Then an authorpreneur would be a writer who sets up a business for their writing career, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.
I'll be honest with you. That's not me.
I like to write. I like to put my stories out there for people to read. And yes, I do rather enjoy when I can make a little money from it. But in the end, if I'm going to be truly honest with myself, earning enough to support myself and my family isn't the ultimate goal.
If it were, then I would be out there doing all the things a self published author is supposed to do in order to sell their books.
But I'm not.
Most importantly because I'm at a point in my life where I am unwilling to take even the smallest of financial risks.
I'm in my mid 40's. I'm married. I have three kids. I have a dog and a cat. I work two jobs. My wife works one job. We can pay our bills. I'm not going to put any of that at risk.
But still, I like to write.
So I do what I can with what I have.
Now, I'm going to say a few things that tend to make some self published authors angry.
First off, I don't use an editor. I can't afford one. Yes, there are people that will tell you that there are alternatives. Such as trading services. Maybe there is something I can do for a struggling editor so that they will edit my book. Well, as stated above, I work two jobs. I barely have time to write. I can't add other tasks to my list because in the end, I do need to sleep.
So yes. I have books out there for sale that have only been edited by me.
And with the exception of Holliday's Gold, I do my own covers. Because again, I can't afford it. Holliday's Gold was lovingly donated by Harold C. Jennett, and I thank him for that.
So why would those two statements make some self published authors angry? Because, there are folks out there that feel that if you aren't willing to invest in your "craft" then you shouldn't even bother. They feel that we pollute the electronic book shelves out there and make it harder for them.
And that's probably true. But I've found that I don't care.
Well, I do care. I'm not a monster. But, I have just as much right to put my stuff out there as they do.
Now, not all self published authors feel this way. I've seen many that encourage those of us with no money to do all that we can within our means and put our stuff out there. And that's what I'm doing.
But I'm not doing it in the hopes of making a career selling books.
I don't like saying that, however, because I feel that people will get the impression that since I'm not writing to make a career out of it, that I don't care enough to write the best stories I can write. Well, that's just silly.
I love writing and love it when people read what I have written. But most of all, I love when people read what I've written and enjoy it. So why would I put crap out there on purpose?
And don't get me wrong. This isn't a Down With the Authorpreneur post because I think the Authorpreneur is an amazing person. Some of these people are making more money, doing it themselves, then if they got signed to a book deal by a big publisher. And they own everything they write.
That's amazing. If you are one of these people then keep on keeping on.
This also isn't a Feel Sorry For Me Because I'm Poor post. Because I'm not poor. I'm happy. What else can I ask for?
No, this is just me finally admitting to myself that when it all comes down to it, when all the cards are on the table, I'm not, nor will I ever be, an authorpreneur. And I'm okay with that.
See, here's the thing. A few years back I decided that I needed to really take this writing thing seriously. So I started listening to all the podcasts and reading all the books and blog posts. Everything from the act of writing, to formatting a book for publication, to how to best market and sell your book. And, for me, it's all just a bit too much. I don't have the time, nor the resources to fully devote myself to making this a full fledged business.
So I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. Writing and publishing my way, with what I have available. And hey, maybe I'll sell a couple off books along the way.
