The business of writing

The Business of Writing
by
Linda DeLeon-Campbell

We have all heard the expression "publishing is big business," but have you thought of yourself, the author/writer, as a big-business person? Chances are you think you are, but you aren't. I can hear the disagreement now, "I am, too, a businessperson. I do a lot self-promotion."

Self-promotion is fine, but it isn't the same as thinking of your writing as big business. To accomplish that requires a short and long-term business plan. To that end, I'm going to offer a revolutionary view of your work: You, the author, think of your work as creative. The reader views it as entertaining. The rest of the world sees your baby as a "product." A product from which they plan to make as much money as possible with the least expenditure of capital.

So why aren't you the creator of this product doing the same thing? "Because I trust my editor to treat me fairly." Wrong answer. Your editor will do what is in the best interest of the publisher, and that's only fair since the publisher signs the editor's check. Remember, the publisher wants to maximize "his" profit on "your" product.

So, how can you also maximize your profit?

After writing "The End" on your opus, remove your author hat, roll up your sleeves and put on your accountant's visor. Once that visor is securely in place, take a hard look at your baby. Don't think in terms of which publisher will buy your work, think about which markets you can target. Think in terms of being the producer and seller of a product. You are this product's salesperson.

In order to sell anything effectively, you need to know what rights each "product" has. Brace yourselves, if you are a print published author you are about to enter uncharted territory. Each book has a minimum of seven rights, and depending on how you market the product ten.

This is where the electronic authors have diverged from the pack. Yes, they are pioneers in a new field of publishing. But more importantly, they market each individual right.

Below is a list of rights each product has by law. It's up to you whether you want to give them away to the print publisher, make them pay for each right, or retain all rights but the paperback or hardback rights to your work.