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A review by egbella
Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur by Joanna Penn
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Until recently, I'd found very few helpful and in-depth books regarding the business side of being an author - in particular, an indie author. This book, however, is a very valuable resource!
Covering topics such as motivation and mindset, determining products and services, crafting a business plan, navigating employees and members of your author team, finding ideal customers, sales and distribution channels, marketing, financial advice, and long appendixes of helpful books and tools, Penn gives direct, clear, and actionable steps for starting your author business.
One thing I appreciated was her emphasis that there isn't one right way to run an author business, just the right way for YOU in that moment. Businesses and their plans can also change, and her recommendation to revisit your plans and strategies every six months or so is smart and encouraging. I don't need to figure out my entire life's plan all at once, and set it in stone. But the act of intentionally setting aside time to reevaluate my business as it stands (or how I want it to be) right /now/, is very helpful.
While I would have loved for this book to be even longer and more in-depth, I understand why it can't hold ALL the details. Particularly in the financial and legal sections, Penn continually reminds us that she's not an attorney or tax accountant, and our specific needs and situations will vary. Personally, being in the US rather than the UK like Penn, some things like business structures, financial arrangements, and publishing distributors are slightly different for me, but not in any way that hindered my understanding of the concepts.
Overall, I'll be revisiting this one over time, as I integrate more and more of these practices with the growth of my author business, and appreciate the direct advice for getting started!
Covering topics such as motivation and mindset, determining products and services, crafting a business plan, navigating employees and members of your author team, finding ideal customers, sales and distribution channels, marketing, financial advice, and long appendixes of helpful books and tools, Penn gives direct, clear, and actionable steps for starting your author business.
One thing I appreciated was her emphasis that there isn't one right way to run an author business, just the right way for YOU in that moment. Businesses and their plans can also change, and her recommendation to revisit your plans and strategies every six months or so is smart and encouraging. I don't need to figure out my entire life's plan all at once, and set it in stone. But the act of intentionally setting aside time to reevaluate my business as it stands (or how I want it to be) right /now/, is very helpful.
While I would have loved for this book to be even longer and more in-depth, I understand why it can't hold ALL the details. Particularly in the financial and legal sections, Penn continually reminds us that she's not an attorney or tax accountant, and our specific needs and situations will vary. Personally, being in the US rather than the UK like Penn, some things like business structures, financial arrangements, and publishing distributors are slightly different for me, but not in any way that hindered my understanding of the concepts.
Overall, I'll be revisiting this one over time, as I integrate more and more of these practices with the growth of my author business, and appreciate the direct advice for getting started!