Making a Living as a Writer
Mixing business with pleasure
By Amanda J. Clay Writing is a solitary pursuit, it’s true. It’s a task done mostly in your head, locked away in a dark room or in coffee shop corners, headphones on and literally having conversations with yourself. People usually look at me like I’m half mad when I’m working out in public. Unlike 90%…
Read MoreStop Chasing Butterflies
By Amanda J. Clay Happy New Year friends! A new year is a time to take stock, reevaluate goals, jump into new projects! Or for some of us–release their first new book in a LONG time. Yesterday I released a book I’ve been working on for about two years. It was the sequel to my…
Read MoreWill you take the leap in 2022?
By Amanda J. Clay Is 2022 the time to level up? I’ve talked all year about the business side of publishing and I’ve thrown a LOT of information at you. Like any industry, building a successful publishing business is tough. It takes time, money, and market research and lots of dedication. You’ll have to wear…
Read MoreDon’t Forget to Breathe: Mental Health is a Critical Part of Your Success
I know this is a column about business. And usually I give you some nuts and bolts and action items on how to attack the numbers side of self-publishing. But this week, I want to tackle something not quite numbers and spreadsheets, but just as critical to the success of your writing business. Mental Health…
Read MoreOwning your readership: Why you need a website and a newsletter
I have talked in previous blog posts about the importance of owning your readership. One of the most important things that you can do when starting out in your author career is to have a place that you own where your readers can find you. The best place for this? An author website and a…
Read MoreThe Dollars and Cents of Self-Publishing
By Amanda Clay When I first started on the path of self-publishing, something I found a bit shocking was how candid everyone was in talking about money. In the Facebook groups, at the conferences, authors were discussing how much they’d made and how much they’d spent to get there. I don’t know about you, but…
Read More