Category: Marketing

Authorpreneur  - A New Publication For Writers

Neera

The dictionary defines ‘author’ as a person who has written something, especially a book, and ‘entrepreneur’ as a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

Many years ago, I combined the two to develop the word ‘authorpreneur’ to describe someone who takes risks to turn their writing into a business. 

I didn’t give it much thought because I was new to writing and still finding my feet. But soon, I started spotting the word being used by other writers. I even noticed some books with the word ‘authorpreneur’ appearing in the title. That was it.

The time had come to make the term mainstream.

Let me define and elaborate on the term.

An authorpreneur is a person who creates written products, participates in creating her brand, and actively promotes that brand through a variety of outlets.

An Authorpreneur makes use of the twenty-first-century outlets such as websites, blogs, social media, content marketing, writing platforms, newsletters, promotional materials both in print and online, speaking engagements, online and in-person courses, and workshops to create a unique business model to build a community based thriving business.

I started reading about more and more writers who were using these new outlets and becoming considerably successful. Much more successful than it was possible in the traditional way of writing and publishing. 

In less than ten years, a new breed of writers has started dominating the writing industry, and the trend is going not only to continue but explode. 

Yet thousands of writers aspiring are not even aware of it.

Why I started this publication?

One of the myths around writing is that you can’t live off your writing. Indeed, the vast majority of authors do not make a living from their written words. 

The traditional publishing industry that once sustained many writers is now in a freefall accelerated by the pandemic. I have been watching in dismay as publisher after publisher closing their shop. 

Four in five traditionally published books never “earn back” the advances received by their authors, which means they don’t sell enough copies to make the writers any money past the initial amount paid by publishers for writing the books. Most e-books don’t sell more than 560 copies per year and most print books don’t sell more than 250 copies per year. In fact, the average books sell 3,000 copies in its lifetime. — Nina Amir

But that is changing. On the other hand, self-publishing is thriving.

Making a living as an author takes hard work, and the income from just one book or writing on one platform will not pay you enough to live on. If you want to earn a living as an author and not make a living but thrive as an author, you need to think like a business person. Like an authorpreneur.

This publication will help you achieve that.

Writing is the hardest profession to break into. 

Not only learning to write well is arduous but making a living from writing is grueling. But things are changing for good.

Today many more avenues are available to writers to publish and make money while honing their craft. New ones are fast appearing. But the learning curve is sharp.

I have created this publication to help new writers establish their writing business. It will have articles specifically for that purpose.

If you are a writer like me, if you want to do nothing else but write, you want to know the clear pathway to become an authorpreneur. 

I want to dedicate this publication exclusively to help writers become authorpreneurs.

What kind of articles I will be published here

Articles helping you develop an authorpreneur mindset. Articles with practical advice to set up your business. Stories of the writers who have been on the journey before you and have made it. Summaries of the books on the topic.

I want to create a community of writers who want to help each other establish their author business. 

If we all lift each other up in small ways, we can reach new, exciting heights together.

Initially, I will be the sole contributor to this publication. With time I will like other writers to join me to help build this publication. 

I will be looking for high-quality, practical articles that focus on mindset, creativity, writing, editing, publishing, marketing, and author business models. 

Here is my rough list of the kind of articles I am envisioning:

  • The mindset of an authorpreneur.
  • The business of writing.
  • The process and habits of writers.
  • Advice on developing writing products.
  • Articles exploring different writing career paths.
  • Unique or creative writing, editing, and publishing tips, tools, and methods. 
  • Book summaries of books on the top of authorpreneurship.
  • First-person accounts of getting a book published.
  • Interviews with experienced writers.
  • Other creative pieces in which fellow writers can learn something new.

Who can contribute?

Any one of you who wants to write on the topic.

If you want to contribute, reach to me via  LinkedIn.

How can you help?

By subscribing to the publication. 

By leaving comments and asking questions about what you would like me to write about.

I am not starting this publication to turn it into a mega publication but as a small portal to share my learning as I progress on the authorpreneur journey.

“True authors don’t write for fame or make a name or money, they write to make impact.” — Bernard Kelvin Clive.

They say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. For me, that step is this publication and my newsletter A Whimsical Writer.

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Want to take your writing to another level? Subscribe to my newsletter, A Whimsical Writer.

