Are there more writers now because of the Internet?

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Yes, there are more writers now because of the internet, and many more books are published every year. That should not stop you, because most people who say they have a book in them never write it, and the internet also makes it easier for readers to find yours. Below are the numbers, how I felt about them when I started, and the one step at a time approach that gets a first book out. For what happened to sales in the 2020 lockdowns, read is coronavirus killing book sales?.

Are there more writers now than before the internet?

Yes. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 140,300 people working as writers and authors in 2025, and 65% of them are self-employed (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). That count leaves out everyone who writes books on the side.

Self-publishing is where the growth shows. Bowker counted 3,529,980 self-published titles with US ISBNs in 2025, up 38.7% on 2024 (Publishers Weekly, 17-Mar-26). Part of the jump is AI tools that let people produce books quickly. Amazon now asks authors to say when a book contains AI-generated text, images or translations (KDP help). Since 21-Sep-26 it also lets each account create only two new titles per format per week (ALLi). Check KDP’s own help pages for the current rule before you plan a release.

I never let the numbers discourage me. When I started self-publishing I saw a ton of authors, but I also saw that making books and earning from them was completely doable. I had ideas I wanted to get out, and relatives had books we could publish. Even if I earned nothing, or never earned back what I spent on editing, covers and mistakes, I was okay with that. See also Can You Make Money From An eBook?

Does the internet make it harder or easier to reach readers?

Both. There is more content, but readers can also find your book from a search on their phone, from Amazon’s recommendations, or from a podcast like mine. Before the printing press every book was copied by hand, and each copy could be read by one person at a time. The printing press let many more people read at once. Now everyone’s phone is an ebook reader.

A reader still picks the book that answers their question, and a careful, well-made book is still rare. I cover that in Selling 1,000 Copies In 1 Month?

How many people who want to write a book actually do it?

Very few. A well-known 2002 survey of 1,006 Americans, paid for by a small publisher, found that 81% felt they had a book in them. Most of them never write it. If you finish a book, you are already ahead of the large majority.

Is the number of professional writers still growing?

Not by much. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of writers and authors from 2025 to 2035, about 500 fewer jobs on a base of 140,300. Median pay was $76,910 a year in May 2025 (BLS). Those figures count people paid to write, and the BLS page does not cover self-publishing. For the people publishing books on the side, Bowker’s ISBN count above is the better guide.

What does a bigger pool of writers mean for your book?

My advice: use it as a reason to be specific. A book that answers one clear question for one kind of reader does not compete with 3.5 million titles. It competes with the few that answer the same question, and you can see them by typing your topic into Amazon.

The income numbers show where the work is. In the 2025 Written Word Media survey of 1,346 indie authors, 44% earn $100 a month or less and 13% earn over $5,000. About 80% of authors with one to three books earn under $100 a month, while authors with 25 or more books have a median of about $3,000 (Written Word Media 2025 Indie Author Survey, 02-Dec-25). The respondents report their own figures, so read them as a rough guide. Competition is real. The gap is mostly between people who stop after one book and people who keep going.

The same survey points at what the higher earners do differently. Authors with an email list report a median of about $300 a month, against about $15 for those without one. About 30% of all respondents sell some books direct, and roughly half of those earning $10,000 or more a month do (Written Word Media). My advice: start a simple email list with your first book, even if only a handful of readers join it.

How do you stand out when so many people are publishing?

Take it one step at a time. Don’t look for perfection, just create that first book. There are three phases: write the book, publish the book, and market the book. Break each one into small steps and you will get the first book on the market.

Once the first book is out, each next one is easier, and you can go back and improve the first one, from the cover to the description to the title. Writing several books makes you better at all of it. How to sell them is in How Do I Sell My Self-Published Book?

If you are starting out, my free Self-Publishing Secrets Checklist gives you the steps in order.

What have you found? Do you think there are too many authors, and at what point would the market be saturated? Leave a comment below.

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