There’s an old adage when it comes to business. You can either save time or money, but you can’t save both. And in some respects that’s true, but I also think that’s a bit of a false choice. And something I’ve been thinking a lot about is how by changing the way I think about my author business expenses, I can perhaps earn more money and save time. And the thing is, I think you can too. It sounds a bit like a fairy tale, doesn’t it?
I’ve been talking to a lot of people about setting up their author subscription site, and what I’m hearing is a similar refrain. “I can’t afford to hire anyone, and I don’t have any time to figure it out myself.” That sounds like a no-win situation, and it’s one I understand quite well. I can think of half a dozen apps that I’d love to dive into, maybe even host myself, and begin to play with, but there are only so many hours in the day.
It’s easy to get into a frugal mode when you don’t have a lot of money to spend. Like I said, I understand. Saying “sorry I can’t afford that” seems to almost become a reflex. So the rethinking I’m talking about is inviting you to pause for a moment and think about the cost vs. the benefit.
The truth is there are places where I can spend a little bit of money and save a whole lot of time. Take my reader magnet and my serial with its free episodes. I could search through and post in all the Facebook groups I’m in for newsletter swaps and reach out and see if I get swaps, and promote the swap opportunities I have. That’s still a viable option. Or, I could reup a subscription to a service that offers those, not have to hunt around for emails, find swaps, and save money. Will that cost me money? Yeah, a little each month, but let’s be honest at this point it’s less than a meal at a fast food restaurant usually. But it will also save me a lot of time and potentially have the ability to pay for itself. (I’m starting over with a new pen name, so we’re still building here. I’m being realistic, but hopeful.)
Let’s take another scenario in your business. Technology. If I weren’t as knowledgeable and enjoy tech as much, if I could pay even as little as $7 or $19/month to ask questions about websites and subscription sites and that subscription would get me a savings on a tech’s hourly fee to do things I couldn’t do it seems like a good option. After all, I’m paying more than that for some streaming services and some months I don’t even open their app. (Looking at you Peacock and Paramount. *smiles*) But even then, I don’t have to think about it when the next Star Trek season comes out. I’m subscribed and I’m geek, so you know I’m there.
Times are “interesting” right now, and the publishing market is in flux. But as someone who has been published since 2002, let me tell you that publishing has always been changing and times have always been interesting. The trick is not to get locked into reductive, habitual thinking and instead think about ways to change along with it.
I’m not advocating spending beyond your means by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s something that I’ve seen a lot of and that’s authors being afraid of business expenses. The truth is, the business world as a whole has never been afraid of spending money to make money; the trick is to just be smart about it and ensure that it’s something that pays off for you.
How can you rethink your author business expenses to make them work better for you?
