Learn from The Newspaper Entrepreneurs

The audience for newspaper readers has been in decline for years. Last year I moved to Orange County, California after eight years in Arizona. 

In Arizona, I took the Arizona Republic. One rare day in the desert, it rained and I called the Republic for a replacement paper. The customer service person explained, “We let our replacement team go several months ago. We can either bring a replacement tomorrow or credit your account.” I was not interested in receiving today's newspaper tomorrow.

This week my Sunday newspaper didn't show up so I called the Orange County Register customer service department. They promised that I would have a replacement newspaper within the hour. Indeed, I had it. Also they promised to call me and check to see if I got the replacement newspaper. Later that morning, they called and I reported that I had my newspaper and thanked them. What a different customer service experience.

Last Friday I learned why my local paper is expanding it's coverage and customer service—plus the newspaper is growing in circulation. As I've read this newspaper for a year, I've noticed new sections of the paper and new magazines. As this article validated the numbers: 

“3: New daily newspapers including The Current in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, the Irvine World News and the Long Beach Register (launches Aug. 19)


25: Expanded broadsheet weeklies


22: New stand-alone sections, which include a daily Business section, Faith & Values, Fashion, OC Family, Food, Go+Do, Movies, Wheels, Celebrations, OC Varsity twice-weekly sports sections and OC Varsity Arts


3: New magazines including OC Register Metro, OC Register Family and OC Register Magazine


350: New employees, of whom 175 are in the newsroom (my emphasis)


71 percent: Increase in daily content from May 2012 to May 2013


162 percent: Increase in weekly community content from May 2012 to May 2013


25: Average increase in pages daily”


Ironically I noticed both of the new owners are not from the newspaper industry. Each made their careers outside of the newsroom—yet they and other investors have invested in the local newspaper business.


As a writer and communicator, I've seen the merits of marching to a different drum some times and pitching innovative ideas. Sometimes you fail when you try something new. Yet sometimes with these risks you break out and do something that becomes a bestseller.


Are you striking out into some new directions to see if the door of opportunity will open for you? I hope through a careful reading of this article, you can see some valuable lessons for your own writing life. 

Get Something Done for Five Dollars

Normally I am a pure do-it-yourselfer in the things that I do online. 

• My blog has over 1,000 searchable entries.
•  I have learned to create Ebooks which I sell or give away as tool to build my mailing list.
• I often teach through teleseminars which I do myself.
•  I’ve even created my own membership course about book proposals. And I've even launched a product where you can learn to create your own membership course.

You may have noticed I have a number of websites. Unlike some of my friends, I do not outsource the building and related tasks to others. I’ve chosen to do it myself.

Like many new projects, I’m always learning something and at times I make a few mistakes in the process—nothing severe but some minor goofs. It is one of the results of doing the work yourself.

Yet every now and then I get stuck. There is something that I need like a banner or a header or something that I can’t make myself. I do reach out and get help in these situations. For any entrepreneur, the trick when you do hire someone else is to do it economically and make it cost effective.

Notice I call myself an entrepreneur? I believe every author should gain a bit of entrepreneurial spirit. That bent toward business will help you in your publishing life.

Recently I was stuck. I needed a graphic artist to make a minor modification to four different images. I knew exactly what I wanted to change but I’m not skilled to use graphic programs like Photoshop. I had to hire someone to move forward with my forthcoming project.

I learned about Fiverr.com. It’s a site where people offer to do a particular task for Five Dollars. Other people had told me about the site but I had never used it.

You can look around Fiverr.com without registering. I planned to use it so I “joined” the site and created a username and password.

I was searching for a graphic artist. Looking at the feedback, I selected four artists who looked like they could accomplish the job I needed. Also I selected people in the United States.

Fiverr has a system where you can send a message to the prospective graphic artist about your task. I used the system to write a simple email to four different people. 

In my email, I described what I needed done and asked if they could handle this task. Within 30 minutes, I heard from one of the emails that this artist could do my work. Two other artists responded that they could also handle it and I never heard from the fourth person.

I hired the first person and paid my $5 through paypal. The site holds the funds until the job has been completed to my satisfaction.

In the internal email to the artist, Fiverr only allows one attachment. I had to bundle my four images into a single zip file and attach them for the artist. In my instructions, I was specific about what I needed done.

Under the guidelines, the artist promised to complete the task within three days. 

I received the completed work in less than an hour after sending it. I looked at my files and they were exactly what I need. I released my funds to the artist with my positive feedback. I found the process amazing that I could get something done quickly and for a low price.

There are several keys to notice:

1. I had a specific task and had specific directions about what I wanted done.

2.If I had not been as specific, the results could have been poor.

3. I selected several different possibilities and gave the task to the first person who responded.

Have some of you used Fiverr.com? What type of experiences have you had with it?

Get the Entrepreneur Attitude

As you think about your writing life, do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? For many writers, it is a huge step for them to wear the name of writer or author. 

