The last few months have seen me rethink my approach to being an author. My books may not be paying all my bills yet, but I feel that the standard of my writing alone qualifies me for that title, not to mention the amount of time I spend working on my craft. My new series’ of short stories (‘Sci-Fi Bytes’ and ‘Horror Bites’) will require me to write a publishable short story each month; I aim to alternate between the two. Swarm is getting a further rewrite, and I’m also drawing together my ideas for my next novel. That’s a heavy workload by itself, never mind the full-time job, the NVQ5 I’m doing and spending time with my family. My new found solution to meeting my (self-imposed) deadlines?
Write less.
That’s right. Every waking moment that’s not dedicated to my family or to the day job I tend to spend writing or editing. But I’m an author, not a writer. This isn’t a hobby. Which means I want to make money from my efforts.
Which means learning to market effectively.
Which means learning new skills.
I see lots of people, particularly on Facebook, asking advice on how to sell more books. More often than not they want a cheap, quick solution that delivers instant results. Wish in one hand…
Marketing is a skill. As is copywriting for adverts, as is copyriting the blurb on the back of the book. As is writing a compelling email subject line, a compelling email itself… I could go on. Not only do these skills take time to learn, they take time to implement.
I’ve subscribed to a few marketing blogs, a few video tutorials and made time to read some books I’ve bought on the subjects. I don’t think of it as a loss of writing time, even though I would much rather be at the keyboard. How many businesses do you know to have flourished with a bit of investment? How many have failed due to a lack of it? If you want to be an author, carry on writing for yourself and maybe a small circle of friends and family. There's nothing wrong with that. If you want to be a successful author, learn the skills of selling your book. There's no point in writing the next 1984 or American Psycho or Grapes of Wrath if nobody knows about it.
From now on I’m dedicating every Monday to training and marketing. It’s when I watch and make notes on my videos and books, when I write my blurbs and my blog posts and draft my emails.
Authors, what are your plans for making a living from your work? Please share any tips or resources you have.
My ebooks can be found at my Pronoun store, including my upcoming release Nurse Krahe. I’m on Twitter and Facebook. And don’t forget to download your free copy of The Cauldron.
Write less.
That’s right. Every waking moment that’s not dedicated to my family or to the day job I tend to spend writing or editing. But I’m an author, not a writer. This isn’t a hobby. Which means I want to make money from my efforts.
Which means learning to market effectively.
Which means learning new skills.
I see lots of people, particularly on Facebook, asking advice on how to sell more books. More often than not they want a cheap, quick solution that delivers instant results. Wish in one hand…
Marketing is a skill. As is copywriting for adverts, as is copyriting the blurb on the back of the book. As is writing a compelling email subject line, a compelling email itself… I could go on. Not only do these skills take time to learn, they take time to implement.
I’ve subscribed to a few marketing blogs, a few video tutorials and made time to read some books I’ve bought on the subjects. I don’t think of it as a loss of writing time, even though I would much rather be at the keyboard. How many businesses do you know to have flourished with a bit of investment? How many have failed due to a lack of it? If you want to be an author, carry on writing for yourself and maybe a small circle of friends and family. There's nothing wrong with that. If you want to be a successful author, learn the skills of selling your book. There's no point in writing the next 1984 or American Psycho or Grapes of Wrath if nobody knows about it.
From now on I’m dedicating every Monday to training and marketing. It’s when I watch and make notes on my videos and books, when I write my blurbs and my blog posts and draft my emails.
Authors, what are your plans for making a living from your work? Please share any tips or resources you have.
My ebooks can be found at my Pronoun store, including my upcoming release Nurse Krahe. I’m on Twitter and Facebook. And don’t forget to download your free copy of The Cauldron.
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