This Esquire piece nails what it's like to be a working novelist today: very difficult in all but the rarest cases to make a living, expected to do a lot of labor on promotion, and unable to organize for collective bargaining.

My income is still predominantly from podcasting/tech writing, both of which have taken a hit this year. I'm extremely lucky to have a partner who not only pulls down a stable salary but can get health insurance for our family. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a45751827/make-a-living-as-a-writer/