A lot has happened since my last post. In a nutshell:
- I formed a publishing company.
- I went to a writers conference and had a fantastic experience.
- I took down my old preorders and set up new ones.
- I changed my publication schedule.
I Formed a Publishing Company
I’m really excited that I decided to take the step of forming a company. It was a spur of the moment decision and I had to get it done in two weeks’ time. It was a little stressful researching everything in a limited time but I was surprised at how easy it was create the company. I incorporated in Nevada and only had issues with opening a bank account. In the end, it worked out and for that I’m happy.
Owning a company is exhilarating and utterly terrifying.
The main reason I chose to create a publishing company was because it made financial sense. I weighed the pros and cons and realized it made more sense for me to do it now instead of further down the line. I have a lot to learn and there’s no time like the present to get started.
The thing to remember is that you don’t have to do it alone. I’ve decided to hire people to help me with company issues and taxes. I want everything to be above board and professional. And the people I hired have already helped me avoid so many issues so I’m grateful for their help.
And now I can’t treat writing as a hobby anymore. It’s officially a business. Shit just got real.
I Went to a Writers Conference and Had a Fantastic Experience
In November I went to a writers conference. It helped me reconnect with my author friends and make new ones. The conference also afforded me the chance to connect with people I wanted to work with.
You can say all you want about connecting with someone online, it will never replace real life engagement.
I’m glad I made the decision to go and plan on attending more conferences in the future. So far I have 2 planned for 2020 but hoping that 2021 will include more of them.
The more authors I meet the more I realize I want this to be my full-time career. I’m hoping 2020 is a great year and gets me closer to achieving that goal.
I Took Down my Old Preorders and Set up New Ones
Taking down my preorders was a conscious decision because I wanted a fresh new bookshelf. I could have transferred over my existing account by changing my tax information but I chose to create a new one for the business and shut down my old KDP account.
Goodbye hobby writing, hello professional writing!
I Changed my Publication Schedule
On my flight to the conference I realized a crucial flaw in my old publication schedule. One main goal of mine is to have a completed series by the end of May. The problem was that the series I was working on had nothing to do with the series I wanted readers to connect with in June. I had to shuffle the writing around to make sure it accommodated my marketing strategy. I also decided to jump into a trend that may or may not take off. We’ll see… I’ll discuss that more in another post.
For now I just thought I’d let you know where I’ve been for the past three months. Even though I know you’re the only one reading this right now, Chris, and you know exactly where I’ve been.