When people think about being an author, they often imagine a cosy and glamorous life filled with soft lighting, inspiration, coffee cups, and hours spent typing away at a rustic desk. But the truth is, my desk isn't nearly as Instagram-worthy as people might hope, and the life of an author is a lot more complicated—and a lot more admin work—than that.
Let me walk you through the week I just had (because let’s face it, a typical day doesn’t exist in the author world), so you can see the weird mix of things an author might get up to when I'm not trying to finish writing The Dynasty Codes series for you or working on the new fantasy stand alones.
The errands of author life: not just writing
The truth is, being an author today means juggling many hats. Yes, there are creative bursts where I’m fully immersed in writing, but there are also days filled with organising, emailing, and a lot of running errands. Here’s just a glimpse of what this week alone looked like:
Gazebo hunting: Spent some time scrolling through Facebook Marketplace looking for a gazebo (fun news coming soon on that!).
Tested and bought the gazebo: Met the seller in person and made the purchase. I am now the proud owner of my very first pop-up gazebo!
Bunnings adventure: I walked to the local Bunnings to pick up a 13 kg folding table, only to realise after paying I had to carry it back uphill in 35°C heat. (I’ll admit, there were plenty of breaks and some serious sweat involved, but hey, I counted it as my daily workout!) Yes, I should have realised before I went down there, and yes, I could have asked to keep it there while I went to get my car and drive back. But I'm too stubborn, and the weight seemed manageable. It was just the awkward carry shape that was the trouble!
The paperwork and admin Mount Dooms
Okay, that's dramatic, but sometimes it does feel like that scene at the end where Frodo crashes on the mountain with the lava flowing everywhere. Alongside the more physical tasks, there’s the endless paperwork. Finances, stock management, and planning—oh my! It’s easy to forget that all these behind-the-scenes tasks are essential to running an author business. Because that's what it is. A business. And I know that's not what some people glamorising being an author want to believe.
Finances update: I took some time to update my author finances. Seeing the numbers track toward ROI is always satisfying—until I had to pay for another print run of Origin Curse and watched my ROI dip. But that’s part of the game! Stock is necessary, even if it means dipping further into the red for a little while. (I admit I'm a bit of a nerd about finances and love my spreadsheet set up.)
Print run arrival: The latest batch of Origin Curse books arrived, and of course, I had to remember to take a reel of the unboxing for social media (I'll get better at this, I swear!). It’s not my favourite thing to do, but I know it’s part of the marketing effort. This is where I get stubborn and wish I COULD just sit and write. I never know what to say on socials. I have so many ideas when it comes to writing books, but then when it comes to writing something for social media ... crickets.
Stock updates: And, speaking of stock, I communicated with a local bookstore that had run out of my books. So, this week, I’m heading to the post office to deliver a fresh batch just in time for the Christmas rush.
The ‘business’ of being an author
More on that bit above. If you’re an aspiring author, one thing I wish I’d known early on is that writing is only part of the job. The rest is business—serious, hands-on business. As an author, you're not just a creator; you're also the CEO, marketer, and operations manager of your own small business. It's taken a lot of time for me to get into that groove, and I'm still trying to get better at it. It's a life-long thing. [Insert random cliche about marathons-not-sprints that we all gag at now.]
Anyway, here's a quick run-down of things you are expected to do now as an author:
You have to manage your own promotions, marketing, events, stock, and distribution. Everything, really. Yes, even when you go trade.
You have to work with designers, editors, and printing companies, all while adhering to their unique specs and timelines. So I recommend you start developing project management and briefing skills and how to communicate effectively in the publishing industry and the specs and details people need. Everyone has their own processes, so ask clear questions before agreeing to work with people. Find what process works well for you.
And, perhaps most importantly, you need to budget your time. Which leads me to the big question:
Time management: writing vs everything else
The hardest part? Managing your time.
Writing is our sacred task. The big we all enjoy. And while we all wish for it to be the only thing we have to do, there’s so much more. One thing I’ve learned is that when I schedule time for writing, I sometimes have to treat it as 'Author Time', where if something busy and admin-y comes up, now and then I have to allow myself to swap writing for all the other tasks that go into being a business owner.
Can I squeeze everything into other times during the day? That would be the dream. But with work, family commitments, and a million other things, that kind of uninterrupted writing time is often hard to come by. We all struggle with finding enough hours in the day, so every moment of 'Author Time' counts.
Though, of course, one day the dream is to make this a full time gig.
Until then ... writing as much as I can and squeezing other things in is the reality.
All the many hats and juggling balls of being a modern author
Being an author isn't just about writing a book anymore. It’s about managing your business, balancing your time, and dealing with tasks that range from fun (like designing marketing collateral with your partner in book crime [shout out to Donika here for doing this with me this week!] to exhausting (hello, lugging large items up-hill).
And for anyone considering becoming an author, remember: writing is just the beginning. It’s a journey filled with paperwork, logistics, and a lot of emails. But it’s also a journey that’s incredibly fun and rewarding. Especially when you hear the incredible experiences of readers contacting you about how much they loved your books.
For the published writers out there: How do you manage all the responsibilities that come with being a writer? Are you balancing your writing time with the ‘business’ side? Let me know in the comments!
For the want-to-be writers out there: keep it up, and know that it's still a great thing to do. Find your best schedule, and do as little or as much as you can and want to. Everyone has their own race and own pace. Let me know if you have any questions about handling author life amongst life, school, work, children, study, everything ...
P.S. If you’re struggling with author finances, I’ve created a template to track everything from royalties to print runs. Feel free to reach out if you’d like a copy!
