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How to Get Your Creative Writing Discovered

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If you’re an author, you undoubtedly enjoy writing. That said, you aren’t doing it just for the sake of getting words on a page. You want to share your work with the world. Unfortunately, getting your writing in front of other people can be tough. The gatekeepers of publishing, from literary agents to editors, can be hard to get past. The good news is there are more ways than ever to get your writing out into the world. Discover some innovative ways to promote your work and get it seen by others thanks to the following advice from Inkwell Book Company.

Treat Your Writing like a Business

Instead of treating your writing as a creative hobby, treat it like a business. Setting up this structure now will make things easier if you start to earn money with your words later. BDC suggests starting by writing a business plan that describes your services, how you’ll market them, and your financial needs. For example, you might want to invest in writing software and promotional tools.

You should also create a dedicated workspace for your writing just as you would for any other type of business. You should set up an area that’s free from distractions as much as possible so you can focus on your writing. Also be sure to add elements that make it a stress-free, peaceful environment by adding ergonomic furniture, organization elements like filing cabinets, and ample lighting. If you do any major work to your home to create a home office, keep track of your updates by hanging onto equipment and work receipts. Should you sell your home in the future, your appraiser can keep these updates in mind, which may fetch you a higher home price.

Set up an Author Website

A website is a great place to promote your writing and your services as an author. For example, while you might do creative writing for yourself, you can also offer ghostwriting or copywriting services to others to make money. You don’t need to pay big bucks to set up a website these days. There are many free website builders you can use, like Wix, Hubspot, Godaddy, and Jimdo. Once your website is set up, you can promote it via digital channels like social media and blogging platforms, which are great ways to boost your profile.

Create a Portfolio

With your website set up, you can now create an online portfolio. This is where you showcase writing samples that attest to your skills as a wordsmith. Constant Content has a step-by-step guide to building your writing portfolio to help you get started. Try including a diversity of writing, maintaining a professional tone, and selecting clips that are oriented toward your target audience when building your portfolio. For example, if you’re hoping to reach non-fiction book publishers, make sure to include plenty of non-fiction clips.

Share Your Work Online

Your website can be a great place to share your work, but you should also focus on getting your writing seen elsewhere. There are many platforms for writers to share work and connect with readers. Fiction writers can try sharing their work on Wattpad, for example. Other possible platforms include Inkitt, StoryBird, Commaful, and SwoonReads. Self Publishing Hub notes that the benefits of sharing your work online include building a fan base, getting support from other writers, and trying out new ideas. You can even get feedback on works in progress.

Promote Yourself and Your Work with Marketing and Networking

Next, do what you can to spread the word about your website and your work. Social media is a great place to start but you should supplement this with some traditional methods, like business cards. If you aren’t sure how to get started, click here to access some time-tested templates that you can use for free! These are great to hand out to potential clients or leave at places like coffee shops to further expand your potential customer base.

If you’re going to be a successful writer, you need to continually boost your brand. Again, this is all about treating your writing like a business. For example, you can attend networking events to get to know other authors and people in the literary field. Good examples range from The London Book Fair to the 20 Books Conference. If you can’t travel to events, there are still many digital ways to network and promote your work. For example, you can go on a blog tour, in which you hop from blog to blog creating guest posts.

Writing can be a very lonely pursuit. However, it doesn’t have to be. By taking the above steps to promote your work and share it with the world, you can connect with readers and other writers.

Inkwell Book Company is here to empower people to share their stories. If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you!

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Money-Making Tips for Writers in Need of Extra Income

While writing can be a lucrative career path, many writers struggle to maintain reliable sources of income, especially in the early days of their careers. Maybe you’re a writer who was recently laid off from your job, or perhaps you’re currently underemployed and working in a role that does not pay as much as you would like. If so, it’s time to find a side hustle. And by using your skills to earn money outside of a traditional job, you can improve your financial situation. Here, Inkwell Book Co shares are a few ways you can bring in more income as a writer.

Launch Your Own Business

As a writer, you’re more prepared than you might think to start your own business. But here’s an important piece of business know how: even if you’re not sure which services you want to offer just yet, you can start the process by registering your chosen business name as an LLC. By forming an LLC, you’ll secure benefits like tax breaks and limited liability. You can file the paperwork on your own, but every state has its own unique process, so if you feel confused, you can work with an online formation service instead. This is a more budget-friendly option than hiring a lawyer!

Determine How Much You Need to Make

It’s easy to throw yourself into a side hustle and take every project that comes your way. However, if you’re not careful, this can backfire, and lead to missed deadlines, sloppy work and unhappy clients. When you first start out, get an idea of what you really need to make so that you don’t overwhelm yourself and can maintain quality.

Assess your debts like student loans, car loans and rent, then consider your fixed expenses. Once you determine your budget and what you need to make payments and save, this is the number you should work toward. To help you stay on track, look to a loan API that will help you monitor all of your debts in real time, so you can see how your efforts are paying off. 

