Hobbyist vs. Professional Authors · P2P Author Business Harbor

Hobbyist vs. Professional Authors

One of the most important things you have as an author is your "why" and how that defines your goals. This came up in Stacey's class yesterday (did you register and catch the replay?) and it will come up in my Craft Lab next week: what do you want from your writing? This can include both personal satisfaction and financial gain.

Do you just want your story to be out there, and available, but really don't care about readers or sales? While authors tell me this, most of the time when we did deeper, it's not true. It might be for you, but it rarely is for those in my orbit.

Do you want writing to be your hobby, and if you make some money, fine. If not, no big deal? This is pretty common actually. Sometimes authors simply run their businesses this way not because they want to, but because they can't afford to invest in their business to take it to the next level.

Let's pause here for a second, and hang a bell on the hobby approach. Just because your writing is a hobby does not mean you can't invest in it. I used to teach skiing, and while it didn't make me a lot of money, it made me some, and--I took classes and was PSIA certified. I even went after specialized training. I purchased new ski gear, often. I made sure I was the best equipped I could be to do the job. And I trained, both physically and mentally, for the work I did.

To make a living as a ski instructor in the United States is exceptionally difficult. Only a few resorts in the country pay well enough and have enough traffic and the right clientele to support full time, pro ski instructors. That didn't stop me from investing and trying to be the best I could be. Skiing 50-55 days a year was a nice bonus, because I got to do what I loved.

If you treat writing as a hobby business, you have the same opportunity. Invest in equipment and education. Work on your craft, and train mentally for the work you have to do. Investment is not always tied to outcomes, other than your personal improvement and happiness.

Back to our list. If you want to go from hobbyist to pro, or just advance your writing career in general, you need to invest like a business startup. You need a team of experts, working capital for marketing and advertising, along with production budgets to include covers, formatting, and more. Stacey literally talked about this in her webinar this month. If you didn't register, watch the replay when it becomes available in our archives. (for VIP members).

Because pros invest in their product and their education, and in constant improvement. No sane business owner stops investing when they reach a certain level. It doesn't happen. If they do, their business goes backwards.

So this includes things like ISBNs, Copyright registration, your Library of Congress Control Number (LCN) and more, all to safeguard your work. In the age of AI training, I recommend these things even if you are a hobbyist. Tons of authors missed out on money from the Anthropic training lawsuit because they skipped these steps.

If you're here, you've read this far, and you are a hobbyist, welcome! We are delighted to have you here. It shows a commitment to your craft and your work. If you want to take things to the next level, we're here for that as well. We just want you to be informed, and create the writing life and career that you want and that fits best for you.

5 comments

Hobbyist vs. Professional Authors