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Photo by Ryan Snaadt on Unsplash

How new writers should use Quora

Neera

Last week I checked Quora seriously for the first time. Those of you who don’t know, Quora is a knowledge-sharing site where you can ask any question and let people provide advice and expert tips.

I had dismissed the platform, thinking it is for the gossipers and bored people who had nothing better to do. Imagine my surprise when I dug in and read a few responses on the topic I was researching at the moment.

Quora has come a long way since its inception in June 2010. Three hundred million unique people visit Quora each month. They ask questions; provide answers to the ones they could, and follow either the people or the topics they are interested in. They also help edit answers either factually or in the form of opinions making the experience more like a lively and exciting discussion between like-minded people.

Why should new writers consider Quora?

Unlike the specialised sites where experts write articles on topics they select, Quora is driven by seekers who want their queries answered. The responses are direct and mostly by those who have some knowledge and experience in the field.

Take, for example, the question: How do I make my fantasy novel less clunky? Click on the link, and you will find 29 responses: some short, some very detailed. The response by Jennifer Quail has received 750 upvotes. Upvotes are the way the readers rank the quality of the answer earning the writer a reputation.

Benefits of writing on Quora

Although you will not get paid to write, Quora could be an excellent platform for new writers. Here are five ways new writers can benefit from Quora.

1. To practice as a new writer

If you are new to writing and don’t know where to start, Quora is an easy platform. Even before you blogging or begin writing articles on online magazines, you should start writing on Quora and build your writing muscle. You can do shorter pieces to start with, and can eventually launch into long-form articles.

Just start with anything. When you write regularly, your grammar and spellings will begin to improve. If you ask specifically, many people will edit your piece and even help you with your grammar. 

2. To be a part of a big writing community

I believe the most significant benefit of Quora is to be able to make acquaintance with other writers which ultimately might lead to a lasting friendship.

Unlike other places where writers hang out, such as Medium, Goodreads, Facebook communities, etc., Quora allows you to connect with other writers and learn from them directly. You can ask direct questions and get specific solutions to the particular issue you are facing, whether it is bringing traffic to your blog or how to make the antagonist of your novel a three-dimensional character.

3. To stay up-to-date with the writing industry

There is so much going on with the writing industry at the moment that it is hard to keep up-to-date. What is happening with traditional publishing since the COVID crisis? Should or should you not consider publishing on Kindle? What are your options for self-publishing? How to market your book yourself? Any questions you want to be answered, rather than searching on Google, try asking at Quora, and chances are you will find genuine people with first-hand experience responding to your query. You not only save time searching the answer on the internet but also get to know how other writers like you are doing.

4. To build a reputation and personal brand

If you are writing, chances are you want to be known as a writer. Quora is the best place for new writers to build a name for themselves. You can do so by responding to the questions people are asking. It will take much less time to respond to a problem than writing a blog post or a whole article. Write good, helpful, and well-thought answers from your own experiences, and you will get noticed. Over time you will build up a following as well as a name for yourself on a platform that is much informal and easy to use.

5. To drive traffic to your website or blog

Once you’ve built up your reputation, you can use your answers to direct traffic straight to your website. Quora allows you to link your website when you are answering a question. If your answers get noticed, you will mark a rapid change in your traffic.

Quora is an excellent platform for all off-page SEOs (search engine optimisation). When you will create links to your website you will drive organic traffic to it. This is one of the most popular features which most of the experienced Quora users use.

Initially, read everything you are interested in Quora. Once you get the hang of the platform, start asking questions. If you find an item you can answer, respond to it. It doesn’t matter your responses initially are bit awkward or short. You will get good eventually. You will find that you can write an article-length response to some questions, which will not only help the person who asked the question but many others who will read it.

But eventually the person who will benefit most from your article length response is you, yourself.

Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash

Three types of newsletters (to stay connected with your readers)

Neera 1 Comment

It is Tuesday morning again and I am fretting. An article is due in a few hours and it is not ready. I have barely recovered from Friday’s article and the next one is due again. It is not that I don’t do anything about them the whole week and just spin-off 1000 to 1500 words articles on Tuesday and Friday mornings. The whole week goes into the preparation.

