Recently, I posted something on LinkedIn called Author, Entrepreneur, or Authorpreneur? My point was that, if you’re interested in breaking into the top 100 in your Amazon category, you’re probably going to have to spend some time acting like a businessperson when it comes to book sales.
Those three titles – author, entrepreneur, and authorpreneur – all represent potential business models, and I guess the question is, which one is the best, and why?
If you’re an author with a traditional publishing contract, you don’t really have to be an entrepreneur as such; the publishing company does the marketing and PR for you, though you have to do a little of it. But mainly, you can get on with the next book. It’s your publisher’s job to get you into the top 100 of XYZ category.
If you’re an independent author like myself, you are by definition an entrepreneur…maybe a great one, maybe a terrible one, or maybe somewhere in between. But one thing is for sure: you have to run your author business like a business.
The distinction between author or entrepreneur and the relatively-recently-coined word authorpreneur is an interesting one. I suppose the emphasis for an authorpreneur really depends upon the individual. Are you more interested in the business side of things, making money from a variety of merchandise? Or are you primarily interested in writing?
I found a neat article by Joel Friedlander for aspiring authorpreneurs, and he said something very important: Every book is essentially a mini startup business. That really says it all for me. Sure, I’m in business, and sure, I want to sell as many books as I can. But the goal is to buy time to write more books. It’s a vocation, not an avocation. To me, being an “author” isn’t nearly as important as being a writer…but if I want to have the chance to keep writing, I have to sell books.
Right now I’m offering a free book to anyone who purchases the Kindle version of my first novel, Brothers’ Hand, which is currently hovering around the top 100 mark in its Amazon category. Buy it within the next 24 hours, email the receipt to me at info@msahno.com, and I’ll personally send you a free copy of either my second novel, Jana, or my third novel, Miles of Files. These novels each took about seven years to write, so it’s just about the most substantial offer I can possibly make. Take advantage of this limited offer tonight!
