These business books for writers will help you build a writing career and take you from “I want to write” to earning a living with your words! Every month I make more money as a freelance writer and blogger, because I treat writing like a business. Being businesslike about writing includes a steady diet of books for entrepreneurs and small business owners — and luckily, many of them are fascinating!
These business book tips will help you build a profitable, long-term, sustainable writing career.
Before the tips, a quip:
“Forget the notion of ‘I can’t do it’ and remind yourself ‘I can do it – it’s just a matter of figuring out when and how,” writes Julie Watson in Great Tips for Your Small Business: Increase Your Profit and Joy in Your Work.
You can build a writing career and earn a living as a freelance writer, blogger, or book author! You just need to find your niche, stay focused, and keep learning about writing, editing, publishing, and working as a writer. I especially love business books like Great Tips for Your Small Business — this one in particular offers a wide variety of helpful, practical, effective tips.
Here are some of my favorite books for entrepreneurs and small business owners…
A Writing Career Versus the “I Wanna Write” Itch
When I first started freelance writing four years ago, my husband used to throw around the phrase “your writing career.” That stymied me – all I wanted to do was write! I didn’t think of writing as my career and sole source of income. I certainly didn’t think of it as his ticket to early retirement (which he’s now been claiming for a year. Fine by me – when he “retires”, I’m putting him to work as my business manager).
What was my tipping point? That is, did something specific take me from “I wanna write” to “I earned over $3,000 last month from my blogs and web articles — not including my freelance writing income”? Yup. My tipping point was hearing bestselling author Bob Mayer speak at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. He said he can’t afford writer’s block and he can’t wait for the muse. He’s got bills to pay, kids to feed, and a wife to stay married to – he simply can’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike!
Are you waiting for a visit from the muse? Stop it. To build a successful writing career, you need to be strategic, disciplined, and focused. You also need to surround yourself with the right resources and mentors, which is what these business books for writers are all about.
If you struggle with writing motivation and self-discipline, read 73 Ways to Fire Up (or Just Fire!) the Muse: How to Write When You Don’t Wanna, or Think You Can’t. It’s my ebook, and it contains tips from dozens of freelance writers and published authors to help with everything from self-doubt to critical family members to fear of success.