From today on wards, you shall read a guest post by a successful Author Entrepreneur on my blog, every Monday. I am excited to present the highly talented multi genre writer Sudesna (Sue) Ghosh.

I grew up wanting to be a writer. From writing and sharing my short stories in elementary school to writing short stories for newspapers and magazines in my adulthood, I was always sure about what I wanted to do. The trouble is, the idea of being a writer is a romantic one until you start taking it seriously. Until you start learning about what it entails to be a writer, you dream about writing novels in coffee shops, becoming famous like Rowling and earning millions with your first book. Cut to reality and then you find out how unglamorous and sometimes, non-rewarding the writer’s life can be. In fact, writing is the best reward that you can get as a writer. Writing from your heart and soul – without giving a damn about all those dreams you had before. Instead, the happiest writers are those of us who stay immersed in the satisfaction of writing
what nourishes us. Of course it’s nice to get appreciation but you shouldn’t depend too much on that.

When I was leaving my full-time job at a major newspaper, colleagues warned me about the stupidity of leaving without a full-time job offer in my hands. I told them that I would be writing full time but from home. As a freelancer. “But X and Y left the job saying that they would write a book too and they never did,” one of them said. Well, I told her that I was not X or Y and quite stubborn about doing what I wanted to do. So I spoke with confidence and left with a couple of freelance clients to help me stay afloat.

That was early 2012. In 2013, I did a little networking as freelancers must do at all times and was introduced to the then head of publishing at Harlequin India. Nonfiction writing came easily to me as an ex-journalist and features writer but I had never thought that my first book would be nonfiction. The second book too. But that’s how I got started in the world of publishing, sending sample chapters and proposals and being commissioned to write two books for the publisher.

Two books down the line, I realised many things that drove me toward the path of authorpreneurship. First, that traditional publishing took time – publishers took at least 1 and half years to publish an approved manuscript because there’s just too many books slotted every month. Second, the advance royalty payment was not going to keep my bank balance happy for long. And finally, I wanted to write in various genres and in multiple lengths including short stories which aren’t that easy to get published with a traditional publisher. No, I needed another way to get my writing out there and to get paid for it too.

That’s when I started doing daily research on self publishing and found out the importance of cover design, editing and promotion. Promotion or book marketing, has been an eye opening experience. I have read so many books and articles on the subject and have become addicted to it in a way. Social media marketing is a skill that we indie authors NEED. There is a large audience to tap into and there are ways to make it less time consuming by using scheduling software or even hiring an assistant if you can afford it. In May, I took a Google online course and received a certificate in Online Marketing Fundamentals just because I now know that good online marketing can make or break a book. Or your author brand for that matter.

These days I do live a part of the dream by writing in a coffee shop three days a week. But I also spend a couple of hours a day on social media platforms where I engage with my readers and other writers. Once a week, I make posts using software such as Canva to keep them ready for social media posts. My blog has been online since 2011 but I started taking it seriously only last year after I became an authorpreneur, so I update that twice a week. Keeping my audience interested and attracting more readers is the key to an authorpreneur’s success. Writing the book is just a small part of it.

I identify as an authorpreneur and not just an author because I treat my job as a small business. That involves being disciplined enough to write multiple books during the year, not take breaks from social media promotion, engaging online and offline with readers and other authors all year round, and keeping track of expenses (cover, editing etc) along with monthly income from royalty, freelance articles and speaking engagements/workshops. It’s a lot of work but so worth it as any authorpreneur will tell you!

Hope you loved the post as much as I did! Don’t forget to check out more of Sue’s writings on Amazon and her very insightful and engaging blog.