Finding topics that will be useful to my readers, researching, outlining, finding relating and interesting stories, and then writing and editing them take hours. This one commitment to my readers take 40% of my working time (used to be 70%, I am getting quicker). Why do I do it?

Because it is important.

Writing articles is a great way to educate your readers, establish authority in your field, and most importantly staying in contact with your readers.

And you know dear writers, how important it is for us to stay in contact with our readers.

Without readers, there is no point in writing. Yes, we write for ourselves but we only do so when we want to take the weight off our chest or want to use writing as a therapy. Most of the stuff we write for ourselves is a rant.

Writing for a readership is the way to grow as a writer and to find meaning in our labour.

Now that we have established that we do need readers, we need to find them and stay in regular contact with them. How to find readers is a whole different topic which I will address in another article. In today’s article, I am going to address how to stay in contact with readers once you have a few of them subscribe to your newsletter.

Is article writing the only way to stay in contact with your readers?

No, it isn’t. There are other means.

There is a difference between articles and newsletters and their purpose.

An article is 1000-2000 words “editorial” or “feature article” like writing usually on one small aspect of a topic that involves some research and includes writer’s observation, inference and recommendation. Its purpose is education. It features on authors’ websites and may and may not go to the subscribers via email.

A newsletter on the other hand is an email kind of correspondence drafted to stay connected with your readers and goes out to all those who have subscribed to them. Its purpose is communication. It can be of any form – from a full-fledged article like I send to you twice a week to an informal email to talk about your day.

There are three ways the writers can draft their newsletters.

  1. “Editorial” or “Feature Article” style
  2. “Link” style
  3. Blog style

1. “Editorial” or “Featured Article” Style

This form is best suited when you want to educate your readers and impart your knowledge and experience in a regular way.

It is also the most labor-intensive and requires a lot of commitment. But it has its benefits. Articles build your platform, populates your website with useful content, and establishes you as an authority in your field.

Article writing has a copious value not only for your readers but for yourself too. When you are writing about a topic you tend to do a lot of research that helps you clear your own concepts. You end up learning from the exercise than even your readers. That is why many writers write about writing. They are learning their craft while educating their readers.

You need to pick any area in any genre and start writing about it. You can venture a bit as long as you don’t go too much out of the boundaries of your topic. I write about art, craft, language, creativity, productivity, and marketing side of writing.

For this type of newsletter, you’ll need to be a decent writer. While other types of email newsletters don’t require you to be a good writer (as you’ll see below), this one definitely does. 

With that said, just because you can write doesn’t mean you should write forever. This type of email newsletter can be 300–2000+ words It just depends on the topic and how dedicated your audience is to reading lengthy content.

This is less than 200 words, yet still as effective as a longer from-the-editor style newsletter. As long as the below bases are covered, your subscribers are going to love reading your newsletter alongside their morning cup of coffee.

  • Why does this matter to my subscribers?
  • Is this valuable to my subscribers?
  • Is this topic relevant to my industry?
  • Is this engaging enough to make my subscribers keep reading?

2 “Link” style newsletter

If you are strapped for time and writing expertise you still can provide quick value for your readers through the ‘Link” style newsletter. These links can be internal links (i.e. your own content) or external links (i.e. other people’s content).

These kind of emails are short but packed with useful information which your readers can save to read at their leisure. But this style only works if you are providing superior or unusual information that your readers won’t normally get by a simple search on the internet.

Just because you’re not writing lengthy, researched-based, storytelling newsletters doesn’t mean that you can get away with shonky links and poor quality information.

It still involves a lot of research but rather than writing about it you are just sending the links so that your subscribers can go there and read for themselves.

Here is an example of “link” style newsletter:

There’s just one thing you can not mess up when it comes to this newsletter style. If you choose to go with this style, it is very important that you make sure you are committed to providing context for each link. You need to explain why your subscribers should care about the content you’re linking out to.

3. “Blog” Style

A blog-style newsletter is when you do not want to spend that much time on research and writing full-fledged articles but still want to provide useful information to your readers. You can do that in the informal style of writing.

Blog style newsletter has more room for going off the topic and write anything from what breakfast you had to what book you have been reading keeping in mind it has to have something for your readers. So there has to be some value for your readers to know why you had special “oatmeal” breakfast which you created using your grandmother’s recipe which was not only delicious but easy to prepare, nutritious, and fill you up in fewer calories.

