When I turned 83, and the social security check was insufficient.
Should have done it earlier.

 

When my boss wouldn't stop harassing me and no one would do anything about it.

 

When I decided to try being a writer and taking it seriously.

 

When I consistently earned more than my desk job paycheck for over three months, and then I took another three months to get everything in place (so six months total of earning more as a writer than I did as a secretary.)

I had quit my day job a couple times in the past, but had always come crawling back because I couldn't get healthcare (pre-ACA, back when you could be denied for pre-existing conditions) and (of course) the two times I have had medical emergencies were the two times I didn't have coverage. And wouldn't you know, a month after this last time I quit to become a full-time writer (in 2013), I had a cancer scare (I'm fine! It was a false alarm!) but if I had to have all those tests on my own dime, I would have landed back in the office.

I think what made the biggest difference this last time I quit was a friend recommended a book to me called "Quitter" which lays out a plan for health, savings, retirement, etc. so that you don't ruin your dream job with ugly realities that could have been avoided.



Just fair warning, he can get a little "internet marketer" slick (you know... like when you're reading a blog for helpful information and eeeeverything is a pitch) and I don't know your political leanings, but Jon has some very specific views. If they aren't in alignment with your own beliefs, just look beyond them to the useful information. But it's a good book and was very helpful for me in thoughtfully making the decision.

 

A few weeks into writing my first book.

 

When I woke up in the hospital after being in a coma for 6 days. Writing was one of the things I could do while I was recovering from my heart attack, septic shock, pneumonia, and cardiomyopathy. I don't make as much as the day job, but considering it killed me, I'd rather be alive. I'm semi-retired now and write full time. 

 

I'm facing this dilemma right now.

I made more this year (already) than I have in my day job. But to make enough consistently to be comfortable with leaving behind a full-time job of (now) 29 years and health care coverage, I need to put out more than the 1-2 books per year I currently produce. But I don't have enough time to put out more than 1-2 books per year, and I won't until I quit my day job.

So basically, to afford to quit my day job, I need to first quit my day job.

 

I had a goal of selling x-amount of books daily, and when I had a run of about three months, I figured I was good. Thankfully, that number has only continued to go up!

 

I'm facing this dilemma right now.

I made more this year (already) than I have in my day job. But to make enough consistently to be comfortable with leaving behind a full-time job of (now) 29 years and health care coverage, I need to put out more than the 1-2 books per year I currently produce. But I don't have enough time to put out more than 1-2 books per year, and I won't until I quit my day job.

So basically, to afford to quit my day job, I need to first quit my day job.

^This^

I had planned to quit the end of October, but a number of things have caused me to postpone that for a year.

 

When I had 12 months expenses saved up and was consistently earning more than I needed per month. (don't forget to take out taxes, those are a lot.)

 

I had a 5 year plan when I started this.  The goal being to either go full time, or accept this would be a fun hobby.  Fortunately, it turned out goal 1 was the way to go.  I did stay at my job a few months longer than I'd planned, but it was more because we were told layoffs were coming and I figured it didn't hurt to stick around and see if I got a severance offer. 

 

I didn't have a job to quit as I was on maternity break. I never went back to the old day job though.

 

When I realised I'd been earning far, far more from writing than I had in my part-time day job for several months. Luckily, I live in the UK so don't have to worry about healthcare.

 

After I was diagnosed with APS and Lupus and lost my main vision in a fall that resulted in a TBI. I worked in criminal justice, so the vision was a huge thing, I tried to stick with it anyways but after multiple clots and nerve issues, I was told that my line of work was putting me at severe risk. I was a single mother, my disability checks sucked and I needed something I enjoyed that I could do from home.


Before all that, I just wrote for fun and because I couldn't NOT write.. the money wasn't an issue.

 

If I ever end up making more than my day job writing, I'd think about it. But I'm a greedy cuss, and I like making a lot of money so I'd still probably do both. Fortunately I get a bunch of hotel and airplane time to write...

 

I quit nine months after my first release (I've been a full time author for two years now). I'll never forget the moment: I asked for a raise at my job, and went into an arduous and stressful negotiation.

And then the first Amazon checks came from the third book's launch.

I returned to work with a resignation letter. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I was embarking on my own! I was nervous, thrilled, and thoroughly overwhelmed. And I was getting a lot of positive reader mail.

