Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Bookish Business
Over the past few years in the bookish community, I’ve seen a lot of businesses shut down. Some of them closed because they were unsustainable and burning the owners out, and others because they were poorly run and ended up gaining a scammy reputation for not delivering on promises.
(If you want to see some great coverage of some of those businesses, Laura Rae Says on YouTube is a fabulous channel to check out!)
So today I want to talk about some of the common mistakes I see bookish business owners making so you can avoid falling into the same traps.
But before we dive in, there’s one point I want to highlight. Just because you’re turning your hobby into income doesn’t mean you can still treat it like a casual hobby. Once you take on the role of a business owner or freelancer and accept money for your products or services, professionalism is very important.
Mistake #1: undercharging
This is probably the biggest mistake I see. And I get it! Authors are often working on smaller budgets, and you want to charge low enough rates for them to hire you. But if you’re undercharging, you will burn yourself out.
I’ve seen author PAs charge $10 an hour and author social media managers charge $50 per month. This is not enough. You need to pay yourself a decent wage for your business to make it. Plus, you need to consider the taxes you’ll pay on this income! You do not keep that entire $10/hour or $50/month.
Charge enough so that you’ll be compensated fairly for your time. Some people won’t be able to afford it, and that’s okay. You still deserve a fair wage.
Mistake #2: Winging It
If you book a client or create a bookish event and you don’t have a solid plan to do the work, you are likely to run into problems. Depending on what you’re offering, there will be many things to include in your process, including (but definitely not limited to):
Using contracts to protect you and your clients
Communicate often with your clients and customers so they know what to expect, especially if there’s a delay
Create onboarding processes for clients so they know what to expect during your work together
Communicate via email, not text, Instagram DM, or other unprofessional platforms
Give yourself more time than you think you need, especially in the beginning when you’re learning how long things will take
It’s okay if you don’t know everything from the beginning. That’s impossible! But if you approach your business like you would a job, by providing customer service, learning as you go, and addressing problems early, you’ll be off to a great start.
Mistake #3: selling merch without a license
Unless you get appropriate licensing, you cannot sell fandom merch, author merch, musician merch, etc. I see so many businesses built around Taylor Swift or ACOTAR that are not licensed, and any day now they could get a cease and desist and their entire business would be over.
If you want to sell licensed merch, inquire about the proper licensing. Otherwise, use your own ideas in the products you sell.
If you avoid these common mistakes, you’re already in a better position than a lot of people with their bookish businesses! I’m wishing you the absolute best as you turn your love of reading into income.