Maybe you have written for years and are starting to get some magazine articles published but never written a book. Or maybe you have gotten your first book published but few people have purchased it. Or maybe your writing life is chugging along with a few articles each year and a few newspaper articles but not much else to talk about. Yes, you attend a conference or two each year but aren't earning much from your writing and you definitely aren't in a position to quit your day job. If you click this link, you will learn about six well-known authors who did not quit their day job.

How do you make this attitude adjustment? One key step is to begin to think of yourself as an entrepreneur and small business person—yes as a writer. Recently I read a great book on this topic, The Reluctant Entrepreneur by Michael Masterson.

In the first chapter, Masterson sets a new definition for Entrepreneur. He adds the modifier “Reluctant” and the combination makes for a fascinating and compelling book full of insights.

To begin your own business, you do not have to risk everything or quit your day job or feel like you have to parachute out of an airplane. Instead you can take limited risk and calculated steps which can lead to a successful new business.

Michael Masterson charts the course for every reader in this well-written book. Bring your highlighter because if you are like me, you will regularly be marking different pages to return to them for action. Each chapter has well-drawn lessons with experienced insights.

Many readers can gain from a careful reading and personal application of this material. I loved the critical question which begins the second chapter, “Most would-e entrepreneurs are motivated by an idea—an idea for some great new product. But they almost never ask themselves the big question: Is this the kind of product I can actually sell?” (page 21) Then he continues, “There is only one way to find out if your product is good, and that is to start selling it. The sooner you start selling it, the faster you will know. (Most products, it turns out, are not as good as the inventor—or her son—thinks they are.)” (page 23)

A careful reading and application of this material to your own business ideas will cut years of rabbit trails and failure from your life. Instead you can follow the well-worth path to success that successful business man and multi-millionaire Michael Masterson has blazed for readers through The Reluctant Entrepreneur. 

Find Your Own Way

For many years I've been listening to writers as they pitch their ideas and manuscripts. As I've written about in these entries in the past, each one believes they have hit on a "hole" in the marketplace with their idea and it's bound for the bestseller list. I admire their enthusiasm then often I look at bit closer at what they are actually doing to make that idea a bestseller. It's one of the places that the process has broken down for them. They have created something--a manuscript, a book proposal, a novel. In the next breath they tell me they have no visibility in the marketplace. It's normally where the conversation breaks down in my view because the writer begins to tell me they have no interest in marketing or they have no money or they have been focused on writing their book or _________ (you fill in the blank).

If there was a one, two, three point formula, then the publishers would have figured it out a long time ago since they have to create a financially viable business to keep their doors open. It is not an exact science and each person has to find their own way toward success (however they define success).

Some writers are stuck in research mode. You know if you are one of these folks. You've read every book, purchased almost every product and attended almost every writers conference. Your commitment to learning and acquiring information is admirable and applauded but you have not put your shoulder to the wheel and written or submitted your work or marketed your work. These writers plan on launching a website but have only gotten as far as purchasing the domain. These writers are thinking about a newsletter but haven't launched one. The key is to get moving into the marketplace and find your own way.

In the last few days, I completed reading Stephanie Chandler's excellent book, From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur, Make Money with Books, eBooks, and Information Products. She points to some different resources than I've used in the past and has solid information. I liked her focus as she says in the preface, "My goal is always to exceed my customer expectations and this strategy has served me well in every business endeavor." I identified with this goal because it's also been my intention as I've created products or magazine articles or my teaching at writers' conferences (like this coming week at the Florida Writers Association). It was good to read Chandler's line, "There is an eager market of buyers out there. My goal is to show you how to develop and market your own products. One of the greatest advantages of selling information products is that they can essentially become passive income--money you make while you sleep. Once the work is done and you’ve created a high-quality product, and you’ve automated the product sales and delivery process, your primary role will be to continue marketing your products. That's where the real fun begins."

Here's several basics that Chandler highlights for the reader saying, "There is no single secret to success, though there are many tips to help you along the way…

Everyone is an expert at something: Whatever your expertise, whether it's fly fishing, yoga, parenting, knitting, sales or customer service, you have something to teach others who know less than you do.

The Internet is a powerful venue for reaching customers: Learn to maximize your reach in order to run an efficient and profitable business.

Marketing is an investment in your business: Rare is the business that succeeds without marketing. Try a variety of strategies and repeat the ones that work best.

Don't be afraid to ask questions: Nobody has all the answers and most people are willing to help. Just ask!

Invest in other people’s information products: Not only will you have the chance to learn something new, but you can evaluate the content and begin to understand the formula for success. It's also good karma to support people whose work you admire.

Persevere: My favorite word in the English language. There will be days when you feel as if you are spinning your wheels for nothing. But eventually, with enough effort, something magical happens. It all starts to come together.

Never stop learning: I don't care what industry you are in. Things change. Rules change. People change. Stay on top of your area of expertise. Learn about new technology. Remember how much fun it can be to learn something new and how rewarding it is to succeed." (page xi to xii) I recommend From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur. Read it and you will be sure to learn something.

I love what Armand Morin says repeatedly about success: "Success leaves traces." If you want to succeed in publishing, then you need to continually work at finding your own way.