But the real purpose of the blog style newsletter is to share useful information. Never forget that your readers agreed to receive emails from you because they are learning something from them. The moment they will stop learning, they will unsubscribe.

This type of newsletter is best suited for having conversations with your audience. It is also more personal. Readers get to know you better and want to stay connected.

Try to keep it short and punchy, because no one wants you to keep on babbling about your breakfast.

You can think of the “blog” style newsletter as a hybrid of the “editorial” style and “link” style newsletter. While you’re certainly not writing 2,000 words to explain why people should consume the content linked, you’re still showing the value behind them clicking.

Here is an example:

Recap

There is a difference between writing articles and writing newsletters. The purpose of articles is to educate while the purpose of the newsletter to stay connected with your subscribers.

Your can send ‘editorial” or “feature articles” in your newsletter or you can send a list of useful links. Then there is third choice the hybrid of two – a “blog” style newsletter.

Whatever you might choose you need to make sure your newsletter provides value to your readers by giving information that your readers find relevant and useful.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

What is the purpose of an author’s website (that your publisher hasn’t told you about)

Neera

In 1913, when twenty-three years old Arthur Wynne created the first crossword puzzle to include in the Christmas edition of New York World he had no idea it was going to be so popular. His first puzzle was nothing like today’s crossword puzzles, but it was still very challenging and engrossing.

But the editors of the New York World didn’t like it. After a few months, when they tried to drop it, readers were so hostile that not only the newspaper had to stick with the puzzle but to make it a permanent feature.

For the next ten years, if you wanted to solve a crossword, you had to buy “The New York World” until one day Richard L. Simon’s aunt wanted a book of crossword puzzles for her daughter. Richard was a publisher. He knew no such book existed. But he saw the opportunity. He negotiated a deal with New York World and bought their best puzzles at $25 a pop and published them in a book form. The book sold 300,000 copies by end of the year.

Sometimes those in business can’t see the obvious just like the editors of the New York World. The publishers are advising the writers to create a website and writers are obliging by creating a static site. Both are failing to see the purpose and potential of an author’s website.

Authors need to have an online presence, full stop.

In today’s world, an author exists because he has a website. But an author’s website is not just a static page with his picture, bio, and the list of his books. An author’s website is a marketing machine. It is the engine room where all the action happens. It is his portfolio, a live resume, a bookstore, a signing venue, a classroom, a sketchbook, and an online diary all put together.

Writers have traditionally stayed away from the publishing and marketing side of things. Many writers are willing to collect hundreds of rejection slips from traditional publishers rather than learn the marketing skills and sell their work.

For some reason there, even in this age of self-publishing and online marketing, the thought of going indie is inconceivable for many. On the flip side, many marketers are writing books and successfully selling thousands of copies. They know something that writers don’t and traditional publishers are failing to see the potential.

Why traditional publishers are failing to see the potential of the author’s websites.

At first, the traditional publishers were too big to care. Their whole focus was to find a few best-sellers a year which gave them enough cashflow. They would take some risk on new writers but never invest enough time to build them into good writers. The new writers were left to their own devices to keep learning, trying, and if they were persistent enough to come up with something decent to be published.

Then came the internet and along with it the ability to self-publish.

Some authors took risks, learned the ropes, and became successful. But not in enough numbers to be a threat to traditional publishing. The printed books were still the main game and winning awards was the only way the writers got any recognition.

Amazon changed the game completely. Introduction of Kindle, followed by Apple’s iBooks (now called Apple Books) and later on Audiobooks set the stage for a complete change-over to happen within a few years.

In all this chaos publishers didn’t get a chance to understand what was happening around them.

Like the editors of New York World they couldn’t see the potential online marketing. They were still at a point where they were advising their authors to have a website while the self-publishers had a readership in thousands and were selling their books directly to them.

Then the publisher started demanding that authors got to have email lists.

The publishers figured out that if an author has a pre-existing mailing list, a percentage of them will buy the book. But they had no strategy in place on how to help or guide the thousands of writers who were still sending their manuscripts to them and had no websites or mailing lists.

A smart business move for the publisher would to work with the budding writers and help them build an online presence and readership. It takes years for a writer to get good at her craft, and it takes years to build a readership. Both can happen in parallel.

