Tag: business

Newsletters for the Reluctant Author

Business of Writing

Row of mailboxes.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve mentioned here before that I was slow to start sending out a newsletter. What really made me finally commit to sending them (in 2013) was that readers were getting irritated.  They wanted me to send out a newsletter to let them know when I had a new release.  I had been a published author since 2009, so I was 4 years late to the party.

So I finally followed through.  I realized that, for the readers who wanted to sign up for my newsletter, they expected me to notify them of releases.  That’s how I started out and how I still handle my newsletters today.

I use MailChimp which is free for up to 2,000 subscribers.  I do have more than that, so I have to pay to send out my newsletters. Since I only send out newsletters when I have a release, I send out only 3 or 4 emails a year and decided to choose the pay-as-you-go plan (they also have a monthly plan).  More on costs here. Continue reading

The Importance of Keeping a Book Inventory

Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Fortunately, the olden days of being a self-published writer are over.  Those days involved keeping large quantities of paperback novels in your garage or closet or even carrying them in the trunk of your car as John Grisham famously did for his first book (he had a small publisher instead of self-publishing…but the distribution wasn’t there).

Today, it’s all about POD, print on demand.  Amazon’s KDP Print (formerly CreateSpace) and IngramSpark wait until there’s an order from a reader to print a book.  No inventory or storage required.

Because it’s so easy, it’s also easy for me to get very absent-minded about my own personal inventory.Continue reading

Prepping for Tax Prep

Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Clearly, I’m no accountant or tax lawyer.  In fact, I encourage anyone with a large-ish writing business to use a CPA, as I do.  I had one terrifying moment in 2013 where I realized that my tax return was a disaster.  Fortunately, I found a well-recommended CPA to help me out before the tax deadline.

My accountant had me do two things right away: start pre-paying the state and federal estimated taxes, and set up a separate bank account for my book earnings and book-related expenses.

In 2013 I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was so much of a business.  I’d always tried to treat my writing as a business, but on the dollars and cents side I sometimes failed to handle it that way.  Now writing income is direct-deposited into my account and whenever I need to buy printer ink (or a laptop), I make sure I take the money out of that writing account.

I’ve also gotten good about keeping track of possible write-offs.   Here are the types of expenses that I track and give to my CPA:Continue reading

Pushing Ourselves in 2019

Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig,  @elizabethscraig

I realized at some point last year that I wanted to write a new series.  For one thing, it’s nice to have an additional revenue stream, especially if a series may appeal to a different pool of readers.  For another, I wanted to make sure that I was still growing.  I wanted to try something different to keep myself sharp.

Writing a new series or a new genre (or both) is one way to creatively stretch.  But there are other ways of pushing ourselves.  The beginning of the year is a good time to assess where you stand in your writing business. And it is a business, which is sometimes tough for writers to wrap their heads around.

My income has increased in direct relation to the number of books I’ve published.  It’s also increased whenever I’ve added new streams of revenue by diversifying into new formats (print, digital, audio),  and distributors and retailers (using aggregators like Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, Smashwords, Ingram, and StreetLib to reach retailers all over the world).

As with anything, I think it’s important to break down any of these tasks into many smaller tasks.  Don’t let it be overwhelming if it’s something you want to tackle in 2019.

To get you started, here are some questions to ask yourself and then places to start: 

Continue reading

Starting Out as a Freelance Editor

Business of Writing
Forest-covered mountains during a sunrise.
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This may seem an odd topic for me to blog on.  I have never been an editor and I have no aspirations to be a freelance editor.  However, I’ve worked with freelance editors for so long and have received so many emails from people interested in becoming editors that I thought I should try to write a post to point folks in the right direction.

 

To start off, you’ll need a home base online.  This can be done relatively inexpensively (or even for free), which might be the way to go, starting out. For info on this, head to industry expert Jane Friedman’s blog.  First, her article on whether to go self-hosted or not (self-hosted is not the free option), then her post on setting up a site (which is where she also recommends not starting with self-hosted).

Here you can have information about your services (are you a developmental editor? A line editor? Proofreader? More on the different types of editing in this post on Joel Friedlander’s blog). An example of a freelance editor’s page (she has a huge site, but she has other interests, as well) can be found here.  You could put the link to your new site in your email signature.

 

Endorsements.  Until you get them from novelists, you could get some from the people you’ve worked for in the past, if you have a editing on your resume.  These endorsements will go on your website and also in your email signature.  You may need to start out doing work for a lower rate than you’ll charge later.

 

Social media.  A professional page on Facebook and accounts on Twitter (there are lots of writers on Twitter) and LinkedIn is important.  Share posts you’ve written and share posts that others have written, too, as well as networking with writers.  Also, many freelance writers get exposure by commenting on writers’ blogs (not pitching…just being there).

 

Rates. One important thing to know about freelance editing: the rates vary and should vary, per project.  Many freelance editors offer sample edits of 15 pages or so for free.  This gives an editor a good idea of the writer’s ability. You can see if the writer writes cleanly or poorly.  Some writers are even English as a Second Language and you’ll want a much higher rate for correcting ESL work.  A reference for pricing can be found here.

 

Ways to connect with indie authors (besides social media).  One of the best-known and most respected sites for indie authors is the Alliance of Independent Authors.  You can apply to be one of their ‘vetted services’.   Another place writers find freelance editors is the Editorial Freelancers Association. You could also attend book festivals and conferences.

 

I think the toughest part is getting the word out and finding writers who need editors.  Although social media is something many of us dislike, it can be key in finding clients.

 

How did you find your freelance editor, if you’re a writer? (For me it was word-of-mouth in a closed forum.)  If you’re an editor, how did you connect with clients? Any other tips from freelance editors?

Photo on Visual Hunt

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