Uncover Other Marketable Talents

Perhaps you’ve primarily spent your time writing in your previous jobs while occasionally dabbling in editing. But chances are, you’ve developed other related skills throughout your professional life. Take some time to think about all of the different projects you’ve contributed to throughout the course of your career and consider the variety of marketable skills you developed in the process.

For instance, if you’ve ever written content specifically for social media, you can learn the ins and outs of setting up a content posting schedule and using analytics to become a social media manager. You could also offer your assistance as a proofreader for everything from college admissions essays to resumes to self-published books.

Become a Personal Assistant

As a writer, you possess keen attention to detail, and if you’ve ever worked in an editorial role, you’re also adept at managing people. All of these talents could prepare you for side hustles that don’t necessarily involve writing but still allow you to apply your skills, such as working as a personal assistant. If you’re interested in thinking outside of the box and becoming a personal assistant, Care recommends offering your services to entrepreneurs running online businesses. You’ll be able to work remotely while balancing your time with other writing projects!

Finding Clients

You’ll need to approach your search for freelance clients differently than you would approach a traditional job search. In order to land your first clients, Indy recommends advertising your services on social media, letting your family and friends know that you’re taking on clients, and creating profiles on online jobs boards and freelancing platforms.

Working as a writer enables you to enjoy a high degree of independence. But if you want to fulfill your earning potential, you need to identify your marketable skills and offer your services to the right clients. With these tips, you’ll realize that you have the skills to drastically increase your overall income!

Are you an independent writer looking to publish your book? Inkwell Book Co can help! We offer a variety of self-publishing packages to fit your genre. Check out our services today to help get your book in front of readers!

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How to Be a Successful Digital Nomad and Start Working Remotely

Written by Lance Cody-Valdez / Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels

Lately, many employers have started considering teams or individuals working remotely; however, there are certain things to consider before abandoning your physical workplace. So, what does becoming a digital nomad entail? 

For most people, it looks like a dream – exploring the world without making a move from your home. It is certainly a way of being a digital nomad, yet people have different and unique transitioning desires and a location-free lifestyle.

Similarly to how anybody else works, and so is a digital nomad. The only difference here is that you have no specific work as a digital nomad. This mode of operation has many advantages, but the most important thing is proper preparation before starting working remotely. 

Suitable Jobs for a Digital Nomad

Operating as a digital nomad offers many advantages, including earning money while working at home. As such, you have all the freedom you have always yearned for. In fact, many startups are keen on hiring remote workers, and often offer great employment opportunities in big companies.

Some of the jobs you can work in the comfort of your home include:

Virtual Assistant – Commonly denoted as VA, this is a new type of job that has grown exponentially alongside the increase in online businesses. As a VA, you are in charge of various different tasks and hence, different responsibility levels.

Freelance writer – The internet offers many job openings in the freelancing field. Often, bloggers outsource their copywriting work to freelance writers and pay them handsomely. As a writer, you may also choose to work at home. If you are an author, you can also work on your book and publish it with the help of Inkwell Book Company.

Other jobs include:

  • Freelance translator
  • Online tutor
  • Online healthcare provider
  • Software project manager
  • Customer care, etc.

As a digital nomad, you can also choose to start your personal freelance business and come up with a business entity. The best way to go about this is by creating a DBA (Doing Business As) name for your business. With a DBA, you can easily form your branch and start operating without using the official name of the registered company. Here, you can offer your services to clients under a different name, and in case your business domain is not available, you can also market your services using another name.

Preparing For a Location-Free Life 

Many aspiring digital nomads tend to undervalue the most critical step: reducing their reliance on physical things. Assuming the digital nomad status implies that you can fold your stuff, transfer on to another town, and start working as usual again. 

Remote working implies total freedom from a particular location. It may seem a bit hard at first to brainstorm all the items you use daily; what should you do regarding your PC, the monitor, chair, or the filling system?

Turning yourself into a digital nomad offers the most opportune time to network your intuitive Marie Kondo; appreciate your massive belongings for their work, get them a new place, and rationalize everything. 

Normally, people who operate with more than one screen think that one can’t become a digital nomad; yet, these assumptions have become outdated, with portable monitors taking center stage. Ensure you aren’t bringing too many items with you. Luckily, most of these kinds of stuff either include more compacted models (work with a laptop, purchase a movable external monitor) or are not essential (various countries offer free chairs, altogether).

Dispose of some items for new ones; if you purchase a new dress, dispose of the old one. Opt for compacted, multi-purpose items. Reduce the number of devices you cart; voice-call and streaming services applications make your gadgets conference rooms and movie theatres. Shun purchasing things you can do without. 

Conclusion

Given all these benefits, you will want to become a digital nomad. And as mentioned above, this is the best opportunity for you to start thinking of moving to a place where you can relax and do what you love doing most- freelancing. Take advantage of the unlimited job opportunities offered online to earn extra cash from the comfort of your room.