If publishers and writers figure out a way to work with each other, in the long run they both will be able to benefit from each other’s efforts.

An author will benefit from a publisher’s backing in creating an author’s website and know-how on how to build an email list.

And a publisher will benefit from having several writers as their protégés who are not only improving their manuscript but also building a readership.

Let’s figure out what is involved with an author’s website?

There is no shortage of advice on what an author’s website should and shouldn’t have. And if you go around looking at what other authors have got, you are bound to get more confused and likely to give up rather than feeling inspired. Starting from highly technical and interactive J K Rowling’s site to very professional sites of Deen Kontz, John Grisham, Gillian Flynn, and Nora Roberts there is so much to leave a new writer bewildered.

Rather than getting bamboozled by all these well-established writers, as a new writer, if you concentrate on three things, you should be able to self-create a site that is interesting, interactive, and professional enough to start your online presence and build your readership.

The three things you should concentrate on are:

1. Information about you
2. Showcasing your work
3. Interacting with your readers

People want to know you before they want to buy your book.

Even quite lately authors were being advised that people don’t come to your site to read about you, they come there to read about your book. That is absolutely wrong advise. Authors were being told, you are important but your books are more important. It is rubbish.

When you go to a library with an array of books to choose from, which one will you pick to borrow? Usually, the one by an author you already know about. Same way, when you are choosing a book to buy, what is the first thing you read after reading the blurb about the book. The author’s bio.

Of course, people are interested to know more about you. They are after all going to spend the next 2 – 4 weeks reading your book. They want to know who you are, what is your background, how did you come to write that book. They are interested as much in your story as they are in the story of your book.

I follow Elizabeth Gilbert, the writer of ‘Eat Pray and Love, on Instagram. Last week she surpassed one million fans. Every feed she puts on Instagram, and she puts 4 to 5 every week, she gets two to three thousand responses. Her fans are not only interested in whatever she shares about her life but engage with her actively.

Your biography doesn’t have to tell your whole life story. But it needs to tell the truth about you. Even if you write under a pen name, whatever you tell in your bio needs to be honest and true.

Another thing you need to be aware of is that your bio not really about you. It is about your readers. When your reader reads it they should be able to relate to it. My own bio which is just four paragraphs long talks about my struggles with becoming a good writer and how a change of mindset from a martyr to a trickster made writing fun for me. Something each struggling writer can relate to.

The purpose of your website is to showcase your work.

Of course, the first purpose of your website is to showcase your books. You got to give enough coverage to your book on your website. Whenever you publish a new book, you can make it the centerpiece of your website. David Sedaris does it well on his site.

You have a book to sell; you need to make sure people know where to buy it. If a reader visits your site and doesn’t realize immediately that you’re an author with a book to sell, you’re probably doing something wrong. The buttons like “Pre-order now” steer readers to order your book even before it is published.

But your website could also be a place to showcase your work. Austin Kleon the writer of the book ‘Show Your Work’ publishes a post each day on his blog where he showcases whatever art he did that day. All his learning, reading, and writing go on his blog first and then go into his books. He has thousands of fans who are hungry to consume whatever he puts on his website. His is a very simple blog-style site that is easy to maintain but full of great content.

Your blog provides the opportunity to stay in contact with your readers.

It is your interaction with the readers that will get your books sold. A blog is a great medium to be able to do that.

Imagine getting an email from J K Rowlings once a week telling you what she has been up to, how her new book is going, and bits and pieces about her writing process. Maybe she sends you a couple of chapters from her new book. Maybe she wants to enroll a few beta-readers. Wouldn’t you want to be on her mailing list? And when finally her book is ready to be published would you buy it or would you say, Umh…, aah…, I will think about it. Of course, you will buy it. You will even pre-order.

You get the point.

But the biggest problem an author has that they have no clue what to write in their blog each week. And publishers are no help. They are so far behind in this game.

Your blog is a letter you write to your fans each week. There is a number of things you can cover in this letter.

You can tell your readers what are you reading, what intrigued you and what have you learned from it.

You can write reviews and recommend books.

You can teach something. Most of the readers want to become writers themselves.

Weekly emails with bite-size learnings make very welcoming blog posts.

