Abouts Books

By Monica Carter Tagore

Self-publishing often attracts many creative souls who see this as a way to share their art with the world. And while sharing art is fine, it must be approached from a business standpoint.

When you write, you may be an artist. But when you publish, you become a business person. Quality self-publishing is about dollars and cents - it's about cash flow and inventory, wholesale costs and vendors. It's about marketing and shelf space.

Even if you are not naturally business-minded, you can learn to be. As a self-publisher, you must be. Or else you will lose money, become disappointed with sales, and ultimately, give up. That's not the future you want.

You can learn to be business-minded by educating yourself about self-publishing. Learn about printers and their costs, about professionals such as editors and designers, learn about marketing and promotion. Or partner with someone who has an interest in and aptitude for those things. The point is, business must be a part of your quality self-publishing operation if you are to have success there.

Don't be discouraged if you don't think you have a business-minded bone in your body. I didn't think I was very business-minded either when I began self-publishing in 2002. But I took it upon myself to learn the business, and as a result, I've been able to build a successful writing and publishing business. My work paid off when I was able to sell my own self-published books, as well as land a traditional publishing deal. I also share my knowledge with others, by helping them develop a business mind-set when it comes to their writing work.

Developing a business mind-set means releasing yourself from compromising notions that somehow separate your art from your profit. Many writers have a wrong notion that their writing - their art - cannot be done for commercial purposes. I do not share this view, and work to help other writers recover from this faulty thinking. If your self-publishing goal is to sell books, it's imperative you change this thinking.

You can be creative in your writing and still earn money. Show your passion in your work, and promote your expertise or whatever it is that you bring to the table. Self-publishing is no time to be shy!

You can develop a business mind-set when you balance your creative work against its commercial interests. You can maintain the integrity of your writing project, while looking to the bottom line. For instance, one way to balance your creative passions with the bottom line is to see how your project fits into the market. Determine what the market wants and create your project with that in mind. That's just one example how the writer-artist can also become the entrepreneur writer.

Are you ready to transition from simply a writer-artist to an entrepreneur-writer?

Monica Carter Tagore is a self publishing mentor who teaches people to successfully publish marketable books. She is the author of three books, two e-books and thousands of articles. She also has ghostwritten books and projects for others. Join her mailing list at http://www.knowledgewealthseries.com/writingsuccess.html and get her newsletter with helpful tips to successfully publish your next book.