During the month of October, Amazon is celebrating Indie Authors. Before I tell you a little about what it means to be an authorpreneur, I’d like to thank Amazon for supporting indie authors—for recognizing our talents and having faith in our abilities to succeed. Jump on over to the #PoweredByIndie webpage to discover indie authors with titles in a host of different genres.
What does it mean to be an authorpreneur?
It means that for any given day I will wear any number of different hats. Sometimes I’ll don just one of them—writer when I’m engrossed in a first draft. Or all of the below when I’m preparing to launch a new release like I am now for Boots and Bedlam. I admit that Business Manager is my least favorite. I’m a creative. What do I care about managing my expenses and reconciling my bank accounts. I especially enjoy piddling around with my website and making cool graphics. I have learned to use both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and just last week, I created my first book trailer for Boots and Bedlam on iMovie. Be sure to check out my DIY Book Trailer post here for more. Almost everything I do involves some form of marketing from posting updates on social media to planning launch parties on Facebook. Admittedly, the social media aspect has presented the biggest challenge for me but has also offered the greatest reward. By nature, I’m a very private person. But I’ve learned to share aspects of my life that have, in turn, led me to create lasting friendships with my readers as well as other indie authors.
I’m a Gemini by birth. Those of you familiar with the characteristics of this particular Zodiac sign will understand how being an authorpreneur would appeal to me. I thrive on versatility. When I get bored, I change my hat. I work all the time 24/7 to the point it drives my family crazy, but I absolutely love what I do. My authorpreneurship belongs solely to me. I am in complete control of the choices I make for my novels from plot conception to launch with a lot of help from my editor, book designers, and beta readers along the way. I learn something new everyday, oftentimes from the many webinars I attend and the hours I spend watching how-to YouTube videos. Incorporating my photography hobby into my work is a bonus. If I had a complaint, it would be that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I wish to achieve. Self-publishing and hybrid publishing are the ways of the future. I believe that in my heart. We still have miles to travel, but we’ve come a long way in the past few years.
