An entrepreneur is an individual who sees (or creates) business opportunities and takes action to capitalize on them. An entrepreneurial writer is someone who makes money through his or her writing. If you’re earning an income from your writing then you too are an entrepreneur. Below are 5 characteristics of an entrepreneurial writer. Some of them may resonate with you, as you might already them. Others which you don’t have, like any other entrepreneurial trait, you can develop.
1. Is prepared to take risks
An entrepreneurial writer is one who isn’t afraid to take risks. He or she knows that to land top freelance jobs or release a new book for an unfamiliar niche, or genre takes courage, especially if the writer is relatively new to the field and doesn’t know exactly what the outcome will be. However, with experience the ability to handle risk increases. As the entrepreneurial writer continues to grow his or her business, the ability to tolerate greater amounts of risk stands the person in good stead.
2. Has a greater work ethic than the average
Are you a writer who is a workaholic? If so, then your work ethic is already far greater than the typical person working a 9-5 job. If working extra hours to ensure deadlines are met to deliver work to delighted clients is your thing, or if you’re obsessed with clicking the publish button on Amazon KDP to get another ebook out there for the world to see, then you have a strong a work ethic, just like an entrepreneurial writer has. Having said this, do remember to take regular breaks and time off from writing. It is still important!
3. Is not afraid to start again
Whatever you’re writing, be it content for paying clients, or to attract new readers, or just producing content for your blog, sometimes you will get it wrong. In fact, at least in the beginning, you will most likely get more things wrong, than you will right. If you’re someone who can take setbacks in their stride, take feedback from clients, editors and readers constructively, and still have the juice to start afresh, then you’re demonstrating true entrepreneurial ability.
4. Has the ability to sell
An entrepreneurial writer might be offering services as a freelancer, or actively developing a career as an author. Such an individual knows that to attract clients or buyers of his or books, requires the ability to sell. This means having a top notch portfolio for profiles on online freelance sites, or being able to ask questions to a client face to face or via Skype, to understand what their real writing needs are, before presenting the writer’s services as the exact solution to the client’s requirements. If the writer is an author, then it means ensuring cover designs are eye catching, and that blurbs and content on book pages of retail websites are compelling and persuasive, and there are plenty of reader reviews available for people to take a look at.
You may already have the ability to sell your writing services and your work. If you don’t, then selling is a skill you can develop. Pick up a few sales books (both for offline and online selling) and start practicing what you read.
5. Builds a network
A writer who is an entrepreneur knows that while he or she can conduct a lot of the activities to make money, there are still limits on his or her capabilities and seeks support where needed. For instance, if the writer is not a designer and wants a book cover that will help increase sales, then a professional designer can be hired to produce a brilliant looking cover design. If an author wants an agent to act on his or her behalf in the publishing process, then he or she needs to network with people to find a suitable candidate.
If you’re not already doing so, build your network. Attend events related to writers and book trade shows, and create contacts that can help you find more clients, and help you access more readers.
Image credit: Next TwentyEight on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]