How have you balanced your career in business with your interests in writing and publishing? Interview by “With Five Questions”

It’s been difficult to balance the two. When I started writing, I did it as a hobby primarily. I did it because I just enjoyed it and wanted to tell some stories. It wasn’t really a priority for me. When I could find time, I sat down and wrote a little bit. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write even more. I wasn’t satisfied with having a book sitting incomplete, so I started to schedule more of my time for writing. I had to keep in mind that business was what made money. In the early days, writing only cost me money in terms of time, and writing at that point didn’t have much financial return. As I wrote more, I started to dedicate a little more time each day to writing until I finished a particular project. That’s really how I still do it. I don’t write full time. I still have business to tend to, but I really try to manage my time well. There’s always going to be sleepless nights when I’m working on a project or missed meetings or cancelled lunches, but I’ve come to accept that.

In the past few years, however, I’ve really started to focus more and more on writing as a business unto itself. I’ve chosen to go the independent, self-published route for a number of reasons that are neither here nor there, and that has really gotten me to examine and get deeply involved in the business aspect of being an independent, self-published author. I’ve really integrated the entire process from writing to marketing into my overall business structure and found some synergies there. I’ve adopted the perspective that as a writer I’m creating a product and it’s my company’s job to sell copies of my book. It’s been a very entrepreneurial endeavor in writing a book and bringing it to market. That’s one of the primary reasons that I’m working on setting up the National Federation of Self-Published Author Entrepreneurs as an outlet and resource for other self-published authors who are serious enough about writing to undertake it as an entrepreneurial business venture. If you’re a writer who is serious about your work, you can turn your writing endeavors into a business. Just like any entrepreneurial venture, it’s not necessarily easy, and it takes a lot of dedication and hard work. But if you dedicate yourself to it and have a passion for it, you can make self-publishing a successful enterprise.

http://withfivequestions.blogspot.com/2013/05/meet-digger-cartwright-author.html

http://www.diggercartwright.com/Blog/Latest

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Interview by Mdluchies: Who was the book written for and what do you hope that the reader will take away from the book?

DC: The book is written for just about anyone.  It doesn’t matter how old you are.  It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, white or black, young or old, a CEO or a blue collar worker.  There is something in this book for everyone.  I don’t think anyone can read this book and not take something away from it.  Sebastian’s lessons speak to everyone, and I think anyone can relate to something he has to say.  I’ve actually had people tell me that they read the book and it’s as if Sebastian is talking directly to them.  They’ve currently got a similar situation or they had a similar situation, so they say they can relate to what he’s saying.

I hope readers take away a few things from the book.  I want people to be inspired by Sebastian’s personal story.  He overcame a lot in his life.  He didn’t let his disability keep him down.  He looked out for his friends, and most importantly, he made a difference to a lot of people in the world.  I want readers to take away some of the lessons he offered in the conversations he had.  They’re nothing earth shattering. They’re nothing really ground breaking, but they’re all things that wise people learn through life experiences.  People like Sebastian take the time to analyze situations and take something away from each situation.  They take time to reflect on life and things that have happened.  They take time to share this with other people to help make a difference in their lives.  I want people to take away an awareness for people around them and hopefully to treasure someone like Sebastian that they may know.  I would hope that people would take away a sense of inspiration that they too can make a difference in someone’s life.

http://voices.yahoo.com/interview-author-digger-cartwright-discusses-book-12153678.html?cat=38

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Interview by Mdluchies: How can people find out more about the book and your writing?

DC: The book is available online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.  We have a website for the book itself, ConversationsOnTheBench.com. You can find a lot more information about this book, my other books, and me at my own website, DiggerCartwright.com.  I also want people to know that I will be donating a portion of the sales price from all sales my website to the Sebastian G. Perey Endowed Memorial Scholarship at Coastal Carolina University through the end of this year.  It’s a good scholarship that helps deserving economics students, so you’re getting a good book and helping make a difference through the scholarship.

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