My biggest roadblock as an entrepreneur is myself. Read that line again. I pride myself on being unapologetically me and most of the time I overthink things and want to cater to everyone but the older I get the more I realize that everyone isn’t my customer.

Watching my boyfriend graphic design and charge an hourly rate that’s high but reasonable, made me realize that modesty wasn’t me being honest with myself and respecting my craft. I was trying to retain everyone. If I did retain everyone, I would hate the process and I love books.

The current book I’m working on for a client had me up one night until 3am. It was in that hour that made me realize that I needed to take a hard look at what I was charging and what my time was worth. The days of publishing a book for $200 are gone. I’m 11 books in and there’s no need for me to charge pennies for a portfolio. I used to be upset when turning someone away but I realized there are more people out there who consult on self publishing and will charge less, but that doesn’t have to be me.

Sticking to my prices are no longer a negotiation. Before I used to lowball myself and now if I decide later on down the line that my prices are still too low, there’s no harm in raising them. I don’t have to be right about everything.

Book publishing takes time. It takes editing for grammar and content, cover design, formatting for ebooks and print, and account setup. These things are not to be rushed because while I’m doing this, the client should be working on a marketing strategy.

“Learning to charge properly is a vital key to abundance. Affirm that you will never devalue yourself by charging less than what you feel you are worth.”
— Stuart Wilde