OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Everything you need to run a business as an author.
This is not a book on creativity or the craft of writing.
My aim is to take the result of your creativity into the realm of actually paying the bills.
To take you from being an author to running a business as an author.
I was a business consultant for 13 years before I gave up my job in September 2011 to become a full-time author-entrepreneur. I have worked for large corporates and small businesses, implementing financial systems across Europe and Asia Pacific.
I’ve also started a number of my own businesses – a scuba dive charter boat in New Zealand, a customized travel website, a property investment portfolio in Australia as well as my freelance consultancy. I’ve failed a lot and learned many lessons in my entrepreneurial life and I share them all in this book.
In the last six years of being an author, through tempestuous changes in the publishing world, I have learned the business side of being a writer and I now earn a good living as an author-entrepreneur. I’m an author because it is my passion and my joy … but also because it can be a business in this age of global and digital opportunity.
Buy the book in ebook, print or audiobook format
The audiobook is only available for purchase directly from me as an exclusive here (or scroll to the bottom of this page for more info). It includes the ebook version in DRM free mobi and ePub formats. If you buy the book in other formats from other stores, you'll get a discount code for a reduction on the audiobook.
If you can't get to the print book through the links below, click here for the Amazon print edition. As it is so new, the editions are still being linked!
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What are people saying about Business for Authors?
“Ready to become CEO of your own Global Media Empire? Then Business for Authors is for you, featuring clear and concise steps to managing your writing career.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CJ Lyons
“This is exactly the book I needed! Business for Authors is like having a charming double agent from the world of business who can tell you all its coveted secrets. It reads like an engaging conversation with someone you can trust ― a theology major! ― and along the way learning the language and strategies of a true entrepreneur. I wish I had been given this book when I first graduated from my MFA program, back when the accounting of writing was even more of a mystery to me. With warmth and intelligence, Penn demystifies so much about what it takes to be a writer for life. This is a book that will remain on my bookshelf for the years to come.”
Elizabeth Hyde Stevens, Author of Make Art Make Money: Lessons from Jim Henson on Fueling Your Creative Career and Lecturer at Boston University and Harvard University Extension School
What's in the book?
Here's an outline of the table of contents.
Part 1: From Author To Entrepreneur
The arc of the author’s journey, definition of an author-entrepreneur, deciding on your definition of success and why it’s important as well as what you want for your life. Plus/ should you start a company?
How you can turn one manuscript into multiple streams of income by exploiting all the different rights, various business models for authors and how to evaluate your own, information on contracts, copyright and piracy. Plus/ putting together a production plan.
Part 3: Employees, Suppliers and Contractors
The team you need to run your business as an author-entrepreneur. Your role as author and what you’re committing to in the business, as well as co-writing. Editors, agents and publishers, translators, book designers and formatters, audiobook narrators, book-keeping and accounting, virtual assistants. Plus/ how to manage your team.
Part 4: Customers
In-depth questions to help you understand who your customers are and what they want, as well as customer service options for authors.
Part 5: Sales and Distribution
How to sell through distributors and your options, plus all the information you need to sell direct. ISBNs and publishing imprints – do you need them? Plus/ your options for pricing.
Defining and reframing marketing so you feel more comfortable with it, as well as key overarching concepts. Book-based marketing techniques including cover, back copy and sales pages on the distributors. Author-based marketing around building your platform, and customer-based marketing around your niche audience and targeted media. [This is just an overview. For a whole book on marketing, see my ‘How To Market A Book‘.]
Part 7: Financials
Changing your mindset about money, and assessing where you are now vs where you want to be. Revenues of the author business and how to increase that revenue. Costs of the author business and funding your startup. Banking, PayPal, accounting, reporting, tax and estate planning.
Part 8: Strategy and Planning
Part 9: Next Steps
Questions from the book to help you work out everything to do with your business, plus encouragement for your next steps.
Appendices, Workbook and Bonus Downloads
There's also a download page that accompanies the book includes a downloadable workbook with questions in from each chapter. There’s a business plan template as well as hyperlinked lists of tools and resources to help you further.
The Appendices also include bonus interviews on money and how it relates to creativity, writing and life, as well as my own lessons learned over the last years as a full-time author-entrepreneur.
“BUSINESS FOR AUTHORS ought to be required reading if you're a beginning writer who wants to make money in publishing. You can learn it all the hard way, like I did, but that usually takes years and it usually means that you'll make a LOT of mistakes along the way. Or you can read through Joanna Penn's awesome little guidebook in just a few hours and save yourself a huge amount of time, energy, and money.”
Randy Ingermanson — author of “Writing Fiction for Dummies“.
