Being a writer or author is one thing. But being able to promote, market, sell, and profit from your writing is another. It is what often defines being an authorpreneur.
There are many writers and authors nowadays, but there are relatively few true authorpreneurs. Why? Because it is a tough business and for many writers, being in business is not what they want to do.
For most authorpreneurs, it is a full-time job and involves much more than simply writing content or ebooks.
So, what makes an authorpreneur different from a first-time author or writer?
The 11 key attributes of an authorpreneur
Many authors write books and self-publish on Amazon for pleasure or as a part-time activity. However, there are a select few that use book publishing, book promotion, and sales to build a profitable business.
Selling books is not an easy task today. But for a small band of self-published authors, it is a profitable full-time job.
What sets these authors apart? Let’s look at some traits that make them different.
1. An authorpreneur is a manager
They are in business and run a tight ship. Perhaps you can equate them to a CEO, General Manager, or company President.
They are responsible for their business’s finances, sales, advertising, and profitability. It is also how they make a living, as they rarely have another source of income.
2. Outsource
There is not enough time in the day for anyone who runs a business to do everything. It is why true authorpreneurs use professionals to undertake many of the necessary tasks involved in selling words.
These tasks would probably include book cover design, editing, proofreading, and book formatting. They often outsource website or blog development, copywriting, and online advertising campaigns.
For authorpreneurs, spending money wisely on outsourcing saves a lot of valuable and scarce writing time.
3. Write a lot
They write an awful lot. Not only fiction or non-fiction books. But also regular high-quality content for their blogs, content for their promotional campaigns, and of course, a lot of emails.
If you think this job is only about writing books, you will be wrong.
Most authorpreneurs are busy during their workdays, like many authors with a day job. So writing a new novel is often an evening and weekend occupation.
4. Work long hours
It is a business. For those who are just starting, it takes a lot of energy and time. It means long workdays to build a business that sells words.
Only the highly motivated, dedicated, or perhaps extremely stubborn succeed in building a viable income-producing business.
5. Highly focused
They know precisely what their readership wants, and as in any business, it is all about keeping the customer satisfied.
They know what specific writing genre returns the best sales and profit or what content attracts readers to their blogs.
An authorpreneur understands the necessity of using SEO (Search engine optimization).
Many have mastered basic, intermediate, or even advanced SEO skills. This helps to leverage Internet search to gain maximum market reach for their products. Well, yes, books and words.
6. Build an author brand
Building an author brand based on name recognition and attracting audience awareness are vital components in the daily routine of authorpreneurs.
It could be social media, blogging, interviews, commenting, or guest blogging. They use every opportunity to find a wider audience or online presence to help grow the business.
7. Authorpreneurs diversify
Writing is not only about books and novels. With so many mediums available to distribute text today, there are always opportunities to repurpose articles, essays, or book extracts.
Content is in high demand. So finding diversified ways to earn extra income is always possible for those who keenly search for them.
Many large websites, newspapers, magazines, and even corporations are looking for and will pay for content.
Authorpreneurs are always looking for opportunities to create multiple income streams. It might include coaching, consulting, affiliate marketing, and earning advertising revenue.
These, of course, offset the ups and downs of royalty earnings from book sales but can also be lucrative in themselves.
8. Invest and be patient
Nothing happens magically overnight. It takes a long time and a lot of patience to start building any new business. There is no difference to opening, say, a new consulting business.
The reality is that all new businesses take time to move into profit. They require start-up capital to cover the initial stages when costs can be quite high. Authorpreneurs understand business planning and realistic long-term objectives.
9. Tough taskmasters
They are tough on their suppliers and contractors but even tougher on themselves. It requires discipline to make every hour in the day and every word written count.
With so much to do, it takes a strong will and fierce determination to overcome the setbacks. And to clear the hurdles that are ever-present in any business.
10. Look outside the nine dots
Doing something a certain way because it has always been done that way by everyone else is certainly not an attribute of an authorpreneur. They think outside the box.
They will always be on the lookout for new ways, methods, and opportunities to stay ahead of the game. And, more importantly, to increase earnings.
11. An authorpreneur believes
Above all else is the belief that they can and will succeed. It is what differentiates a true authorpreneur from other writers and authors.
Every mistake, setback, or failure is a learning experience, and never attribute any of these to bad luck because they never work on luck or hope.
They accept the highs and lows and keep working to find a way to succeed.
Wrapping it up
Being an authorpreneur is not for every writer or author.
It is a choice made by very few, as it is a tough business. For many writers, it is enough to write, publish, and hope to make a side income while keeping a day job.
It is enough to take pleasure from the joy of writing and that some people are reading your work.
However, for others, the drive and motivation are strong. They relish the challenge of succeeding in making writing their full-time job, or indeed, business.
So there is no right or wrong way here. It is a matter of choice to be a writer, an author, or an authorpreneur.
But wait, there’s more
From a linguistic point of view, the word authorpreneur is, by definition, a portmanteau. So what is that?
portmanteau
pɔːtˈmantəʊ/
a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example, motel or brunch.
“podcast is a portmanteau, a made-up word coined from a combination of the words iPod and broadcast.”
In then-contemporary English, a portmanteau was a suitcase that opened into two equal sections. The etymology of the word is the French porte-manteau, from porter, “to carry”, and manteau, “cloak” (from Old French mantel, from Latin mantellum).
So the author part is easy, but what about the second part, preneur? It, of course, comes from entrepreneur.
entrepreneur
ˌɒntrəprəˈnəː/
a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.
However, in French, it has a different meaning
n. 1828, “manager or promoter of a theatrical production,” reborrowing of French entrepreneur “one who undertakes or manages,” agent noun from Old French entreprendre “undertake” (see enterprise). The word first crossed the Channel late 15c. but did not stay. Meaning “business manager” is from 1852.
Which then led to a whole lot of confusion for George W. Bush.
“The thing that’s wrong with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur.”
George W. Bush
Well, George, the French do indeed have a word for an entrepreneur because it is a French word.
But in fairness, the meaning got lost somehow along the way when it crossed the Atlantic.
Related Reading: Is It Easy To Self-Publish For A First Time Author?
There are individual that can do writing and at the same time expert on marketing. How I wish I can also do both.