Happy Friday DINKS.
I have a question to ask you, how many of you are self employed or want to be self employed?
It is no secret that I want to be self employed because I blog about it all the time. Specifically, I want to be an author because I love writing. I am currently working on a series of personal finance books for children and teenagers because good financial habits should start when we are young. I have also started sending out queries to publishing houses in hopes that one of them will want to publish my young adult fiction trilogy.
I enjoy all types of writing from personal stories and fiction to corporate communications and press releases. Whether I do it in the corporate world or I do it on my own my dream is to be a full time writer.
If you could start your own business what would you do?
Have a great weekend Dinks and Enjoy these great posts from our friends around the web:< – Bargaineering – Your Take: Presidential Candidates Releasing Tax Returns
– Free Money Finance – Are Investment Management Fess Tax Deductible?
– Passive Income Now – What Tools Do You Need to Create an eBook?
– The Financial Blogger – Is There A Right Way To Share Your Income?
– How’s Married Life – Is a Job Worth Your Happiness?
Photo by fostersartofchilling
Kristina,
We’re headed down the same path. I’m fortunate enough to be not employed by choice (that’s what drop dead money is all about). And I’m interested at some point to write a book about how to let the economy work for you, not against you by managing the economic cycle (and not let it manage you).
I discovered that the #1 question you’ll encounter from a publisher or an agent for non-fiction is: what’s your platform? Translation: how many of these books can YOU cause to be sold, i.e. how many buying fans/followers do you bring to the table?
If you’re Suze Orman or Dave Ramsey, you’re good. But you and me, not so much… yet.
The rule of thumb I heard from several literary agents is: can you personally buy 5,000 copies of your book and sell it to your audience? If you can, you have their attention.
Of course, in the meantime ebook sales are doing to paper books what digital did to film. Something else to consider, but it will still boil down to the same thing: how many copies is your audience good for?
If you’re interested in building your audience, I’d recommend Danny Iny at firepolemarketing dot com. His specialty is not only marketing but doing it with an engaged audience. (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Danny, so I have no self interest. Just a satisfied customer.)
The “engaged” part is very, very important. Having an audience that’s not passive will be crucial to your success, and I’ve found he’s the best at that particular aspect.
Good luck! :)
This is an interesting question, the major issue with a lot of people who want to make the transition to self employment is that they don’t understand how much work self employment really is. You have to work hard every day to keep the show on the road.
@William – I definitely considered the thought of publishing an ebook, but I am old school. I like the smell of books and I like going to the bookstore. I would love for my book to be turned into an ebook, but not necessarily the other way around.
@James – That is true. It is also harder for self employed people to retire because they have an emotional attachment to their jobs.
I am self employed. I blog, sell blog advertising, and manage other bloggers’ advertising too. And I just published an eBook. Let me put it simply, if you want it bad enough, you will do it. i am living proof and I am not special. I just put in (and sometimes still put in) the 100 hour work weeks to make whatever I want happen. Then I get lazy and things happen slower until I move my butt again. Go move your butt and start or finish that first book! ;-)
Thank you everyone for the encouragement. I will definitely keep you posted.