Are you an accidental entrepreneur?

By Larry Jacobson

As an independent author, once you have a book or e-book in hand, it’s time to share your work with the world and that means promotion.

Because you’re doing the promotion yourself, you may be in for a surprise: You just became an entrepreneur. This means you’re in charge—of everything—including PR.

“No, no, no, I’m just an author. I just want to write, not run a PR business,” you plead.

I understand how you feel. When I began writing The Boy Behind the Gate, I just wanted to inspire others to follow their dreams. However, what I found out along the way was that out of necessity, I had become an entrepreneur again. I had become “The Accidental Entrepreneur.”

You’re the boss

You, too, have become an entrepreneur and that means for this venture, the person you see in the mirror is the one who will be handling every aspect of your PR. It’s both a blessing and a curse. You don’t have to report to anyone, there are no deadlines, and you don’t need someone’s approval to try a new strategy.

On the other hand, because there’s no one to report to, there’s also no feedback and no deadlines means you can put off creating your PR calendar until you “get around to it.”

Chances are you’re developing your own PR plan using the tips and tools provided to you here at BuildBookBuzz. You therefore have now been thrust into a position of leadership in which you will face unexpected challenges, including driving yourself to follow through with your plan.

Rather than be put off by this, embrace the role and learn how to handle it.

11 keys to successful “authorpreneurship”

I have been an entrepreneur for over 30 years so when I wrote my first book, started a publishing company, and organized my own promotion, I knew what I would be facing. Now, as an entrepreneur coach, I see people confronting the same challenges I faced, in a variety of businesses, especially writers looking for publicity. In my latest audio program, Navigating Leadership for Entrepreneurs, I’ve identified 11 keys, which if addressed properly, will ensure that you enjoy being a leader and an entrepreneur.

Here are the 11 keys from my training program:

1. Everybody starts with a dream of how popular their book will be and what level of recognition they’ll achieve. Then what?
2. To achieve your big dreams, you must change those dreams into achievable goals.
3. You’re taking a risk by choosing to go it alone with your PR, but without risk, there is no reward. How do you assess the risks?
4. Be prepared for changes along the way. The only sure thing in business is change. How do you deal with it?
5. You will have many decisions to make along the road to PR success. How do you make big decisions? Based on what?
6. Every entrepreneur experiences fear and you are no exception. In fact, as an author with no PR firm behind you, you probably experience more fear and sleepless nights than most people. Learn how to expect it, recognize it, embrace it, and make the fear work for you.
7. Don’t be deterred because you don’t know what you’re doing with respect to running your own PR campaign. You don’t have to be an expert to begin something, you can learn along the way by using resources like those you’ll find on this site.
8. Stick with it. Perseverance is a trait that is best learned from practice. But it’s hard! How do you keep up that tenacity?
9. Let your passion guide you. Don’t let fear or any other obstacle stand in the way of your achievement. Always remember that your passion is far stronger than your fears.
10. You are an entrepreneur and that means being a leader.
11. And lastly, remember that you chose this role. You may not have known that you also became an accidental entrepreneur, which meant being a leader. But now you know.

When you choose to embrace your role as an entrepreneur and leader, you’ll more successfully lead yourself and others. And you’ll be free to unleash your entrepreneurial spirit.

Do you see yourself as an accidental entrepreneur? Why or why not?