10 Steps to Become an Authorpreneur

A book is a creation. A completed and published book is a product on its own which has the potential to draw business and create job opportunities for others. It is the capability of an author to identify a book’s true potentials and use it for business opportunities that can generate profits regularly, and a build a brand for the author. Most of the times, authors fear they do not have it all to publish and print your own book. However, one who writes can also, become a publisher and sell not only his/her book but also the books of many other authors who are aspirational and ambitious. Some authors who self-publish their books can become great entrepreneurs.

Here are 10 steps to become authorpreneurs:-

1. Realize Your Book Is Your Product– When you finish a manuscript, look at it from the perspective of a businessman. Try to understand what are the actions involved in getting the manuscript to the world. A manuscript is just not pages; it is a mini start-up business on its own, because to get it published, you have to transform the loose pages into a bound book with cover, through editing, designing, reformatting into different audio-visual modes of communication, proper marketing, distribution and finally selling. The other steps involved in transforming a manuscript is not the author’s job, but it involves people who can do it. Hence one manuscript creates several job avenues for many others; you can involve them all under your roof, if you believe a book is a business on its own.
2. Choose You Target Audience– when you switch modes from an author to a publisher, you first need to identify your target audience. A publisher is generally focused on a specific genre and that becomes a brand after several books are successfully published through them. a good way to identify your audience is by keeping a note of who are interested in your type of writing. Of course, later, you will have other authors contributing, but understand which topics have sold better than others. See if you have a flair in these topics, or if you can work on them to make such books better. That way you can build your genre and your brand.
3. Keep in Touch With Your Audience and Sellers– you might choose to publish and print your own book, but you cannot sell them personally always. Your distributers, your book sellers and your readers are your friends. You have to stay in touch with them, so that when you start your own publishing house, they are always there to support you. Your old readers will come back to read books also published by you. Your known sellers will be happier than others to keep your books in their store.
4. Concentrate on Newcomers– Yes, that is the strategy to build your start-up. Draw new authors to your portal because the traditional publishing industry is quite clogged up with numerous manuscripts. New aspiring authors with potentials cannot find a good publishing deal. Provide them the opportunity to grow your own firm. Building your customer base is after all the most required action to be a successful authorpreneur.
5. Repurpose Your Content in Different Formats– To grow a business, it is essential to understand what consumers want. Everyone does not want the content in a book or a blog. Some may find ebooks handy, while others may be willing to pay for a hard copy, even if you make the work available online for free. Different consumer needs and behaviors need to be identified while you develop your ideas of repurposing content. You can include audiobooks, videos, ebooks, blogs and also journals and print books for a single content.
6. Do a Good Market Survey– Develop an awareness of opportunities in your chosen market, genre, category, or niche. People’s interests keep changing and new events, personalities, and stories are constantly impinging on our awareness. Know what your readers are thinking about. Pay attention to where your readers are getting stuck, because that’s exactly the place where they are likely to be looking for help.
7. Start Taking Feedback from Your Readers– while you focus on which subjects interest people, start taking feedbacks from them. Use places like Goodreads to develop a discussion. If you know people are reading your previous books, ask them what they specifically like or dislike about them. This will eventually create a knowledge base and help you understand what is right for your future start up.
8. Think about Marketing Strategies– These days, the book market is full of valuable and not so valuable content. But we still have bestsellers. How does it work. Unique marketing strategies should be figured out in order to get your book out to the world. And when this is your business, you also promise others to get their work to the world. Attend webinars, hold short courses on writing online, speak to the youth in person; these are some strategies for marketing content.
9. Think about Services You Can Provide with Your Book– initially, when you are starting up something, it won’t be easy to get money out of people. Provide services through your entrepreneurship which will benefit authors, readers and sellers. Like editing services, illustration services, marketing services, cover-designing are some basic requirements which all authors have. Initially, begin by offering complimentary services along with the sale of your own book. In this way, you can get money out of a published book, and also preach the word for your start-up.
10. Build Your Brand and Assets– Like any successful business, you will need a well-designed website and online presence. Even a pizza place which doesn’t have a good website is not taken seriously. Invest on designing your website and use social media marketing to let the work know that you are there; you publish and print your own book, and also that of others. Promote the genres you are interested in; use giveaways to create awareness. That is how you can make a brand name for yourself.

Entrepreneurship can be a difficult path to choose, but if you venture on it successfully, it can be very fulfilling. It is important to be in the right direction. Believe in what you do and be strategic towards execution and dreams will follow you.

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