“This book demonstrates why Joanna Penn has become a favorite role model for professional author-publishers, those indie-minded writers who want to turn their passion into their job. In it Penn offers the step-by-step process she has followed to success and covers every aspect of earning a good living from writing. Not a word is wasted and not a lesson offered that hasn't been forged in the hotbed of her own experience. A must-have book for every indie author.” Orna Ross, Bestselling author and founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors
“Business for Authors has now become my business bible. Packed with advice, experience and knowledge, it opened my mind to so much more that I could be doing.”
Mel Sherratt, Crime writer and Amazon UK #1 Bestseller.
“With Business for Authors, I felt like I stepped inside the brain of an entrepreneur. I love how Joanna explored the topic from so many angles, and then provided real-life context of how she worked through each opportunity/challenge.”
Dan Blank, WeGrowMedia.com
“There's no doubt about it, to be successful as an author today you must think like an entrepreneur. But maybe you need some advice and guidance on exactly how to do that? Good news! Joanna Penn's latest book Business for Authors will walk you through everything you need to know for success. It's a comprehensive step-by-step guide for authors, written by someone who walks the walk as a best-selling author and entrepreneur.”
Jim F. Kukral, Author Marketing Club
Love audio?
If you prefer to consume books by audio, you can now listen to me read you Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur.
You can pay by PayPal or bank card, and if you have a discount code from previously buying the ebook or print book, you can use that on the sales page, by clicking Buy it Now below.
Buy this on Selz
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You can listen to a 20 min sample on SoundCloud, or click play below.
Buy the book in ebook, print or audiobook format
The audiobook is only available for purchase directly from me as an exclusive, and includes the ebook version in DRM free mobi and ePub formats. If you buy the book in other formats from other stores, you'll get a discount code for a reduction on the audiobook.
Buy this on Selz
Sell digital downloads on Selz
View Comments (13)
Bought and really looking forward to reading this. 18 months and two books into my own self-publishing journey, I have recently been craving some practical insight and guidance on the business side of being an indie author and have always found the advice, experience and knowledge you share so helpful. Thank you, Joanna.
Thanks Frances! Writing it has helped me with my own business so I hope you find it useful :)
Had this pre-ordered because I was reading "How to Market a Book" and have found that to be immensely helpful (we exchanged brief sentiments about this on Twitter a few days ago, in fact). This book was delivered last night right as I was heading to bed to read my Kindle. Perfect timing!
So basically, I get to read about marketing and entrepreneurship for another week or so. Feels like a crash course :) Thanks for this! Love all that you do.
Thanks Deina - and I appreciate any feedback you have - this has been a tough one to write!
Of course! I'll be happy to let you know once I finish. And I'll leave a review!
Just purchased it from Amazon! You have such great insight/advice into this crazy business and I can't wait to see what you have to offer here. Thanks, Joanna!
Hey Joanna,
Ordered me a paperback version yesterday. Can't wait to dig in. This is exactly the book I've been waiting for someone to write.
I also read your 'How To Market A Book' on Kindle. Excellent resource. Thank you for all your hard work (and crazy experiments).
Thanks Ron - it was strange to write it because there are no other books that tackle this for authors - which makes me think
a) there is NO market for this at all or/
b) authors haven't been considered as business people until recently
There are a number of Business for Artists/ creatives / Etsy sellers etc so I think this kind of creative entrepreneurialism is just getting started :)
Just bought it! Looking forward to reading.
Joanna – I was listening to you for most of yesterday evening and way into the night – that's some lullaby! What a fantastic resource you have created. I'm really glad I bought the audio version with the extra downloads, and your little asides are lovely, reinforcing how very human and surprisingly humble you are despite your amazing achievements.
I'm going to have to listen to the whole thing again, this time in conjunction with the written version and workbook. You have crammed in so much it's like being put inside a self-publishing tumble drier: my head is buzzing with ideas, some of which I'd had before but had put on a back burner, others that are directly inspired by your book.
I think what I'm most blown away by are your revelations of how you manage your author-entrepreneur business. You are just *so* incredibly organised and businesslike! I'm hugely impressed – I'd recommend this book to anyone running any kind of creative business, not just writers and publishers.
A massive round of applause for what is bound to become the go-to reference work in the field. Well done!
Hi Henry,
Thank you so much for your kind words about the audio. I'm so glad it has been valuable to you already, despite being inside the "tumble dryer" :) Is it OK to use some of your comment as a testimonial for the audiobook page? Thanks again, Joanna
Hi Joanna
Of course, go ahead and use whatever you like. All those brilliant ideas you've given me in the last 24 hours in exchange for a couple of sentences? Sounds like a good deal to me! :-D
I just wanted to let you know that my paperback copy of the book arrived from Amazon just now. What a handsome volume: really nicely printed and bound, very smart and clear layout and an excellent cover. Well done to you and all concerned – this will sit on my desk until it falls apart and I have to buy another copy!