Focus on These 3 Areas of Your Author Business

I speak from first-hand, personal experience when I say that spending too much time on the wrong parts of your author business can be detrimental.

There are sooooo many things we could be doing to grow our business, but these things aren't created equal.

Just a handful of things will truly move the needle for you.

Other things, not so much.

And you've got to figure out what moves the needle for you.

Not for other authors in your genre.

Not for the authors you see in Facebook Groups.

Not for the authors you see getting 100x returns on the latest trend/fad.

You. What moves the needle for you?

There's a lot of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in every industry, including publishing.

And it can be oh so tempting to jump ship to the latest trend, the latest fad.

That's ok if you want to do that, but my advice before you do...

Take a step back and see if and how this new thing is going to fit into your work day, into your business.

Do you even have the time to start working on this new thing?

Is it going to take time, energy and resources away from what's already getting you results?

What if, instead of spending time, energy and perhaps money on this new thing, you simply doubled down on what's already working?

For me, back in late 2022, early 2023, when our Facebook Ads results just fell off the edge of a cliff, I didn't listen to my own advice of sticking with and figuring out Facebook Ads.

Instead, I hopped around looking for the next shiny object; Pinterest Ads, TikTok Ads, etc.

Thankfully, I called myself out after a few weeks, had a serious reality check and doubled down on figuring out how to get our Facebook Ads going again.

Had I not done that, who knows where we'd be now.

The way I see it, there are 3 areas to focus on in your author business, outside of your writing:

– Traffic

– Connection

– Monetization

Traffic is simply how to get eyeballs on your books (e.g. Ads, Social Media, Press, etc.)

Connection is working on the relationships and bonds you build with your readers through email and/or a Facebook Group or Community if you have one.

Monetization is focusing on how you're making money with your books. This could be things like setting up promos, your pricing, and generating other income streams from your books, such as foreign rights, audiobooks, etc.

Outside of your writing, focusing on these 3 areas is how you'll grow your author business.

This comes in the form of learning and implementing in these 3 areas.

For example:

Learning about Facebook Ads

Setting up a Facebook Ads Campaign

Results only come through a combination of learning and implementation.

Anything else is most likely a distraction disguised as an opportunity.

Keep things simple.

Focus on what truly matters to you.

And build your business your way, without being influenced by the multitude of outside distractions we all experience on a daily basis.

To Your Success
– Matt