You're Not a Starving Artist. You're Just Bad at Business

As I sat at my parent's kitchen table early last year eating a meal I didn't have to pay for, my older brother spoke the words to me that shook me and everything I ever thought about being a writer.

"You're not a starving artist, you're just bad at business."

My mouth dropped and as much as I tried to think of a witty, sarcastic comeback for this I really couldn't.

It was true.

At the time of working entirely for myself and starting to write full time, when asked how business was going, all I would say was, "I'm not a starving artist yet." 

This was true, I lived with my parents due to the pandemic and had a wonderful partner that would supply me with any food I needed through delivery services so I never truly would be a starving artist.

But, I wasn't a successful one either. 

For two years of writing full-time, money in vs money out was a drastic difference. 

Plenty was going out, but nothing was really coming in. 

I wasn't making any money as an artist, but that wasn't going to stop the bills from being due. 

For that entire time I was writing I was being an artist, I wasn't being a business, and that was where I went wrong with everything.

When you're an artist… you're a business.

Yes, making art for the sake of making art is great, but you know what's even better? 

Being paid for that art. 

I was writing daily, never stopping to think about how I was going to sell my work. I was only solely focused on finishing it. 

I wrote every day until that first novel was done and from there I moved on to the next. I wrote sporadically online and never updated my social media platforms and somehow thought that just by writing, I was being a writer, and that was enough.

Build Your Brand 

If there's any advice I can give you about being an author it's that you need to build an author platform.

Before you finish your book because in some cases it's a very slow build.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogs, have them all and update them all regularly.

If you're thinking of self-publishing your book this will be your greatest asset when you start marketing your book.

If you're thinking of traditional publishing you're still going to need a platform, the publishing agency isn't going to build it for you and some will use your platform as a means of accepting or rejecting your manuscript. 

Be a business 

There's no such thing as a starving artist, only an artist that hasn't yet learned how to sell themselves and their art. 

Best of luck and keep writing.

With love, 

B.K. xo

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