Writing... full time?

Lately I have been giving this one particular thought much attention. How I wish I could be a full time writer.

Unfortunately, much as I would like this to be a reality, I can't... just yet.

In Malaysia, the sale of books and the reading culture have not yet reached a level where a writer could actually make writing a full time profession. While current trend shows that sales are better this past couple of years compared to before, the rising cost of publication would definitely put a damper on this trend. People here, rightly or wrongly, think that the price of books is too high. [Sometimes I wonder why people don't hesitate to waste money on other things - cigarettes, for instance - and yet hesitate when it comes to buying books].

Sure, there are some writers here who are full time writers. But they are either married ladies with husbands who are working, or writing is not their only source of income. One famous full time writer for example gets a lot of invitations for talks and workshops, and I gather that this happens to be his main source of income (and not from writing).

At times, I envy writers in the West. I know it's not easy to get a break in the writing world, but once you have made the cut and your book sells like hot cakes, you'd be able to embark on full time writing. Not to mention the numerous spin-offs and countless adaptations on your books. How I wish I could see that happening here.

Last year, someone from a production house expressed interest to adapt my first novel, Ombak Senja, into a television drama. Unfortunately, the production house changed its mind when they realised that they have to pay a certain percentage in royalty to the publisher of the novel. Another production house spoke to me last month about the same thing, and again they changed their mind when the word "royalty" is mentioned. As far as they are concerned, adapting a novel is too costly. No doubt, if the novel is adapted to television, it would help in increasing the sale of the novel. Alas, this was not to be.

In this country, unless and until one is a famous writer, one's book doesn't really "sell" in the true sense of the word. But I wonder, if indeed you can make a living out of writing, why is it difficult to find a full time writer? A best-selling writer best known for his thriller novels is attached to a television station. Another best-selling writer happens to be a lawyer. Another I know is a quantity surveyor. Yet another best-selling writer is an engineer. In short, almost everyone has a day job - and what a day job they have!

Whether or not I'll be going full time into writing would very much depend on the state of the book industry in Malaysia. If it remains the way it is now, I guess I'll stick to my day job - and writing will remain to be something I do in my spare time [as if I really have that].

Uh, hang on a minute. My day job involves a whole lot of writing as well...