But most importantly you can share your process of creation. People have an insatiable desire to know how real authors work.

But I can’t create and maintain a website. I am not technical.

If you can learn to use a computer, learn to do research on the internet, you can also learn to create and maintain a website and a blog. It is just a piece of software, that is interactive and user friendly like any other. Besides, there is a lot of help available online.

YouTube has thousands of videos that can teach you how to build a website and start a blog. You just need to spend fifteen minutes a day and within a week you will be able to create a decent website using a free template.

Too much to absorb, let me explain it in short.

An author’s website is to an author what a printing press is to a publisher. You ought to have one. But you do not have to be bamboozled by the professional sites of established authors. You can start small. And if you can concentrate on three things initially, you can have a firm mechanism not only to sell your books but build a loyal readership while you are writing them. Those three things are:

1. Your bio
2. Your work
3. Your blog

You have a choice, you can either wait for a publisher to find you or you can make yourself findable.

Publishers are fast becoming a dying breed. Now it is up to each individual author to sell their work. And the starting point for that is a website. Don’t delay it any longer. Sooner you will start, the quicker you will get better.

Still have a lot of questions?

Should I have my name as the domain name or should I create a site based on my book title?

If I hire someone to create a website how much it will cost?

How long it will take me to attract the first 100 readers?

How much time I will need to spend each week to write the blog?

How many articles I need to write a week?

Send me your questions and I will create a Frequently Asked Questions guide for you.

Also, I am working on a step by step guide to build your website for yourself. Stay tuned for that.

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

Is retirement a good time to be an entrepreneur?

Neera 2 Comments

We have been conditioned for centuries in believing that retirement is the time to hang our boots and lead a quiet life preferably playing with the grandchildren and maintaining the garden.

But the world has changed; our beliefs must also change.

For a start, we are living much longer than before. Where previously people used to live a maximum of five to ten years after retirement, nowadays we easily reach the late eighties and even late nineties before it is time to say goodbye to this world. Which means having thirty-plus years in our hands to do something with.

Seems like humans are the only animals who retire in their old age.

Try selling the concept of retirement to a humpback in her sixties (in whale years of course) to give up a 5000 km journey back to Antarctica each year and stay in the warm pacific waters just because she is too old. She will wack her barnacle-encrusted tail at you and will tell you to get out of her way.

Becoming an entrepreneur in your sixties might seem like a crazy idea but it is the best time to succeed than in your thirties and forties.

Here are five reasons why.

Life Experiences: You have two to three decades of life experiences to draw from in addition to enthusiasm. Insights drawn from life’s trials and lessons learned from mistakes made have equipped you with wisdom that will help you succeed in any endeavor you wish to pursue. And you have better habits cultivated over decades than any young entrepreneur which more than compensate for the youthful energy.

Financial Stability: You face less financial risk than in your younger years Children have grown up and are not financially dependent on you. You perhaps outrightly own your house or have equity in it. And you might have some savings and some superannuation accumulated over the years. All this means that you are in a much better position to set yourself up as an entrepreneur.

Confidence: Being in your fifties and sixties means that you have been through a lot of life including some tough times and you have come on the other side somewhat unscathed. Those experiences have given you confidence that you won’t be knocked about by obstacles easily. You are better equipped to find your way either through or around difficulties as they present themselves.

Attitude: Fifties and sixties is a great age. It is during these years you develop an ‘I-don’t-care-what-people-think’ attitude which enhances your productivity and increases your chances to succeed many folds. You also develop the quality of ‘stickiness,’ something our younger counterparts will take decades to develop. That puts you on the front foot already.

Your Network: You have an amazing network of people around you. They have different skills and expertise you can draw on and guess what, they are in the same age group as you are which means like you they now have fewer responsibilities and more time to give you a hand should you need one. And they are always willing to give you free advice.

We are the first generation in history, for whom the retirement years present the opportunity to live the life we wanted to live.

We have nothing to lose.

We know our values and we have figured out our own unique philosophies. They provide solid ground on which to build our enterprises.

As middle-aged entrepreneurs, we don’t just want to make money; we want to make a difference. Never before in our lives, were we in a position to do so.

It will be such a waste not to do use this opportunity to leave a mark.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Every writer must become an entrepreneur?

Neera 1 Comment

Do you know why most of the writers don’t succeed?