Prior to hitting the publish button on book 1, I spent one and a half years here on kboards learning how to publish successfully from those who had already done so. I spent a load of time after that sharing what worked for me. And then I got busy working on my releases (I write very long books and probably spend too much time redrafting and editing), so my posting frequency went way down, though I still keep rough tabs on what's going on here.

I made a heap of friends from here whom I still keep in touch with on a daily basis. For anyone reading this who has yet to publish, do not underestimate the power of reaching out to people one-on-one, and certainly don't underestimate the power of friendship.

 

A week before I published my first book. I gave myself six months to see if I could make enough to not go back to a regular job. I did. My friends and family are still amazed that I have a 'Pajama Job'

 

It almost seems like you need to jump just before you think you're ready to jump.

 

After I was diagnosed with APS and Lupus and lost my main vision in a fall that resulted in a TBI. I worked in criminal justice, so the vision was a huge thing, I tried to stick with it anyways but after multiple clots and nerve issues, I was told that my line of work was putting me at severe risk. I was a single mother, my disability checks sucked and I needed something I enjoyed that I could do from home.

Before all that, I just wrote for fun and because I couldn't NOT write.. the money wasn't an issue.

This is almost my answer, too. I mean, being a guy, not the single mom part. But APS nearly killed me twice and the first time I made time for writing and the second time I decided to start publishing. My actual plan was to move away from the job I hated and edit software development papers, but when I discovered that self-publishing existed and "hard work" was a big part of success, I thought it was a good match. So, at least until I recover enough to work 8 hours out of the house, all my time is going into self-publishing. Once they've fixed my lungs, I'll reevaluate at the start of 2018 and see if self-publishing is working for me. (And if not, I'll still keep writing and publishing, just not full time.)

 

I worked as an IT contractor and my contract ended. I decided to focus on writing for a while before looking for another job. That was over three years ago now

Luckily, I'm Australian so things like heathcare haven't been an issue.

 

Great stories here. What is APS?

 

Anti-phospholipid-antibody Syndrome (Or Hughes syndrome). Your immune system attacks the phospholipid's in your fat cells and creates blood clots in random places on your body. Blood thinners don't really work and you can only control them by taking clot busting meds that break them down after the fact (I.e. Lovenox). At least for me, I have something called critical APS, its killing me because I get clots any time I bump or bruise myself and I get them more often, even with meds, each time doing more damage to my body. I am down with my 23rd pulmonary embolism at the moment and I lost count of the other clots around 2012.


It's a mouthful, and a hellishly painful way to live!

 

I was 47 and news that my entire plant (Ford car plant) was closing came on the TV. We had no news from the bosses or union before hand.

Instead of gasping in horror, I was like this:

"YES!" I yelled, jumping up and spilling my cornflakes. "Oh wait. No!"

Then I looked at my outgoings, and the royalties from my hobby. "Yay? Maybe... hmmm. I wonder how much the golden handshake will be.

"The mortgage! OMG I'm effed!

"No wait, book 4 of Merki Wars is nearly finished. Hmmm. Yay?

"Oh crap, what if it flops. OMG I'm screwed?"

I went from excited hopeful, to depressed every few hours FOR MONTHS as the closure approached. I raced to finish Merki 4, watched my royalties and outgoings, and they were equal one day, and then not enough the next. NO BUFFER. Then Christmas 2012 and Merki 4 came out and took off HUGE! I took a big chance, and ploughed the profits into audiobooks (pay up front not royalty share), and they exploded even bigger.

Suddenly I was earning 3 times what Ford ever paid me. I was safe, and I had my HEA. 

 

Great stories here. What is APS?

Pandorra covered it, but basically an autoimmune disorder that tries to kill you with clots. It runs the gamut in terms of severity and treatment. I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum where blood thinners work, but the doctors missed the cause of the clots the first time and that led to a lot of preventable damage the next time. I guess the moral of my story would be that if you ever have a clot, insist that they run a panel to check for clotting disorders even if they're "sure it was a one-time, isolated incident that won't happen again." Oh, and definitely out of the car every hour or two on long car trips. I may have had APS, but lots of people my age or younger without APS in the hospital had just forgotten to get out of the car and run around.

 

..and if your chest or ANYTHING starts to feel like you've been stabbed, or your swelling w/pain, don't let them send you home, or annoy them until they check it out. Can't tell you how many times they sent me home because they couldn't figure it out. Waiting = wayy more dangerous.