Author Toolbox Blog Hop: Authors are Small Business Owners

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog and to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop #AuthorToolboxBlogHop which meets every third Wednesday of the month. This is my first post in this group. Thanks to Raimey Gallant for spearheading this venture. Hop around cyberspace and pick up useful information from these helpful bloggers. The list of participants is at the bottom of the page.

Authors are Small Business Owners

Small businesses in Hebden Bridge, England

Authors are small business owners too. Did you ever look at it that way? Your book is your product. I know you didn't write a book thinking about selling it. I know the story swirled in your brain until you just had to write it down. But because you had a message or a desire to touch people's hearts, you shared it with the public. At the moment the book is published--indie or traditional--it becomes not just a heart work, but also hard work. You need to set aside the creative area of your personality in exchange for the practical reality of being a business owner. Your responsibilities include editor, publisher (indie), marketer, speaker, and bookkeeper.

I never realized there were so many "jobs" associated with being a published author until my first novella was published. The good news is there are many tools/resources to help you learn about running this small business- books and online websites, writing groups, and authors who are willing to share their experiences.

Blog series on Focused on Story
 featuring romance
and mystery authors

I hosted a blog series featuring romance and mystery authors who discussed their tips on writing, marketing, and publishing. Not only was it a wonderful opportunity to meet authors, but also a chance for writers to gain valuable information from the experienced authors. 
AUTHOR TIP: I collected the authors' blog posts into an ebook and published it on amazon. I gave a PDF copy to the contributing authors so they could use it as a giveaway/opt-in.

Today I'm sharing resources I use and websites suggested by my guest authors for use in their writing businesses. Click the highlighted resource to take you to the website.

Publishing

Joel Friedlander

Joe Konrath 

Marketing

Writers on the Move 

Training Authors 

Share Your Brilliance 

Author Marketing Club 

Book Marketing Tools 

Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound 
The Creative Penn, Joanne Penn
Build Book Buzz, Sandra Beckwith

Writers Groups

Insecure Writers Support Group 

Search on Facebook for Writers Groups

Do you have a favorite website for finding out information for writers? Please share in the comments section below so we can visit. Thanks.

Click here to visit the participants in the Author Toolbox Blog Hop!!