What if we told you the key to a successful writing career is found in more than creating a snappy plot, likeable characters, killer twist, and one-of-a-kind world? Even the most beautiful and engaging prose doesn’t mean that your books will fly off shelves.
In order to make a true living as an author, you need more than excellent writing craft. You need business skills.
In fact, business and marketing skills are often the defining trait of a successful author versus one who never escapes the hobbyist label.
That’s why we teach money making and entrepreneurship skills in our fiction writing program here at The Author Conservatory, alongside our instruction in the mastery of fiction writing.
Why should authors think about entrepreneurship?
Sadly, many authors become what we call “one book wonders,” managing to publish one novel but failing to sell enough copies to actually make a career with their writing.
We don’t want Author Conservatory students to become part of this statistic. In fact, we care so much about our students’ dreams of having a successful writing career, that we’ve dedicated an entire section of our curriculum to business and marketing skills.
That’s why each student in our fiction writing program learns how to write masterful fiction and how to sell it. We do this through guiding our students through the fundamentals of business, launching their own pop up business, and eventually transferring these skills directly to their author careers.
That way, when our students get their first novel published, they already have a background in marketing—plus real experience selling products or services—to apply to their blossoming writing careers.
Entrepreneurship objectives in our fiction writing program
Our goal is for graduating students to have a comprehensive strategy to support themselves as they write, and to already have a business they grew during their time in the program that they can use as part of that strategy.
We help our students achieve this goal through three years of strategy, personal feedback, and hands-on training.
In year one, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the value of entrepreneurship within the author business model. They will have brainstormed viable business ideas, picked a pricing strategy, and developed compelling key distinctions and an elevator pitch for their selected business. Students will launch their pop up business and actually get paid for their products or services.
In year two, students select from two sub-tracks that best fit their needs: the Entrepreneur Track or Experience Track. In the Entrepreneur Track, students continue to grow their pop up business from year one or transition to a more substantial business focused on greater long-term profitability. With their selected business, they will implement a scalable marketing system with the goal of doubling their year one business income. If students select the Experience Track, students apply their business skills in real-world applications, such as working as an employee or consultant for another company. Both sub-tracks translate their business skills to book marketing skills and begin building their author platform.
By the end of year three and The Author Conservatory’s entire fiction writing program, students implement a high-level marketing plan as part of their Author Conservatory anthology launch. Their business skills from years one and two transfer directly to their author platform, learning tools and strategies needed to maximize their book revenue, as well as offer low- and high-ticket services to complement their author business.
See our full graduation objectives in our fiction writing program.
Who teaches entrepreneurship in our fiction writing program?
Our business track is led by head business coach Brian O’Rear, founder of a multi-million dollar home inspection franchise. Other instructors, such as Becky Kopitzke and David Naus, range from serial entrepreneurs to marketing coaches to a Fortune 100 consultant.
These instructors coach our students weekly on live coaching calls, where they go over student materials and provide one-on-one feedback for next steps. A coaching call could consist of anything from reviewing business ideas to finalizing a launch plan to guidance on raising prices.
In addition to regular in-house coaching, other visiting experts join our fiction writing program students periodically for office hour-type coaching sessions. Students may hear from creative writing professionals, business and entrepreneurial professionals, and most commonly experts in both fields.
See our full list of faculty, staff, and visiting experts in our fiction writing program.
Join The Author Conservatory’s fiction writing program
If you want to learn how to craft professional novels and have the business skills necessary to actually sell them, we invite you to apply for our fiction writing program. You’ll talk to one of our admissions advisors, who will determine if the Conservatory is the next best fit for you.
Our fiction writing program teaches students mastery of the fundamentals of fiction writing, as well as the marketing and business skills it takes to be successful in the industry.
