Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Adele Jordan, an author, and ghostwriter based in Bristol, United Kingdom.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Ever wondered if the books you read are really written by the person whose name is on the cover? That is my business. I'm the ghost behind those books that you might not know exists. So often, people have great ideas or a marketing strategy, but they need someone to write the book. That's where I come in. As a ghostwriter with over 50 books under my belt, I write historical fiction for clients across the world, though you'll never quite know which ones I write, for my name is never on the cover.
My business will be three years old this March, and what a whirlwind the first couple of years have been. My customers are individual writers who might need coaching or an entire book written for them, but I also have clients in publishers in America and Europe. I can be required to come up with a plot from the outset or work with one given to me and write the full book. No plot is ever the same, but my specialty is Historical Fiction. Whether that's Highland Adventure, Western Adventure, Regency Romance, or Tudor Thriller, I take on new voices and styles to write the books my clients need.
Tell us about yourself
I've always loved writing. Just like any budding novelist out there, I started writing when I was young, but you soon realize that carving a career as a writer is difficult. It's a highly competitive industry, selective, and those that make enough to support themselves easily are rare, sometimes as rare as lottery winners. Writers like J.K Rowling and George R. R. Martin do not come along very often and have luck as well as skill in being published. Most novelists don't earn enough with one job alone and have to take on other positions, so I pushed this dream to the back of my mind, went to university, and moved into a career in marketing and photography management.
When the COVID lockdown hit the UK in March 2020, my job disappeared overnight, and I was forced to find another position. What started out as a mad panic and rush to find another job became the opportunity to take a gamble on another sort of career entirely. Signing up for freelance websites, I began offering free writing work just to build a portfolio. It was hard work at times, some weeks living off jacket potatoes to make life more affordable, but within months, the job took off. To this day, I have lots of clients and many ongoing contracts. The gamble paid off, and it was worth the risk. Getting up every day and absorbing yourself in a world of escapism, something designed to offer others a way to escape the world for a few hours, is a wonderful job, indeed.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The moment I have been most proud of happened this year in my career when I finally accomplished publishing a book in my name. I will always continue with my ghostwriting for its fascinating work and a chance to work with so many people across the world, but it can't be denied there was a spark of excitement to see a book that at last had my name on the cover. After so many months of keeping to myself what books I've written, seeing them published, even topping charts, and being unable to own them, it's exciting to see that there is one series of books out there I can point toward with my name on the cover.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The commitment. Without a doubt, it is not easy to work for yourself. You're reliant on you being your own boss, making sure things are done on time to meet deadlines, and maintaining contracts to give yourself a good workflow and income. When clients' deadlines conflict with one another, it can become a juggling game of prioritizing and figuring out how to keep all of your clients happy. When you work for yourself, too, with no staff, there's no one to assist you in meeting these deadlines. It's a challenge that can be overcome, but it depends on me managing my time well. For the last two Christmases, I have worked right up to Christmas day, with long hours, just to ensure I get everything done on time. I'm excited to see that this year, I have gotten better at managing my time and will be able to have a few days off to enjoy the Holiday period.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
These three tips sound surprisingly simple, but I would advise anyone to take this advice in abundance if they wish to start a business.
The first tip is dedication. To make a business successful, you have to give yourself to it entirely, commit long hours, risk working into the night, and reply to emails after midnight if it comes to it. It's a pace of life that isn't suited to everyone, but especially as you start up a business like this, you have to dedicate yourself to it in order to see it succeed.
The second tip is to take a risk. For a long time, I thought a career in writing fiction was too much to hope for. The idea of being employed in a regular job with financial benefits offers a simpler life, one that's safer, yet if anyone does dream of a job where you are your own boss, you have to risk losing this safer position to take the chance on something better. That risk can go either way.
The third and final tip is to practice. When it comes to a career in the arts and entertainment, such as being a writer, I don't think anyone can practice enough to get better at their art. The old adage of 'practice makes perfect' may be repetitive to hear, but it's true that practice certainly makes better! If you wish to master a skill, practice, practice, and practice some more.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.adelejordanghostwriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALJordanWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aljordan_writer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALJordan_writer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adele-jordan-a35b6a142/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Adele-Jordan/author/B0B5S1J96Q
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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