From Books to Business: Publishing Business Strategies
Think Like a Business Owner: 7 Essential Publishing Business Strategies for Authors and Industry Pros
Whether you’re an author, editor, publisher, or self-publishing support professional, one truth applies to all of us: you need strong publishing business strategies to succeed in today’s industry.
Too often, creatives enter the publishing space hyper-focused on the art—and that’s a beautiful place to begin. But eventually, reality hits: pricing, contracts, websites, taxes, tools, visibility, and funding. If you don’t treat your publishing work like a business, burnout, stagnation, or financial failure is right around the corner.
In a recent podcast episode, Alexa Bigwarfe sat down with Hannah Jacobson, founder of Book Award Pro, to talk about the often-overlooked business side of publishing. Here are seven of the most powerful takeaways that can help you build a more sustainable and successful creative business—no matter what stage you’re in.
1. Start Scrappy—But Don’t Stay There
Both Alexa and Hannah started their businesses with almost no funding and a lot of DIY. Hannah built the first version of Book Award Pro in a spreadsheet. Alexa taught herself InDesign to format books. The takeaway? You don’t need perfect tools or funding to begin.
But: learning to grow beyond DIY is essential. Automate, outsource, and systematize as soon as you can to protect your time and sanity.
2. Choose the Right Funding Model for You
There are three common ways publishing pros fund their businesses:
Bootstrapping: Use your own income/savings. You maintain control, but growth is slower.
Crowdfunding: Use platforms like Kickstarter to validate ideas and raise funds upfront.
Investors: Rare in publishing, but can be explored if you have a long-term scalable plan.
Tip: Crowdfunding works best when you already have an audience. Use it as a marketing test as much as a funding tool.
3. Price Based on Value—Not Time
One of the biggest mistakes new freelancers and publishing pros make? Pricing by the hour, especially when you’re still learning.
“You can’t charge for 900 hours of work if someone else could do it in three.” – Alexa Bigwarfe
Instead, price based on the value of the outcome, not how long it takes you to deliver it.
4. Systems Will Save You
If you’ve typed the same email reply 25 times… it’s time for a template.
Automation, templates, and repeatable systems can free up your mental energy and scale your business faster. Consider tools like:
17Hats or Dubsado (for CRM, contracts, and invoicing)
Stripe Atlas (for incorporation and payment processing)
Squarespace, WordPress.org, or PubSite (for website creation and hosting)
Tailwind, Buffer, or Later (for social media scheduling)
5. Own Your Property
Your website and email list are your digital real estate. Social media and marketplaces are rented land.
Buy your domain name—preferably your own name or business.
Avoid building your entire business on .com builders you don’t own.
Make sure your web platform allows you full control and portability.
6. Let AI Help—but Use It Ethically
From rewriting Amazon descriptions to finding book reviews and researching keywords, Alexa and Hannah both use AI tools like ChatGPT to cut down hours of manual work.
Use AI to:
Rewrite sales copy
Draft bios
Summarize content
Automate admin tasks
Caution: Always verify outputs and stay up-to-date with copyright guidance.
7. Think Bigger Than the Book
The most successful people in the publishing space fall into one of these buckets:
They have a long backlist of titles.
They treat their books like business assets—with a plan.
Or they use books as tools to grow their larger business (coaches, consultants, speakers, service providers).
Books open doors. Your business keeps them open.
Ready to Level Up?
Want more support on the business side of publishing?
Join us for the WIP Presents: 2-Day Business Bootcamp for Authors & Publishing Professionals—a virtual event packed with experts in legal, financial, systems, and entrepreneurial strategies specifically tailored to creatives in the publishing world.
👉 Join us August 21 & 22, 2026: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/business-bootcamp-26/
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about building something real, step by step, mistake by mistake, system by system. You don’t have to do it alone.
