Interview #4: How Elon Green Makes Money Writing
In this interview, Elon unpacks the hard math of a writing career—and why chasing prestige rarely pays the bills.
Elon Green has spent over two decades in the trenches of longform journalism—writing for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and authoring Last Call, a gripping true crime book that became an HBO series. His work is meticulous, archival, and instinct-driven, often unfolding over months or years rather than days.
In this interview, Elon talks candidly about the economics of slow journalism, why he’s never considered the work financially sustainable, and how having a supportive partner has made the writing possible in the first place. If you’re navigating a creative path that runs on passion more than profit, this one will hit close to home.
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