If the payoff is that low, it's not worth working in the storyline (which is what would take 9 months (Edit: typo)). I'm already making a decent wage as a TA. It could still be worth publishing roughly as-is. But I'm hoping I can get away with publishing to PC/Mac/Linux and charging a few dollars per player.
It's not going to be worth spending nine months making a complicated storyline that players will press A to skip. Save it for an RPG.
Would would be worth doing, if you can do it well, is to take elements of a storyline that set a tone, and integrate it into the game to provide a unique setting (eg Braid, Binding of Isaac). But don't do a convoluted plot that pops up between levels.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.