Writing a book? You just became a founder.
Welcome to the “Business of Writing” Series
Over the next three weeks, I’m going to share a series of newsletters about something we don’t talk about nearly enough as writers:
The business of writing a book.
Not just publishing. Not just platforms. Not just newsletters.
I’m talking about what it really means to treat your writing like a business—even if you’ve never owned one before.
Here’s what’s coming:
This week: Why mindset is everything—and how to shift from “employee” to creative CEO
Next week: What treating your book like a business actually looks like
Week 3: The strongest beliefs I hold about writing, publishing, and the legacy you’re building
This series isn’t fluff. It’s not hype.
It’s the real talk I wish more writers heard before they wrote their first word.
Shifting from “employee” mindset to creative CEO
One of the first talks I gave when I started book coaching was about how writing and publishing a book is like starting a business.
I still believe that—wholeheartedly.
But what I didn’t recognize at the time was just how hard that difficult shift is for most people.
Because saying “If you're selling books, you're starting a business” sounds bold and exciting.
Actually doing it? That’s another story.
I’ve been in business for myself since 1999.
And that was ENTIRELY by accident.
I didn’t set out to start a business. I was happy working for someone else.
Then, as life often does, everything shifted—and suddenly I was self-employed at a time when not many people were. I was slung into the deep end and it was on fire.
I was forced to figure it out as I went.
And let me tell you: being in business for yourself is nothing like working for someone else.
When you work for someone else, there are rules. A chain of command.
There’s a structure, and your job is to fit into it.
When you work for yourself?
You make the rules. You enforce them. You carry the risk—and the reward.
Here’s another truth:
We typically don’t talk about the business of writing until we’ve already written the book. And then it's usually when we attend some webinar like the talk I gave.
We’re so focused on the idea of writing to publish, we forget to think about what it actually means to publish.
And if we don’t think about it early enough, about the long-term vision, the investment, the plan, we can end up disappointed, disoriented, or broke.
When I say that writing a book is like starting a business, I don’t mean it’s a cute metaphor.
I mean that if you want to finish the book, publish the book, and maybe even sell the book, you have to stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like a creative CEO.
That’s a mindset shift.
Your First Step:
Ask yourself this simple question:
What do I want this book to do—for me, and for the people who read it?
Let yourself think BIG.
That one question will tell you if you’re writing a journal entry or building something bigger.
Let it be messy. Let it be imperfect. But get it down.
Because knowing the purpose of your book is the first brick in building a business around it.
Next week, I’ll show you what this really looks like in practice. Clear goals, real structure, smart investments—and no corporate buzzwords required.
Hello!
My name is Jocelyn.
Story warrior, book lover, day dreamer, gardener, and creative. I help serious writers roll up their sleeves, get their novel ready for publishing, and reach readers. When I’m not elbow-deep in the story trenches, I’m outside world-building in my garden and battling weeds with my three criminal mastermind cats.
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