My 21-year-old daughter Marina moved back home this summer after attending a junior college for two years. With an Associates in Equine Management, she was ready to dive in to making a living working with horses.

And dive in she did.

Within a few days, the owner of a horse stable hired her—and asked her to spend her first two weeks assisting at a horse show out of town working 80 hours a week. You read that right: EIGHTY. HOURS. A. WEEK!

Midway through the horse show, they sent her home because they needed her back at the stable after two stable hands unexpectedly quit. She returned and went straight to work and turned down the dial on her work hours, putting in only 60 hours a week.

To her credit, Marina worked seventeen days in a row without a day off, averaging between 60 and 80 hours a week. She’d leave the house at 6 am and return between 4 and 6 pm in the evening. As I write this tonight, it’s 7:15 pm and she still isn’t home.

Oh, did I mention that she was also training a horse on the side?

What's Your Mindset?

A month ago, I began a series entitled “The Successful Author’s Mindset.” In my August 16 post, I explained that the successful author must be HUNGRY TO GROW…AND KEEP ON GROWING. They continually focus on new skills to develop. This could involve the craft of writing or platform-building or some other facet of publishing.

A second characteristic of the successful author’s mindset is the belief that  YOU ARE A BUSINESS.

If no one’s around, say this out loud: “I AM A BUSINESS—NOT A NONPROFIT!”

If you’re feeling spunky and people are around, still say it out loud!

Writing for fun is a perfectly noble desire. But if you want to make a living as a writer, or you want to actually sell the books you write, then you’re going to need to see yourself as a business.

Here’s what I mean:

“I Work Hard”

My daughter Marina works her tail off. She’s a night owl (the opposite of her dad!), but in the early morning when the final alarm goes off (after hitting the snooze button a few times), she jumps out of bed and heads off to work. Usually around 5:30 am.

Imagine what your book would look like with that same kind of commitment.

Working hard means writing, even when you don’t feel like it. Most of the time, I don’t feel like writing, but once I start, the creative juices start flowing. As writers, our creative natures can spit out countless excuses for doing anything but write:

• "I’m too tired"
• "I’m too busy"
• "I just don’t feel like writing"

However, most of those excuses wouldn't work if you're trying to avoid your day job. Your boss would laugh in your face. If you're a business owner, that mindset would signal that it's time to close up shop. Permanently.

Many of you know that I spent 30 years working full-time as a pastor. During that time, I worked on over 60 books. In fact, I authored or ghostwrote around 25.

How did I do it?

I wrote from 5 am to 7 am many of those mornings, regardless of how I felt. Then I spent five to six hours writing on my “day off.”

About ten years ago, I drove my oldest daughter Anna to weekly orchestra rehearsals across town and then waited until she was finished. I basically authored one of my books while sitting in a coffee shop during Anna’s orchestra practice.

In 1997, I ghostwrote a top 10 bestselling book—and no one in my church even knew about it.

“I Write For A Profit”

Marina doesn’t work for free and neither should you. Despite the fact that she’s working for only $12 an hour, I’m confident her wages will go up as she continues working hard.

My point is this: don’t give away your best stuff for free. You are a business, not a nonprofit. If you want to make a living as a writer, you need to start making a living as a writer. Start small and work your way up.

My first ghostwriting gig, the publisher paid me $3,000, the equivalent of around $20 an hour. When the book became a bestseller, he sent me another check for $2,000 because he felt guilty about the pittance he paid me.

Within two years, I was charging $10,000 a book to ghostwrite. Since then, I’ve charged as much as $20,000.

Because I am a business, I feel no shame for charging what I charge. I’m worth it!

At Illumify Media Global, we offer coaching services to help you get unstuck as a writer. In fact, if you need a little “pick me up,” feel free to schedule an appointment with me—free of charge.

You can do this!

Happy Writing!

Michael J. Klassen

President, Illumify Media Global

mklassen@illumifymedia.com