Back when I started writing my first book, everyone thought I was in dreamland.
Who are you to write a book?
How will your book be different than the millions of books out there?
Why would your book be important?
Honestly, I was quite unsure. So unsure, I sent seven stories to a small publisher to check if I was on track. When the publisher dissected my stories, ripping apart every sentence of every page it hurt. But it didn’t crush my passion to earn a living through writing.
A year later I presented a completed collection of stories to a prestigious publishing house. The book was well received and elicited an invitation for another book, a compilation of my Dear Libby column.
Both books became bestsellers. But not for long. As a writer I’d luxuriated in the world of creativity. Authorship is a business. I didn’t know how to put on my business person’s hat to market and sell the book. I had done it all wrong. I wrote the book, queried the publisher, got it published. End of story.
I failed before I’d even begun.
So I queried literary agents, took courses, read numerous books, hired coaches and mentors and studied the strategies used by world-renowned authors and business gurus. I realized that for a book to be profitable it wasn’t enough to put heart and soul into writing it, that an author needed to do something more that, well, pays a little better over the longer term. To my surprise, twenty years of teaching, coaching, writing, editing, trying, refining, succeeding, failing, tweaking and testing, dealing with frustration, and trying again, all came together. I was excited to discover that helping women entrepreneurs write their own books to increase their business was a natural next step and a perfect business for me. It’s exhilarating to leverage my authorship into a lucrative business, while, at the same time, helping others do the same.
How about you? What hat fits you best –authorship or entrepreneurship?
P.S. If you’re ready to learn how your magnetic story can transform your business, you can apply here for a strategy session with me and gain clarity around how to tackle your current marketing and business challenges through the power of story.