Minding My Own Business

Writing books really is running your own business. You have a said product, that said product has to be promoted, then you patiently watch the sales figures go up. Obviously, there's more to it than that, but being a writer is no different than any other business trying to sell themselves to the general public.

Right now, I only have one book out. A small one at that. But it doesn't make me feel any less of a writer. I've sold a few short stories and I feel pretty good about that too. Soon, I hope to add another book to my list of credits and I'm pretty damn excited.

I may be a pantser when it comes to writing, letting my characters do as they please, but I'm a planner at heart. Again, I may not have a long list of books out (yet), but I plan as if (and when) I do. You would never go into business for yourself without a solid business plan, so why would I decide to write books without doing the same?

I've done a lot of research on the matter. Not only how to publish my books, but also how to run my business as an author. At home, I'm in charge of all things finance. I pay all the bills and do all the household budgeting, so naturally, I'm thinking about finances in terms of running a business. How does making money off  my writing affect my taxes? How much do I have to save if I actually have to pay taxes? Can I actually afford to quit my day job one day? These are some of the thoughts that cross my mind.

Finances aside, I just can't take myself seriously if my business has no name. So I decided to make a home for my books. Now, this is strictly a personal choice for me. Some authors create their own company name, while many don't. But for me, it is much easier to treat my business like a business, if it has a name. And thank you fellow indie authors, Sarra Cannon and Scott Nicholson, for answering my questions on the subject.

Anyone who knows me won't be too surprised to learn that I decided to dub my business Sugar Skull Books. That's the name that's been rattling in my brain the last couple of months. Again, this is a decision that seems right for me and it's one that I'm happy with.

ROW80 Update

I don't really have any new updates other than being on schedule to finish Parallel within the next two weeks. I think I've written more this past week than the last couple months combined. That's how the mind of a procrastinator works I guess. One of my goals (aside from writing everyday) was to finish this book by the end of Round #2 and it looks as if I might be able to pull it off!