twice a year, so a good month rarely means a steady income.
- Rejection is part of the process. Most submissions to agents and publishers are declined, and many go unanswered, so pitching takes persistence.
- Long unpaid lead times. Months or years can pass between starting a manuscript and being paid for it, and a publisher pays no leave or super.
- You work alone. There are no colleagues to test an idea on, and editorial feedback usually arrives late, once a full draft exists.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ authors?
Book and periodical publishing employs the largest share of authors, followed by Film, television and streaming production.
Top employing industries
- 1Book and periodical publishing
- 2Film, television and streaming production
- 3Advertising and marketing services
- 4Education and training
- 5Online content and digital media
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 24% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 20% | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | |
| Other | 8% |
Will AI replace authors?
Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.
Writing is exposed in parts: drafting tools can produce passable prose, editing software catches errors, and research is faster with AI search and summarising. What keeps the exposure moderate is that publishers and readers buy one author's voice and judgement across a whole manuscript, and the contracts, rights and public appearances stay personal. Most authors now use these tools somewhere in the process, few let them write the book.
How a typical week splits
- Research and background reading15% of the week
Summarising archives, interview transcripts and source material is much faster with AI search tools, though the author still verifies facts and decides what belongs in the story.
- Self-editing and copy checks15% of the week
Tools such as ProWritingAid flag repetition, grammar and pacing issues, which removes one proofing pass but will also flatten a deliberate style choice if followed blindly.
- Drafting and redrafting prose45% of the week
Generative tools can suggest scenes and alternative phrasings, but the structure, voice and choices across a whole manuscript still come from the author, and the contract names them.
- Pitching, contracts and public appearances25% of the week
Agents and commissioning editors buy a person and their track record, and negotiating rights and royalties, then turning up to festivals, launches and school visits, stays a human exchange.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Common questions about becoming an author
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do authors earn?
Authors who work full time earn a median of $78,000 per annum, before tax, though most are paid per project rather than by the hour. Advances, royalty rates, whether the work is trade, educational or screen, and how much other writing or teaching you take on all move that figure.
How do you become an author?
Write a complete manuscript or a strong proposal, then get it in front of an agent, publisher or producer, which is the step most aspiring authors stall on. A degree in writing or a related field helps, and published short pieces, competition placings or a self-published title give an editor something to assess. Very few authors earn a living from books alone at first, so most keep other work going.
Are authors in demand?
Authors are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 18.2% over the decade to 2035 over the decade to 2035. That growth reflects demand for content across publishing, streaming, education and digital media rather than a queue of salaried jobs, since most authors work freelance or on contract. Read it as a widening set of places to pitch work rather than a guarantee that any one book will sell.
Will AI replace authors?
Parts of the job are already touched by AI: drafting tools generate passable prose and editing software such as ProWritingAid catches grammar and repetition, which speeds up early drafts and copy checks. What holds up is the author's voice and judgement across a whole manuscript, along with the publishing relationships, contracts and public appearances that come with a named writer. Publishers still contract a person, so the tools are changing the process rather than removing the author from it.
What other jobs can authors move into?
Publishing editor roles draw on the same manuscript and storytelling skills and typically pay $13,000 less, with a short course in editing often enough to make the move. Screenwriting pays $2,600 less and suits authors whose dialogue and structure are already strong, though script formatting and the production process take learning. Many authors also run their own freelance writing practice, taking on editing, copywriting and teaching, which is often where earnings grow.
Do you need a degree to become an author?
No, but most authors have one: about 38% of the authors working today hold a bachelor degree and 10% hold a postgraduate qualification. Degrees in creative writing, literature or communications teach editing and workshop habits that are hard to build alone. Agents and publishers judge the manuscript rather than the transcript, so a strong submission from someone without a degree can still find a home.
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