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Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur (Books for Writers) Paperback – 19 Sept. 2014
| Joanna Penn (Author) See search results for this author |
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Are you ready to take the next step in your author journey?
Art for the sake of art is important. Writing for the love of it, or to create something beautiful on the page, is absolutely worthwhile and critical to expand the sum of human expression.
But I’m not here to talk about creativity or the craft of writing in this book. My aim is to take the result of your creativity into the realm of actually paying the bills.
˃˃˃ To take you from being an author to running a business as an author.
I was a business consultant for 13 years before I gave up my job in September 2011 to become a full-time author-entrepreneur. I worked for large corporates and small businesses, implementing financial systems across Europe and Asia Pacific.
I’ve also started a number of my own businesses ”" a scuba dive charter boat in New Zealand, a customized travel website, a property investment portfolio in Australia as well as my freelance consultancy. I’ve failed a lot and learned many lessons in my entrepreneurial life and I share them all in this book.
In the last six years of being an author, through tempestuous changes in the publishing world, I've learned the business side of being a writer and I now earn a good living as an author-entrepreneur. I’m an author because it's my passion and my joy but also because it's a viable business in this age of global and digital opportunity.
˃˃˃ In the book, you will learn:
** Part 1: From Author To Entrepreneur
The arc of the author’s journey, definition of an author-entrepreneur, deciding on your definition of success. Plus/ should you start a company?
** Part 2: Products and Services
How you can turn one manuscript into multiple streams of income by exploiting all the different rights, various business models for authors and how to evaluate them, information on contracts, copyright and piracy. Plus/ putting together a production plan.
** Part 3: Employees, Suppliers and Contractors
The team you need to run your business. Your role as author and what you’re committing to, as well as co-writing. Editors, agents and publishers, translators, book designers and formatters, audiobook narrators, book-keeping and accounting, virtual assistants. Plus/ how to manage your team.
** Part 4: Customers
In-depth questions to help you understand who your customers are and what they want, as well as customer service options for authors.
** Part 5: Sales and Distribution
How to sell through distributors and your options, plus all the information you need to sell direct. ISBNs and publishing imprints ”" do you need them? Plus/ your options for pricing.
** Part 6: Marketing
Key overarching marketing concepts. Book-based marketing including cover, back copy and sales pages on the distributors. Author-based marketing around building your platform, and customer-based marketing around your niche audience and targeted media.
** Part 7: Financials
Changing your mindset about money, and assessing where you are now vs where you want to be. Revenues of the author business and how to increase that revenue. Costs of the author business and funding your startup. Banking, PayPal, accounting, reporting, tax and estate planning.
** Part 8: Strategy and Planning
Developing your strategy and business plan. Managing your time and developing professional habits. The long term view and the process for becoming a full-time author. Plus/ looking after yourself.
** Part 9: Next Steps
Questions from the book to help you work out everything to do with your business, plus encouragement for your next steps.
** Appendices, Workbook and Bonus Downloads including a workbook and business plan template.
If you want to go from being an author, to running a business as an author, download a sample or buy now
- Print length310 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date19 Sept. 2014
- Dimensions12.7 x 1.78 x 20.32 cm
- ISBN-10150107833X
- ISBN-13978-1501078330
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Product description
About the Author
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Product details
- Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (19 Sept. 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 310 pages
- ISBN-10 : 150107833X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501078330
- Dimensions : 12.7 x 1.78 x 20.32 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 414,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 561 in Authorship Reference
- 2,663 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
- 2,770 in Entrepreneurship Careers
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Joanna Penn is a bestselling author, international speaker and award-winning entrepreneur based in Bath, England.
Her site, www.TheCreativePenn.com helps authors with creativity, writing, publishing, book marketing and creative entrepreneurship. It has been voted one of the top 100 sites for authors by Writers Digest. Joanna has a popular podcast, The Creative Penn, and a YouTube Channel.
