The Business of Writing

Make no mistake, writing stories is a business.

Especially if you have any hope of sharing them with the world. Whether it be a published novel or onscreen, if your objective is to make money from the story, it’s a business.

While self-publishing or making a self-financed indie film might seem like a “fun” project, it requires you to know even more about your market. Your Target Market, to be exact. But more on that in a bit.

Even if you want to secure a Big Five publisher or pitch a producer and think you can just hand over your project to them and they’ll take care of the rest, having some sort of idea of the behind-the-scenes will help you not only be savvy in securing yourself the best deal possible, but will also streamline your writing process for the best possible outcome.

But where to start?

Unless you’ve got a Business Degree in your back pocket, the idea can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s okay, I’m right there with you—so are a lot of other Creatives.

Tips to get you started on reframing your writing as a business.

Reframe your writing mindset. You love to write, sure, it’s why we’re here to begin with. But beyond journaling or filling your notebook with cute ideas, you want to share them. That’s what elevates your writing from hobby to being a business, and it’s going to take more than just the dream and a wish to get your projects out there.

You need a plan.

You also need consistency in your writing routine. That might cut deep, but maybe there’s a reason it feels so accusatory? Here’s looking in the mirror, man. I mean, people go to work every day. They partake in little rituals like filling that To Go mug with more caffeine than Godzilla should drink and head off on their commute or set up their at-home office. It tells our brains: It’s time to work.

Same should be said for your writing routine.

Make it a non-negotiable timeframe, even if that timeframe has to be scheduled around other things, train your brain that now is the time to work. Make it a mantra: “I’m going to work now.” Then sit down and write. And do whatever you have to do to get as quickly to the actual putting words on a page part as possible.

The hard truth is: If you don’t have a finished project, there’s nothing to sell afterwards. So, you have to get the most important part done first. You got this.

Be prepared before you pitch. This is that whole if you don’t have a product (story!) you can’t sell and applies to pitching your fiction or screenplay project, as well as before self-publishing.

Case in Point:

Once upon a time, I wrote a killer intro to a novel I wanted to write. I know it was killer because it won top prize in the contest I entered: winning me a chance to be read by an editor at TOR Publishing Group, the sci-fi/fantasy arm of Macmillan. Dreamy, right? Except the catch: I hadn’t even finished writing the first draft yet! And yes, that was knowing what the prize would be, which I obviously wanted, and yet I still went in unbelievably unprepared.

I also took it one step further and submitted a first draft because they asked to read me, so what was I to do? So many things, I know! Sure, I wrote it in under a month—go me. BUT WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I’d like to chalk it up to early-twenties, starry-eyed optimism. But it was sheer lunacy. Yes, I absolutely wasted that opportunity. Yes, I’ve regretted it ever since. It also was the biggest and best lesson I could’ve gotten on the importance of preparedness.

Here's the "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" part: Make yourself a Deadline Calendar and work backwards. How long do you need to write the project? How long do you need for revisions? Are these deadlines for contests, pitching, or publication?

Do all the color-coding you can, my friend, to keep it easy to follow—high chances you’ll use it. In fact, while we’re asking ourselves questions like this, why not:

Make a Plan, Part 1: A Business plan. And a marketing one, too, if you’re self-publishing or producing. Even if you’re not, some hybrid and indie publishers include their authors in this process and having a solid knowledge base will help you sell better in the long run, so read on for more on that in the next tip.

While you may think all these things are what marketers, publicists, agents, and lawyers are for, creating a solid foundation for yourself in this regard will help you to get the more important part (writing!) done because you’ve trained your brain (see tip #1!).

Online services such as Hubspot.com offer free Business Plan templates to get you started in seeing your writing as a profitable goal by breaking down your lofty dreams into actionable steps. You’ll have to be honest with yourself about your goals, concept of success, as well as identify your selling points (your writing voice!) and more.

Make a Plan, Part 2: Marketing! Every writer should take a marketing course. As someone with a BA in Creative Writing in their back pocket and only Marketing 101 to their name—along with a career in online content creation and marketing that came through copywriting as a day job, but that’s a whole other thing—it’s something I wish I had paid attention to more in terms of creating a Brand Image.

Part of your marketing success is also knowing your Target Market. That first draft? That’s for you. You were driven to write this story, absolutely write it your way. When it comes to pitching though? Knowing where your story fits into the current market, who’s going to be watching or reading it, and those important little marketing details will help strengthen your pitch.

Read! I don’t mean Reese’s latest Book Club pick. (Though authors take note, this is where IP lives). I mean books and articles on business and marketing to keep on top of the trends, whether it’s the NYT bestseller list or latest media craze. Don’t make it your excuse to not get the actual writing done; just have an idea in the background of your mind.

Find the things that interest you, and see what rabbit role they lead you down! I’m particularly enjoying author Amie McNee’s publishing journey she’s chronicling on Substack, in which she’s blatantly honest about the money facts. It’s the things we *really* want to know when it comes to getting that deal one day!

There’s also Pipeline Artist’s incredibly helpful Symposiums for publishing, screenwriting, and filmmaking. While they aren’t technically ‘reads,’ pop in those earbuds and consider them your next helpful audiobook.

Try one or all of the above to start thinking about your writing as a business. The goal stays the same: Share your stories. The world needs them more than ever; it needs your voice. Why not give yourself the best possible shot at being heard? You deserve it.

Now, go write, friends.

*Feature illustration by fran_kie (Adobe)