How an Entrepreneurial Spirit Can Help You Make Money as a Writer
by Ben Sobieck
I took a traditional route that started with a journalism degree from a university.
I went on to newspapers, magazines, and a whole host of other roles inside the publishing industry. What I work on now centers on a variety of non-fiction media. That’s what you could call my mainstream career. It’s what keeps the lights on at home, and I enjoy what I do as an editor and product manager.
Off to the side is everything else, what you could call an independent writing career. That involves non-fiction books, novels, short fiction, a heaping scoop of Wattpad, and, occasionally, freelance work. I suppose you could say that started around the time that I graduated from college, but it’s hard to stick a pin on a certain time period.
When a Writer Has More than One Niche
I wear a lot of hats. In my full-time career in publishing, I’m tied to the niche brands I serve, and they’re quite specific. I’m also known for writing thrillers on Wattpad, where I’m a Wattpad Star. That’s another niche, and it anchors my fiction.
But wait! We can’t forget the non-fiction books from Writer’s Digest (The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad and The Writer’s Guide to Weapons) and the survival guide coming out from Adventure Publications in April 2019. Speaking of which, I helped start and run a successful preparedness magazine, and am still known for that.
That’s just the wordsmithing. Additionally, I’m known for The Writer’s Glove and Writer’s Block Coffee, my two side businesses.
Cross Pollinating from One Niche to Another
All of these niches, even though they’re different, play off of each other. The common denominator is me, so I stick them in a promotional echo chamber. Buy a pair of gloves? Here’s a link in your order confirmation e-mail about the coffee. Interested in weapons in fiction? Here’s a blog all about it, and, oh, by the way, here’s a link to the fiction where I put what I say into practice. Like my Wattpad stories? Here’s what you can buy to support me that isn’t also the story you just read.
If I could sum all of that up, I’d say my niche is being adaptable and pragmatic. I worry less about being known for one thing and more about how to build on the experiences I’ve already had. I like taking disparate pieces and making them work together.
The Good Thing About Being a Writer with Entrepreneurial DNA
This is, if I could be so generous to myself, an entrepreneurial approach. I learned a lot about the how and why of that approach from a writer named Vincent Zandri. He’s always probing at new ways to do things. He and I worked together on several projects, and his views rubbed off on me.
In a measure I probably don’t fully appreciate, because it’s like air, is my father’s influence. He wrote for newspapers and magazines, and he always carried an entrepreneurial torch. Still does. My mother is looking at opening a coffee shop/bookstore as her retirement project, too. It’s in my DNA, you could say.
If Someone Invests in You as a Writer, What Will They Get in Return?
When I’m pitching a project to a publisher, the goal is to make it as easy as possible to say, “yes.” In my mind, this has to do with risk. Publishers, and people in general, look at opportunities in terms of risks. Put yourself in their shoes. If they invest in you, will they get a return? How can you mitigate the risk they’ll take?
The way to do that, if you’re me, is to show what I’ve done in the past. This works best with non-fiction work, where you’re writing to a pre-built audience. The publisher needs a carpenter, so to speak.
Fiction is a different animal. To be honest, I’m not sure how to crack that nut, because my big wins on the fiction front didn’t involve pitching anyone in a traditional way. Yes, I’ve pitched, and, yes, something great came out of it, but that took place in a vacuum. When I went wide and blind, my biggest disappointments came out of successful pitches. Life is peachy like that.
I operate best in smoke-filled backrooms, chomping cigars and sipping scotch after hours. All metaphoric, of course. There are no actual smoke-filled backrooms in publishing, because smoking indoors is banned in Manhattan, but there are Slack channels.
The Key to Keeping a Writing Business Going
Diversify, diversify, diversify.
This is why I wear so many hats. If one part slows down, another picks up. Slow sales shouldn’t be a shock. They happen. That’s why whatever model you use needs to bake the answer to slow sales into it.
“Be like water,” as Bruce Lee would say. Try different things. Be open to new projects. Don’t pigeonhole yourself if you can help it. If something looks good, try it. It might be the best decision you ever make.
How My Writing Entrepreneurial Project Earns Me the Most Money
In terms of money, The Writer’s Glove, my little creation, is by far the highest earner. Nothing comes close to it, not counting my full-time job in publishing.
As far as writing projects go, non-fiction pays better than fiction. Generally. Book-length, non-fiction work, as a rule, pays better than novels. I’m only speaking about my experiences, and even those will be different in the years to come.
Advice for a Young Writer: Prepare to Write About Things that Don’t Interest You
I would say to prepare yourself for writing about subjects you have zero interest in.
In fact, most writing projects you take on throughout your career won’t interest you. That’s OK, though, because they will teach you the mechanics of how to be a writer. The more you do that, the better you’ll understand how to get to the projects that most interest you.
The only writers who don’t have to put in this hard time also don’t need the money. Don’t worry about them. Work on you.
Benjamin Sobieck is a Wattpad Star and Watty Award winner, with more than 1.5 million reads on his fiction on Wattpad. His Writer’s Digest books are The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad and The Writer’s Guide to Weapons. Adventure Publications will publish his wilderness survival book in April 2019.
Through Wattpad, he’s worked with FOX Television, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers. He’s the author of The Writer’s Guide to Weapons (Writer’s Digest Books) and the related blog at CrimeFictionBook.com. He is also the creator of The Writer’s Glove and Writer’s Block Coffee.
Connect with him on Twitter and Pinterest.
