Uber busy week loading, but I wanted to take this time to connect with my author/writer tribe. If you are going to be profitable as an author/writer in 2023, you need to do the following.
I am adjusting to a new year and trying to implement many of the truths I discovered in my year-long sabbatical in 2022. One is the importance of balance, especially rest, restoration, and life’s pleasure. I realized how much the pandemic separated us and altered our lives. I enjoyed all the reconnections, catching up, and moments shared. But I also made a vow to do the following:
Craft out a dedicated space for my writing prowess.
My business is centered around writing as a publisher and a magazine Editor-in-Chief, which means that it is easy for me to be absorbed in my business versus my writing. Why should this matter to you? Because it is easy to get caught up in the “business of things” versus your passion, gifts, and the small things that will increase your profits. Getting easily “caught up” often robs you of wealth, fulfillment, and operating at your highest level. This Saturday was my confirmation.
I deliberately slept in and decided to spend my morning writing. Of course, I was adding material to the final copy of Published! Magazine, on sale January 16, 2023. But as I reviewed my speaking engagements for the 1st quarter of the year, I also thought of some of the articles I needed to submit for a paid contributor and how I would tweak some of what I was using in my Authors Academy Writers’ Group and magazine for other paid opportunities. I constantly remind clients and entrepreneurs that multiple income streams are necessary. Businesses are cyclical; there are financial times of influx, which is natural, but multiple streams serve as a buffer.
I am a firm believer that an author/writer should never be broke, but I am aware that this is not a reality just from a book. Authors/writers must learn and execute the various streams of income they are entitled to simply because of their skill set. Paid writing opportunities are one of those streams.
On Saturday morning, I carved out a space for just me. While it was fun adding material to the magazine, it was more enjoyable tweaking certain material to submit a fresh perspective to my paid contributors. This is vital if you want to be seen as a leader and influencer in your industry. Also, my 2022 balancing lesson meant the morning would be the only time I would have since I had a scheduled dinner date with a dear friend. (This is our second dinner date in the past two months. We have honored our commitment to do a better job of staying connected like we use to when we worked together.)
And that is when it happened.
I went out, had a great time with my friend, and returned home to find a check in the mail. It was from the same paid contributor that I was finishing an article to submit to them next week. Confirmation. What an incentive for me to keep my word and craft out a special time for me and my gift in the new year.
Side note: This is also a reminder that things don’t always happen according to your timeline. This was for an article I submitted several months ago that was supposed to be published two months ago. It may not have been published yet, but I’m paid!
Authors/writers, are you doing the same? Beyond your work, family, commitments, and business of being an author do you have special time dedicated to your enjoyment and pleasures? Do you have special time dedicated to your writing, profitable ideas, and implementation/execution? If not, you are leaving money on the table, and no author, writer, or entrepreneur can afford to do that!
Like you, my plate is full. My time is spread thin between gym workouts, industry board duties, non-profit programs I create and facilitate, speaking engagements, CEO duties, business travel, professional associations, filming, ghostwriting, screenplay writing, grant writing, etc. But I LOVE what I do and have no plans to slow down or be sleep deprived.
P.S.: This is also why I don’t think about it but just do it. Just reading that list of what I do is exhausting, and that list does not include EVERYTHING! To whom much is given, much is required. This is why rest, relaxation, and restoration are so important.
Feel free to drop me a line below and tell me what you want to craft out time to do.
Here’s to your success,
-Alesha Brown, CEO, Fruition Publishing Concierge Services®
Editor-in-Chief, Published! Magazine™
Award-Winning Entrepreneur|Publisher|Transformational Speaker
