Today’s blog is a guest post on women’s unique talents in the writing world, from author and motivational speaker, Colleen M. Story:
I’ve taught a number of writing workshops over the past few years. One thing I’ve noticed is that increasing numbers of women are working on writing-based businesses.
They’re writing and publishing books, but that’s not all. They’re marketing, selling, freelance writing and editing, creating online workshops, offering writing services to clients, and more.
In other words, they’re aspiring and/or successful “authorpreneurs.”
Don’t get me wrong. I meet a number of fellows who are doing the same thing, but I see far more women at these events who are running either part-time or full-time author businesses.
It’s possible that more women come to these conferences, but I’ve also noticed something else—women writers are super excited about building their businesses.
What’s going on?
Two things: One, more women are turning to entrepreneurship. Two, women have unique strengths that make them particularly suited for careers as authorpreneurs.
Why More Women are Interested in Entrepreneurship
A study commissioned by American Expressfound that over the past 20 years, the number of women-owned firms increased by 114 percent, compared to a 44 percent increase in all businesses—a growth rate more than 2.5 times the national average.
Every day in the U.S., about 850 women start new businesses. There are a number of different reasons why, and most will sound familiar to authors:
- They want a better work-life balance.
- They want more control over their own time and greater flexibility in work hours.
- They want work that accommodates family needs and allows them to care for children and aging parents.
- They want more autonomy when it comes to work.
- They want to escape gender discrimination in the workplace.
- They want more control over their own futures.
- They want to follow their passions.
If you’ve already started or are thinking about starting your own writing business, you may have some of these desires in mind. The good news is that women have unique strengths that make them well suited for becoming authorpreneurs.
The trick is to acknowledge them and then work to make them even stronger.
3 Reasons Why Women Can Be Successful Authorpreneurs
The following three strengths are some of the most important ones to have when it comes to running a successful writing/editing business.
1. Women are Great Communicators and Value Relationships
A large number of studies have shown that in general, women tend to be superior communicators. Girls master language at an earlier age, and show more skill when it comes to listening with attention and empathy. This is key when it comes to building a business.
Sarah Skerik, the vice president of social at PR Newswire, told NPR, “The best communicators, in my opinion, are people who have a lot of empathy for their audience, and can deliver what their audience needs.”
Women also tend to have more social and interactive communication styles that encourage participation—making them more likely to get their readers involved in what they’re talking or writing about.
Indeed, women are known to value relationships, which is the foundation of an author business. In a 2004 study, researchers surveyed both men and women about what was important to them at work. Though both had similar values overall, women thought friends and relationships were much more important to workplace well being than men did.
2. Women are Successful Multi-Taskers
Ask any authorpreneur what they have to do to succeed, and they’ll likely tell you they must wear multiple hats.
Authorpreneurs must be good writers, but they must also excel as business operators, managers, organizers, marketers, and accountants. On any one day, an authorpreneur may write a chapter in a novel, set up an Amazon book ad, work with a graphic designer on a book cover, record expenses for tax purposes, write and post a blog, respond to comments, set up a week’s worth of social media posts, and create a marketing plan for the next book.
True multitasking is impossible. The brain can’t concentrate on more than one thing at once, but instead, simply switches back and forth from one task to another. Research suggests that women are usually better at this.
In 2013, the journal BMC Psychology reported that women were able to switch back and forth between tasks more quickly than men. Both genders were equally capable when doing one thing at a time, but when the tasks were mixed, though both groups slowed down, women performed more quickly than men.
Women are used to accomplishing a number of different things in one day, from working a job to fixing meals to cleaning house to caring for children to decorating for birthday parties and solving family arguments. It’s natural to turn those skills toward the multi-faceted activities required to run an author business.
3. Women Aren’t Afraid to Admit They Don’t Know Something
Most women have no problem admitting that they don’t know how to market their books, that they’re having trouble managing their to-do lists, or that they aren’t sure how to go about self-publishing.
I think this is why I see so many women at writer’s conferences looking for help with these tasks. These women know that they need to build their skills in these areas, and they’re not afraid to put themselves into the position of student or beginner.
By doing so, they’re often stepping outside their comfort zones, but they’re also greatly improving their odds of success.
Building on These Three Strengths Helps Women Succeed as Authorpreneurs
Combine these three skills and you have an individual who is well prepared to build and sustain her own personal writing/editing business.
I’m fortunate enough to have many of these women in my writing network. They all teach me about these strengths every day, and I’m consistently impressed by their commitment to improving themselves.
How about you? Are you a woman with entrepreneurial dreams? If so, you have every reason to believe you can make your dreams come true.
For more information on how to use your strengths to build a noticeable author platform, check out Colleen’s new book, Writer Get Noticed! Get your free chapter here. Colleen is also joining with one of her authorpreneur friends to put on a one-day workshop for authorpreneurs in September—find more information here.
Colleen M. Story inspires writers to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment in their work. Her latest release, Writer Get Noticed!, is a strengths-based guide to help writers break the spell of invisibility and discover unique author platforms that will draw readers their way. With over 20 years in the creative industry, Colleen is the founder of Writing and Wellness (writingandwellness.com) and Writer CEO (writerceo.com). Please see her author website (colleenmstory.com) or follow her on Twitter (@colleen_m_story).
Sources:
American Express. (2017). The 2017 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. Retrieved from American Express website: https://about.americanexpress.com/sites/americanexpress.newshq.businesswire.com/files/doc_library/file/2017_SWOB_Report_-FINAL.pdf
Castrillon, C. (2019, February 4). Why More Women Are Turning To Entrepreneurship. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/02/04/why-more-women-are-turning-to-entrepreneurship/#2676cfaf542a
Lebowitz, S. (2018, August 13). There Are 114 Percent More Women Entrepreneurs Than 20 Years Ago and It’s Not Necessarily a Good Thing. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/business-insider/more-women-entrepreneurs-today-than-20-years-ago-its-troubling.html
Peterson, M. (2004). What men and women value at work: Implications for workplace health. Gender Medicine, 1(2), 106-124. doi:10.1016/s1550-8579(04)80016-0
Sebastian, M. (2013, February 22). Are women better communicators than men? Retrieved from https://www.prdaily.com/are-women-better-communicators-than-men/
Stoet, G., O’Connor, D. B., Conner, M., & Laws, K. R. (2013). Are women better than men at multi-tasking? BMC Psychology, 1(1). doi:10.1186/2050-7283-1-18
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is the author of the award-winning literary novel In the Context of Love, a story about one woman’s need to tell her truth without shame. Discovering who you want to be isn’t easy when you can’t leave the past behind.
2017 New Apple Book Awards Official Selection
2016 Sarton Women’s Fiction Finalist
2016 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
2016 Readers’ Favorite Finalist
2016 USA Book News Best Book Finalist
“…at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey.” ~ Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage, and critically acclaimed Once Upon a River,and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters
“With tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.” ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 NY Times Bestseller, Deep End of the Ocean
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