Are You Taking Care of Your Author Business?
You’ve written a novel. It’s either sitting in your drawer, on a file on the computer, or maybe you’ve taken the plunge and self-published. What’s next?
You have a choice: you either let it be and enjoy the accomplishment or you keep going, write the next book and plunge into creating your author business.
Have you read Joanna Penn’s Business for Authors: How to be an author entrepreneur? What about How to Make a Living With Your Writing: Books, Blogging & More?
If you want ‘Author’ as your full time job title then I suggest you pick up your Kindle or log onto your Amazon account and buy the books right now. Go on, I’ll wait.
You won’t regret it. The books are great. Informative. Easy to read. You’re going to keep going back to them as you start to build your own writing business.
Yesterday, I finished reading Business for Authors.
My dream has always been to a full time author. Since I was about ten or so, I’ve enjoyed writing and in my teens I’d dream of days of getting a publishing deal.
I no longer dream about publishing deals. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them and if one came up well, then I’d cross that road when I got there. But I want more.
I’ve also wanted to run my own business. The first time I came across the concept of Entrepreneur, I was in high school going to a presentation at Bond University and there was an Entrepreneur there explaining to us pimply know it all kids about careers and study choices. At the time I liked the sound of it but I didn’t completely understand what the word meant but it stuck in my brain somewhere, and ever since I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur too.
It’s a fancy word. Maybe that’s part of the reasoning, haha.
It’s not about making billions, although I won’t get upset if millions end up buying my books. You can grab a copy of Lethal Disposal here.
So what does it mean to be an entrepreneur? It’s a fancy word for setting up a business.
Anyway, Joanna Penn is an author-entrepreneur. She’s done an amazing job in the last few years with her author business and now makes a full time living with her writing. Her books are awesome too. That goes for both her fiction and non-fiction. Her style is friendly, upbeat and very conversational. From her blog and podcasts she seems like the sort of person you could sit down and have a glass of wine with and chat about anything from books and business to theology and murder. Are you intrigued yet? If you’re interested in religious conspiracy thrillers check out her books under JF Penn.
Go on. I’ll wait.
Good to have you back. So where was I? Ah, yes. We’re getting down to business peeps.
For the past two decades my writing has been treated as a hobby. There was a stint of a couple of years whilst living in Europe and teaching English as a foreign language I wrote and got paid for articles, churning out between three to eight a day for content mills. It was easier money and converting it to local currency, well, it was minimum wage for a quarter of the hours put in. At least it supported my coffee and shopping habit.
What used to be perceived as just a dream has now become a goal? It no longer seems impossible to crack the author circle. It’s no longer about editors and publishers taking a chance on you. It’s you, taking a chance on yourself.
The control has shifted and Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and ITunes have given us mere mortals with a passion for writing, creating stories and entertaining with the written word, a chance to step out into the light. Ok, that sounds scary, a little overdramatic, but it’s true.
In today’s technologically advanced world, it’s up to you whether you become an author you’ve always dreamed of or continue hiding in the closet. The world is your oyster, and you too can become successful and make a living doing what you love.
It’s going to be hard work though. You’re going to put in the hours. Waking up an hour earlier to fit in your writing quota. Saying no to drinks with friends because you have a deadline tomorrow. Hustling for reviews. Being active on social media. Helping others promote their books. Writing quality reviews of your own. Setting up a blog. Connecting with other writers. Writing every day. Then writing some more.
You’re also not going to become successful on your own. You need a team; a support network. From editors and cover designers, to beta readers and a your own personal cheer squad – your family and friends, who will not always be as supportive of your efforts as you’d like them to be. But remember this is your goal, your dream, tread your own path not someone else’s.
Being an author or an entrepreneur is not sleeping in and watching day time TV. Of course you can do it but your business and your writing has to come first. Otherwise you simply like the idea of having been written. That’s fine too, just don’t complain if you don’t get anywhere. Your author business needs your attention every day, there’s no such thing as waiting for the muse to show.
Like any successful business you’re going to want to put in the hard yards and the success along the way is going to be so much sweeter. I can taste it already as I write this post and sip on my cuppaccino, across from one of the best beaches in the world, the sun rising, a sea breeze adding a saltiness to the air. The clatter of cutlery in the cafe kitchen, a coffee machine’s steamer, the chatter of patrons all around, the waves breaking on the shore.
This is the dream. The goal. And once a week it is my writing spot.
Writing is no longer a hobby. It’s a business. I’m no longer dreaming of being an author, I am making it happen. Step by step. Day by day. Word by word. Book by book.
I’ve got my business plan done and dusted. A one page plan of what I want to achieve with my author-entrepreneur business in the next twelve months as well as where I see myself in five years. A one page marketing plan. A one page productivity plan. And one page that specifies daily and weekly tasks that need to be completed to create a viable business that can support my dream lifestyle.
One thing, at this early stage I’m not making any specific financial goals. I’m focusing on productivity and on activities that are within my control.
My ‘A’ goal for 2016 is huge.
It’s a challenge. It’s reaching for the stars. It’s pushing myself further and harder. It’s stretching every muscle in my body and mind to get it done.
I want to have 6 great books on the market by 31 December 2016.
Crazy! I know.
But here’s the thing. I’ve been writing for almost two decades. That’s a lot of material.
I’ve found two manuscripts that I can salvage. The foundation is in them which saves several months of writing. I just need to put on the editors hat and get moving.
In the past four months I’ve drafted two novels and two novellas in my ‘Lethal’ series. Novellas are becoming more popular these days, people have short attention spans. It’s nice to throw in a shorter book in between long ones to sustain reader interest.
That’s six books ready to be edited, revised, and rewritten.
Will you reach for the stars in 2016?
A friend recommended a book to me a few months back, it’s ‘Do The Work’ by Steven Pressfield. I’ve read it a couple of times now. Every time I’m feeling sluggish, overly critical, lose confidence or just couldn’t be bothered, I start reading the first few pages, and realise that I need to stop resisting and keep moving forward even if it’s just getting a sentence written, publishing a blog post, brainstorming the next scene, posting on Facebook or Twitter, connecting with another author.
It’s going to take time, but it will happen. Success doesn’t come overnight.
It’s the slow but steady steps along the way that help us reach the ultimate destination.
I’ll be keeping track and posting regular updates on my productivity and my results. It’ll help me stay accountable but also allow me to share with you the ups and downs of becoming an author-entrepreneur from day one. I hope you join me for the ride.
There are three possible outcomes:
A) I succeed, and within 3-5 years I start making a six-figure per year living as an author.
B) I fail miserably and keep working in a 9-5 (or 8-4) job till I’m 65.
C) I have a dozen or so on the market within a years, each earning me a small income that gives me the freedom to indulge in my favourite things – travel, coffee, wine, books, running, and of course, enjoying more time with family and friends.
Either way, I’d have given the dream a shot.
So yes, that’s it for me. Six books in twelve months. Did I mention that my writing time is limited to the commute to work and a couple hours over the weekend? The goal is a ginormous stretch but even if I only manage half it’s still better than none at all. The only failure would be having done nothing.
What are you doing today to get closer to living your dream in 2016? Is it still a dream or have you changed it to a goal?
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