Starting a Writing Business on the Right Foot

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Starting out as a writer can be really tough–there’s so much information out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed…especially if you’re hoping to be writing for a while and plan on setting up your own business.

But there are a few basic things that you can do to ensure you start out on the right foot.

8 Tips for Starting Out on the Right Foot

Choose your genre carefully. It’s going to be much easier for you to pick a genre that you’re very familiar with. Genre readers have certain expectations and it’s important, for commercial success, to be sure you know them and follow them. It doesn’t hurt to choose a genre that’s popular with readers, either, especially if you’re looking to write in a series (which you should be. More on that below.)

Write in series. Not only are series popular with readers, they’re also much easier for us to write.  Readers who’ve already invested time in learning the story world and its characters are glad to continue the experience with more adventures with the characters.  As for us, it means we’ve already got a set story world and developed characters…so much of the hard work has already been taken care of. Make sure to keep a “story bible” with important facts about your characters for future stories and for the sake of consistency.

Have a basic online identity and home base. The most important thing to remember here is that it’s best to use your name (or the name you’re writing under) as the name for the site and for any social media you establish instead of the name of your book. It’s also important to remember to have a way for people to contact you on your site. If you write under more than one name, strongly consider consolidating those names under a single site. It’s tough to try to promote under more than one name (take it from someone who’s tried it).

Slow and steady wins the race. True for turtles in an ancient fable, but also true for writers. If you develop a consistent writing habit, you’ll end up producing books fairly quickly. Yes, writing quickly does help, but to me consistency is even better. In the for-what-it’s-worth category, outlining can also help make the most of your writing sessions (take it from someone who’s been converted to outlining).

The more books you have, the easier it is to promote your books by running sales, having a perma-free book, and giving yourself more visibility on retail sites.

When you’re ready to publish, consider self-publishing.  There’s nothing wrong with traditional publishing, but the process can take a very long time. If you don’t want to query agents and publishers, think about setting a deadline for when you want to stop and publish the story yourself. With self-publishing, we do have a lot more control over how often and what we publish and can help the book reach more markets.

In that vein, consider going wide with your books, if you’re going to publish more than once. Although some authors (particularly, I hear, writers who’ve published a single book) have reported doing well publishing through KDP Select, you have the ability to reach a wider audience by publishing your book to multiple platforms. I’m published on Nook, Apple, Kobo, Overdrive, Scribd, and many more platforms.

Ensure your books are well-edited and well-designed. This just makes sure that your brand as an author is known for quality. And happy readers make for repeat readers.

Publish your book in multiple formats to reach readers however they like to read. Instead of only focusing on ebooks, make sure your books are available in print, too.  There are also audiobooks to consider, as well as translations.

There’s obviously a lot more to consider…I haven’t touched on promo here. But these are some of the most important basics when you’re starting out with a writing business. Remember that, like everything, this takes time. Finding success as a writer doesn’t usually happen overnight. But it’s worth it in the end.

Are you just starting out as a writer? How’s it going so far? Or, if you’re an established writer, what other tips can you offer?

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