Know It’s Possible, Step 1 of 7, Creating a Sustainable, Income-Generating Author Life You Love
Test this working framework and gain your own firsthand experience
First up: Know it’s possible. Building a sustainable, income-generating author life, career, sideline, part-time enterprise, or full-time business is possible.
It’s not possible “in theory.”
It’s possible because I’ve seen it again and again and my framework (Creating a Profitable Author Life You Love, Steps 1 through 7) is based on decades of testing, observing, tweaking, and measuring.
But back to theory for a minute.
Grounded theory is a qualitative research method used to generate theory and theoretical frameworks based on the ongoing and simultaneous collection, analysis, and systematic organizing of data.
So, while the framework I put forth does not meet the formal rigors of social science research, it evolved from a similar informal practice, from the rigors of the make-or-break, trial-and-error world of creative small and solo businesses: Collecting information on what works, what doesn’t, what works better — and why — and organizing and re-organizing the answers in ways that are useful, stand the test of time, are replicable, and are widely applicable.
Sure, there are the rare counterexamples, but those tend to be the outliers, those authors who operate in the rarefied spheres of the top one percent of talent, charisma, topicality, connections, and/or luck. If this is you, harness what you have and run with it. Enjoy it and leverage it for all it’s worth.
For the rest of authors, I stand by my Profitable Author Life framework and ask you to test its merits for yourself.
Start with knowing it’s possible.
And more important than simply knowing it’s possible is knowing it’s possible for you. And for your book/s. And your career. Your author life.
From there, move on to thinking about what all is possible. What else is possible. Expand your notion of what is possible.
Because when others have done it, you can do it. Others who are smarter — and let’s face it — dumber than you. Others who are richer and who are poorer. Others who are better connected and less connected than you. Others who are more talented — and again, true fact, less talented than you, brilliant reader.
Everything can be figured out. Googled. When others have done it, find out how.
I do volunteer business coaching for middle school and high school students in my neighborhood. There are so many things I love about kid entrepreneurs and what they teach me and remind me about business. And one of the best is that these kids know how to Google things and they know when Google doesn’t deliver the answers they need. That’s when they ask adults. They simply ask those they trust.
You can follow their commonsense lead. When others have done it and you don’t know how, ask. Ask others. Many others. Ask often. Ask me!
Conduct your own informal grounded theory research. Collect and copy ideas about what works. Analyze, tweak and innnovate, make those ideas your own, and organize what works into your own system.
Know it’s possible for you by starting seeing the possibilities unfold from this practice. Repeat and refine.
Coming soon: Introductions to the other six steps in this framework.
Are you already interested in building an income-generating, sustainable author life with likeminded others? Join our private FB group, A Profitable Author Life You Love, and get inspiration, ideas, and support daily.
If you’re in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas, please consider joining one of our in-person Profitable Author Life You Love workshops. The next ones are 2/17 and 3/9.
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