I’m winding down
the romance writing business
but my pen name
hasn’t told anyone.
The pen name
hasn’t told readers
or my editor
or fellow writers.
No one should know.
I’ve been receiving
semi-frantic requests
for minor character stories
from readers.
They somehow know.
Your customers pay
closer attention
to what you’re doing or feeling
than
you likely think.
Assume your ‘secrets’
won’t remain secrets
for very long.
Make decisions
and tailor your communications
to reflect that.
The newsletter service I’m with
(MailCh*mp)
is telling me
an error is on my side.
It isn’t.
But I can’t be bothered
to figure out
how to fix it for them.
Because I’m closing
my Romance Novel Business
in two years
and I won’t be working
with this partner
after that point.
I can work around
this error
for 23 more newsletters.
One of the upsides
of closing a business
is it forces us
to end bad partnerships.
We all have some of those.
Maybe it is a delivery service
that is always late.
Or a supplier
who gets one thing wrong
in every order.
Or a customer
who returns everything
he buys.
These partnership cost us money,
time, happiness.
Don’t wait
for your business to close
to end bad partnerships.
End them now.
I read an article yesterday
that claimed some scientists
believe it is too late
to act
on climate change.
I don’t know one scientist
who is sitting on her a$$,
doing nothing,
because tipping points
and other climate change issues
are certain to happen.
They’re mitigating the harm
that will be done.
They’re preparing
for these tipping points.
They’re giving animals and insects
and other lifeforms
great lives
today.
They’re taking MORE action
than many people who think
climate change can be stopped.
As a business example,
I know I’ll likely be
closing my Romance Novel business
in two years.
Am I doing nothing
because this will happen?
No.
I’m creating magic
for my loyal readers
(customers).
I’m enjoying the f*ck
out of these last 2 years
in the business.
I’m ensuring the closure
will be as painless and easy
for everyone as possible.
That is a lot of
f*cking work.
It is never too late
to act.
There are ALWAYS actions
to take.
I plan to stop writing
Romance Novels
in two years.
That business
will be placed
on maintenance mode only.
It’s the end
of that business.
And that IS sad
in many ways.
I’m grieving it.
But it also means
I’ll have that time
to do something different.
I’ll likely start
another business.
And that is VERY exciting.
Business builders
build businesses.
That’s what we do.
The end of one business
is often the start
of another business.
I plan to stop
releasing new novels
(producing new products)
for my Romance Novel writing business
two years from now
(unless the sales trajectory
changes).
I’m fortunate
because,
due to my tracking of sales
and the following of other trends,
I have some notice
before ‘closing’ my business.
(The books will remain
at booksellers
but without marketing activity
on my part,
the sales will soon dwindle
to nothing.)
I have the privilege
of planning my exit.
I plan to make it
the happiest exit
I can
for loyal readers
(customers)
and leave them
with smiles on their faces.
A friend of mine
plans to do the exact opposite.
She plans to leave them
with a cliffhanger.
Her thought is
she wants to leave readers
wanting more of her writing.
If we have
the ability to do so,
we should plan
our business’s closing.
It is part of
our legacy.
Put thought
into it.
I plan to close
my romance novel writing business
when
the pre-order sales
for my stories
no longer cover their production expenses.
Based on the current
downward sales trajectory,
that will happen
in roughly three years.
I’m planning for that closure.
I’m writing the books
readers have requested.
I’m wrapping up series.
I’m setting up income streams
so they continue
without much involvement
from me.
If something unexpected happens
and my sales recover,
of course,
I’ll continue the business.
But, as of today,
I am planning to close it
Knowing I’m ending this stage
of my life
is sad
but it is also powerful.
I’m in control
of my business’ closure,
of the process.
It will be a good end
to a great business life cycle.
Decide now
when you’ll close/sell your business.
Build toward that closure.
And embrace
the fresh new start
that will follow it.
That sounds ominous, doesn’t it?
I don’t view endings
as terrible things.
They are almost always
paired with
new beginnings.
But first,
we have to deal
with the ending
and that’s easier
to do
if we prepare for it.
Preparing for an ending
doesn’t usually hasten it.
I’ve been preparing
for the ending of client k
for over a decade
and I don’t see that ending
happening
any time soon.
But I’m prepared for it
and that will make that transition,
whenever it comes,
smoother…
for everyone.
I can move onto the new beginning
faster and with a happier heart.
Things end.
Preparing for those endings
well in advance
will make them easier.
One of my writing buddies
(owner of a small business)
told me her current book release
(product release)
was an absolute failure.
I asked her questions
about it
and uncovered
that it was only
an ‘absolute failure’
based on her expectations.
The book will break-even financially
within the release month
and, after that point,
it will earn a return.
This is often the case.
Our businesses aren’t
either
complete successes
or
complete failures.
It isn’t an
all or nothing situation.
A business, for example,
that survived
for a year
and then had to close
still SURVIVED for a year.
It paid salaries for a year.
It served the community
for a year.
Things were learned.
People gained experience.
Success and failure
is a range
and we will fall
somewhere between
the two extremes.
We will ALWAYS be
a little bit of a success.
I love writing Romance Novels.
I suspect I’ll always write them.
But I also suspect
there will come a day
when I don’t publish them,
when I don’t engage
in the business side of writing,
when I ‘retire’.
I knew this from the start.
Which is
(one of the many reasons)
why I publish
under a pen name
(brand name).
I can sell that pen name
if I want to do that.
I can transfer it
and all my backlist (products)
to another writer or entity.
Will I do that?
That is doubtful.
I find that a bit
ethically challenged.
But by planning
for the end of my career
at the beginning of it,
I have given myself options.
Before starting your business,
think about all the possible ways
you could wrap up your business.
Build those possibilities
into your plans.