# Did J. D. Salinger live mainly off of the royalties of Catcher In The Rye **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189 "2011-01-27T15:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/21 "2011-01-28T15:29:00Z")
Regarding one hit wonders: _Walking on Sunshine_ by Katrina and the Waves earns over $1 million a year; all band members share in the royalties. (source: [Walking on Sunshine - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_on_Sunshine_%28song%29) and NPR interview with Katrina about two months ago) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/22 "2011-01-28T15:37:07Z")
The principle singers in the first recording of Jesus Christ Superstar had the option of being paid $2500 (a lot back in 1970), or 1/2 of 1% of the profits. Murray Head, who sang Judas, was the only one who took the option, and he ended up making millions from it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/23 "2011-01-28T15:50:57Z")
There were pictures of Salinger’s farm after his death and I was surprised by how modest it was- just a comfortable sized house and some outbuildings. (If you google Salinger’s home you’ll see pics of a big yellow mansion but that’s not his- it’s a house that borders his property- his was just a brick house you’d pass by without noticing in most middle class neighborhoods.) So unless he had a collection of Faberge eggs inside it or gave his kids six figures per year as an allowance the royalties from any of his books probably would have sustained his lifestyle indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/24 "2011-01-28T16:29:43Z")
I’m feeling too lazy to google it, but John Scalzi has posted at various times about how living in rural Ohio makes it pretty easy to live off of his writing (though his wife also brings in a fair chunk of change at her nebulously-defined day job), own a house with a humongous yard, etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/25 "2011-01-28T17:19:29Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Harper Lee was in the news recently - she died or something, didn’t she? - anyway, she (or someone in the story I read) stated outright that To Kill A Mockingbird earned her enough money that she didn’t need to work for the rest of her life. And she didn’t. As said, she’s still alive. She was in the news because last year was the 50th anniversary of the publishing of To Kill a Mockingbird. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/26 "2011-01-28T20:47:57Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > As said, she’s still alive. She was in the news because last year was the 50th anniversary of the publishing of To Kill a Mockingbird. Yeah, that. That must have been what it was. My apologies to anyone who may have suffered psychological trauma from the mistaken news that Harper Lee had passed away. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/27 "2011-01-28T20:55:50Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Harper Lee was in the news recently - she died or something, didn’t she? - anyway, she (or someone in the story I read) stated outright that To Kill A Mockingbird earned her enough money that she didn’t need to work for the rest of her life. And she didn’t. I don’t know what her place in NYC is like (other than she has one- or at least had [she’s in ill health these days so she doesn’t travel as much]) but her place in Monroeville, AL which she shared with her sister is a large brick house [but not a mansion even by Monroeville standards] surrounded by a chain link fence. I’m sure it’s got expensive security features and contents but the house would sell for _maybe_ $125K or perhaps $200K assuming it’s in excellent condition and repair with maybe a pool and granite counters and the like- in other words, not “lifestyles of the rich and famous” by any means. It’s been rumored that she’s written a lot more. I’ve mentioned on here that I know for a fact she did research on 1950s trials at the U of AL as recently as 5 years ago. However she’s always been uncomfortable with the fame aspect of fame and fortune, and not needing the money she never published again and went on publicity tours and the like. It’s rumored that Salinger had completed unpublished novels in his home but I think Lee is the more likely one too. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/28 "2011-02-06T04:12:50Z")
Just have to share this - Salinger’s obit from _The Onion_: [Bunch Of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger](http://www.theonion.com/articles/bunch-of-phonies-mourn-jd-salinger,2901/) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/29 "2011-02-06T04:37:44Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Yeah, that. That must have been what it was. My apologies to anyone who may have suffered psychological trauma from the mistaken news that Harper Lee had passed away. She was on my “Death List”, since I missed the deadline, no biggie, but I woulda been PISSED! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/30 "2011-02-06T04:39:37Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’m feeling too lazy to google it, but John Scalzi has posted at various times about how living in rural Ohio makes it pretty easy to live off of his writing (though his wife also brings in a fair chunk of change at her nebulously-defined day job), own a house with a humongous yard, etc etc. Hell, **I** do that in rural Ohio. And I’m mostly retired at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/31 "2011-02-06T18:37:16Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > Regarding one hit wonders: _Walking on Sunshine_ by Katrina and the Waves earns over $1 million a year; all band members share in the royalties. > > (source: [Walking on Sunshine - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_on_Sunshine_%28song%29) and NPR interview with Katrina about two months ago) Proving that there is no God. Ugh.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189/32 "2011-02-06T18:45:36Z")
An expression I like to use: It’s hard to become rich and harder to stay rich, but anybody can get poor at any time. I wonder how much those macarena guys made during the original craze. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-d-salinger-live-mainly-off-of-the-royalties-of-catcher-in-the-rye/569189.md?page=1)