4 Reasons Your Writing Business Will Fail

How is your writing business going?

Are you experiencing progress and success, or do you feel like you’re spinning your wheels?

Sometimes when we’re trying to figure out what’s working and what’s not, it’s easier to focus on the negative than the positive—it can offer a bit more clarity.

Below are four things you may be doing right now that are bound to make your business fail. Make sure you’re doing the opposite, and you’ll be way ahead of the game.

Writing Business Mistake 1. You’re not writing enough.

The more you write, the better off you’ll be, for so many reasons.

First, you’ll become a better writer. Writing, like any craft, takes practice, which means hours and hours behind the keyboard.

Too often we put limits on how much we think we can write. I used to believe I had only a limited number of words in me per day, but I’ve learned over the years that if I raise my expectations, my output increases accordingly.

Second, the more you write and get that writing out there, the better your chances of getting your work noticed.

If you’re pinning all your hopes on one novel, that’s not a good marketing strategy. Instead, get some blog posts out there while your novel is in progress, or send out some guest posts, or get your writing into a magazine.

Any sort of exposure works, but you do have to make the effort.

Third, the more books you write, as experienced writers will tell you, the better your chances of building an audience. You need at least three on the market—preferably related to one another—to start seeing some traction in sales.

As author Melissa Bowersock writes, “…here are my recommendations for promoting your book(s): Write quality books. Write lots of them. Write a series. When you see the first flicker of flame on your KDP dashboard, go ahead and celebrate that, revel in it, but — don’t stop writing. Write more books.”

Writing Business Mistake 2. You’re not getting to know your readers.

One of the reasons a blog can be so helpful for a writer is it gives you an inside view into your readers.

Once you install a tracking application (like Google Analytics) and you get a good number of posts on your blog, you can start to see which ones your readers are going to most often.

That gives you some insight into what your readers are looking for. Then you can tailor your future content to better meet their needs.

You may think that you know who your readers are simply because you’ve imagined the type of reader that might like your work, but I’m often surprised at the posts my readers prefer. Many times, they’re not the ones I thought they would prefer. And that’s valuable information to have.

You can do the same kind of testing with your social media and YouTube posts, or with a simple survey of your newsletter readers. Any platform that allows you to measure what your readers are responding to is helps you form a realistic picture of who your readers are.

Writing Business Mistake 3. You don’t know what you’re doing this for.

If you don’t know why you’re writing and why you’re building a writing business, it’s going to cause you a lot of problems.

First, your efforts are likely to lack focus. You may try Amazon ads, then blogging, then coaching, then speaking, without any rhyme or reason behind what you’re doing.

Next, this approach may lead to discouragement, as it’s less likely to result in a successful writing business than one that is focused and proceeding with a definite purpose behind it.

Understand—your purpose for writing may change over the years. When I first started, my sole desire was to get a novel published (traditionally), with my purpose being to simply become the best writer I could be. I didn’t think about marketing or platform then, so it worked for me.

Over the years, however, what I wanted changed. I got that coveted publishing contract and moved on to wanting to attract more readers to my work. That led me to the challenge of building an author platform, and through that process, I learned that I really enjoyed helping other writers and creative individuals.

My purpose changed to one of service with my writing, and I’ve found it increasing challenging and enjoyable.

What are you doing all this writing for? Define the underlying purpose behind your business and make sure all your efforts are aligned with that purpose, and you’re more likely to experience the level of success that you desire.

(If you want more help with this step, see my book on author platform, Writer Get Noticed!)

Writing Business Mistake 4. You’re not taking the time to figure out how to make your business work for you.

This may be the biggest mistake I see writers making today.

The possibilities are endless for how you might build your own writing business, but let’s face it—figuring out what works for you isn’t easy. It’s much easier to see what someone else is doing and try that instead. Then you have a blueprint to follow, and you don’t have to put in the effort to get to know yourself.

Building your audience through Pinterest may not work for you, however. It may not work to put out three books a year or to invest your money in Facebook ads. Writing in one genre can help you build an audience, but what if that’s just not how your creative mojo goes?

The key is to find out what works for you, and that’s not an easy task. It takes time and a good amount of exploration and trial and error. Go ahead and try Pinterest. Maybe your readership will blow up using the methods some suggest, but maybe not.

Writers Who Succeed Tune In To Their Strengths

I’ve interviewed over 300 authors so far in my writing business, and I’ve found that the ones who succeed are the ones who really tune into their own strengths.

One lady regularly hosts writing retreats all over the country, and her readers love it. Another edits only science fiction and fantasy novels, and she has more work than she can handle.

A third regularly offers online courses to her readers, along with her books, and those courses are well attended. Another donates part of her book sale proceeds to a non-profit organization, and speaks for that organization too, finding her audience through those activities.

Yet another takes the horses she writes about to schools and libraries for children to meet in person. Of course, she takes her books and swag with her!

The beautiful thing about being a writer today is that you can fashion your business however you like. Discover your strengths and use them to write, create, and market, and you’re odds of succeeding will shoot through the roof because you’ll be motivated, happy, and on purpose.

What one thing do you think makes writers fail?