You can get a free Author 2.0 Blueprint ebook and video series at www.TheCreativePenn.com/blueprint
You can also connect with Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn
and on Facebook.com/TheCreativePenn
Joanna is a travel junkie, weaving her adventures into her Award-nominated, bestselling thrillers as J.F.Penn and podcasting at www.BooksAndTravel.page
She's a cat person and enjoys a nice G&T.
Joanna has a Masters in Theology from the University of Oxford, Mansfield College, and a post-graduate diploma in Psychology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She spent 13 years in the corporate world before breaking out to become a full-time author-entrepreneur in 2011.
Her bestselling self-help books for writers and authors include:
Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish an ebook and print book
How to Market a Book
How to Make a Living with your Writing - listed as one of INC magazine top business books 2015
The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer's Journey
Audio for Authors: Audiobooks, Podcasting and Voice Technologies
Productivity for Authors
Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur
Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts
Co-writing a Book: Collaboration and Co-Creation for Writers - co-written with J. Thorn
The Healthy Writer: Reduce your Pain, Improve your Health, and Build a Writing Career for the Long-term - co-written with Dr Euan Lawson
Career Change: Stop Hating your Job, Discover what you Really Want to Do with your Life, and Start Doing It!
Customer reviews
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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There are plenty of hyperlinks for more information, which felt a little odd in the paperback version I purchased, but I’m sure they work much better in the eBook.
The book also features more recommended reading throughout and lots more information in the appendix. If you’re not sure where to start with your author business, this is the book you need.
And this book is a neatly contained package of advice for other writers looking to follow a similar path.
Joanna’s writing style is friendly and honest. She holds her hands up about mistakes she’s made in the past in an effort to help us avoid similar methods. Her pragmatism and sheer enthusiasm for her author business makes her a force of nature in the publishing world. If you ever doubt that you are a legitimate author because you want to self-publish read this book and cast those doubts aside.
My next step is to take a look through Joanna’s downloads and start work on a business plan and a production schedule. This kind of practical focus on the business side is exactly what I need.
I read this book all the way through from beginning to end and found it easy to read and everything explained in detail. This will definitely be a book I will return to again and again as I progress on my journey and I strongly recommend it to those serious about being a professional independent author.
The only annoying thing I found was due to buying the print book. I bought it because I find it annoying using some reference books on a kindle if I need to flick back and forwards for information. Also I wanted to see what kind of quality the print book would be. However the links provided in the print copy are the same as the links in the kindle, which means typing in a bitly url instead of a normal website link. Its a small annoying thing... but maybe it is better than a long-winded website address. Another small thing is that some information was repeated quite a few times in different chapters. However the book is still worth buying, regardless.
What makes this book stand out is that it gives the new novelist or non-fiction writer a road map through the indie publishing world of the twenty first century.
Her optimism and enthusiasm shines through.
I also love the way she give emphasis to producing the best work you can. This is not a book about hacking out low grade books. She talks about making art, entertaining people, helping readers and making sure your books are properly edited, proofread and professionally produced for the market.
Everything she says about the business of publishing a book and making a business as a creative writer is useful. I'm using her ideas to plan out a proper indie author career and I can never thank her enough for all the help and insight she has given me. In the past, I've made many of the mistakes she talks about, and have almost given up many times. It became easier to teach writing than to get my work out there. But, as all writers know, the urge to write is a powerful driving force and because of people like Joanna Penn, many of us can now realise our dreams of making a living doing what we love.
I raced through this book & loved the fact that it was not over complicated with unnecessary use of author/publisher jargon. But instead it felt as though I was sitting across the table sharing a coffee with a friend who was explaining the ins & outs of the independent publishers world.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was already doing most of the things suggested. But it made me realise that I needed to prioritise & order these things in a more manageable manor. I am now working my way back through the book to set it all in stone.
I am also very pleased to hear that the audio version is now available! Yay I can listen along while I do my filing!