It is not because they are not good writers or because they can’t find time to write or they don’t put enough effort in their vocation.

Most writers don’t succeed because they refuse to see themselves as entrepreneurs.

Their thought process goes like this: I am a writer, I just want to write. I do not want to learn marketing, build an email listing, or deal with the publishers. 

So they keep writing and hoping that one day a publisher will like their work and will give them the break. Their book will be published, it will become an overnight bestseller and they will be rewarded with the name and fame they so much deserve and soon royalties will start flowing.

I can almost guarantee you that it is not going to happen. 

Writing is such a laborious, challenging, unrewarding activity that you will not be able to sustain it without some kind of payoff whether it is in the form of money or just recognition. The sooner you accept that sooner you will be able to establish yourself in this booming industry in the proper way. 

Only then you will be able to wholeheartedly commit to your passion. And the way to ensure that you do get paid for your efforts is to become an author entrepreneur.

Why you may ask? 

Here are five reasons:

  1. There is too much competition
  2. The conventional publishing industry is dead.
  3. People’s reading habits are changing
  4. The self-publishing industry is booming
  5. Entrepreneurship is not as hard as it sounds

There is too much competition.

Conventional publishers are flooded with manuscripts. There is little chance a publisher will get to read your manuscript and publish it over established writers who are also churning out new books regularly.

The conventional publishing industry is dead.

The conventional publishing industry was dying a slow death and COVID 19 pandemic has hastened this process. Perspective Publishing reported in March this year that in Italy 18,600 fewer titles will be published, 39 million books will not be printed at all and 25,000 titles will not be translated. Many publishers are concerned about whether they will be able to survive the COVID 19 crisis. If this is replicated in every country then the publishing industry will be badly hit.

People’s reading habits are changing.

More and more people are moving to eBooks and audiobooks. The sale of eBooks and audiobooks has dramatically increased since the lockdowns started in March. This unexpected event has brought a behavior shift in the reading habits of people which is expected to stick.

The self-publishing industry is booming. 

It is the way of the future. It is also the way to get properly rewarded for your effort. Typically, a new author gets paid $5000 advance for their first book if a publisher likes it and is willing to print 5000 copies. The publisher will not print any more copies until all previously printed copies are sold and he has recovered his money. Then only he will print the second batch. Typically the royalties even for the established writers range from 10% to 15% of the retail price of the book. 

You can earn the initial deposit by selling just 500 books at $10 each by self-publishing. That too without printing a single copy. 

Wouldn’t it make sense to become an entrepreneur and publish your own work?

Entrepreneurship is not as hard as it sounds.

Howard Stevenson, a long time professor at Harvard Business School, recounts the story of a senior faculty member describing the field of entrepreneurship to a young person: “You peel it back layer by layer,” the faculty member said, “and when you get to the center, there is nothing there, but you are crying.”

In other words, there is nothing much to be an entrepreneur and yet so many people are so scared of being one.

In the writing world, an entrepreneur is a writer who makes income from her writing. To be able to do that she needs a platform to establish herself. A platform is literary her ‘stand’. It is her ‘genre’, her ‘viewpoint’, her ‘take,’ all blended into one. Her platform is also her ‘shopfront’ from where her readers can access her work.

And she needs to do that much before she has published anything. Developing skills to write the quality of stuff that people pay to read can take many years, so does develop the skill to promote your work.

Joanna Penn is a successful writer-entrepreneur earning a six-figure income from her writing. You may not have read her books or may not have heard her name but she is the shining example of how the twenty-first-century writers can establish themselves as writer-entrepreneur.

Joanna says, “the author business model is a marathon, not a sprint.” She started writing in 2006. It took her five years to develop her writing skills. In 2011 she left her job to become a full-time writer. It took her another four years to start making six-figures income. Today she is generating income from 25+ books, a blog, a podcast and a number of other sources. Click here for her author timeline from the first book to multi-six-figure income.

What one thing can you do today?

Have a look at the sites of writers of your genre and find out how they have set up their platforms. Joanna Penn, Jeff Goings, James Altucher, Shuanta Grimes, Danielle Trussoni, have all set themselves up as a business and have a platform to stay in touch with their readers and generate interest in their books.

Then start working on building your own platform.

Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash

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