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Refine an Author Business Model from These Templates
There are as many paths as there are authors, but I see versions of these twelve types again and again
There are as many paths to a successful author career; an income-generating, sustainable author business; an author life you love as there are authors. That’s not an idle wish but what I’ve seen in my 25+ years as an indie book publisher and entrepreneur in the wild and diverse ecosystem that is the book business. Not every author — in fact perhaps not most authors — realizes a holistic, deeply satisfying, financially rewarding outcome to their author dreams. I happen to believe that is as much about perspective, approach, inattention to what matters, and lack of knowledge, skills, and perseverance as anything (and helping to correct those deficits is one thing my writing here focuses on).
That said, there are a number of author templates, approaches to making a full-time or part-time living as an author, that I see again and again. Below I introduce twelve in broad generalities that immediately come to mind. Borrow one as a foundation on which to custom build your own author business model or use these snapshots as inspiration for your own version.
