Most of the time, though, we never do. Then one day we're at a stop light, or waiting to cross the street, and we see that business shuttered up for good. And many of us think the same thing when that happens. "Damn... now I guess I'll never get to try them out."
Independent artists of all stripes are small businesses... and just like those bookstores, cafes, and breakfast joints, we need people to at least walk in the door to take a look around so that we don't have to close our doors.
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| Because we literally need you, or we will have to close up. |
Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more!
Local Businesses Can't Survive Without Support
All of us have seen this happen to businesses in our communities. From game stores to bookstores, from cafes to restaurants, businesses have shuttered their doors and disappeared from the local area. And every single one of them did this for the same reason; because they didn't make enough money to stay open. Maybe there were extenuating circumstances, but at the end of the day the root cause was the business wasn't making enough money to keep going, so it had to stop.
This seems obvious, but it often gets lost in these discussions, so I'm going to reiterate this point. Businesses close because they aren't bringing in enough money. I think that all of us can agree on this point, because if a business continues to turn profits, then it's usually going to at least maintain, if not grow.
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| Follow me on this, I AM going somewhere... |
Businesses need customers, and generally they get those customers through a lot of different strategies. They might:
- Use advertising.
- Offer sample products or deals.
- Host themed events to entice people.
- Offer a unique, quality product.
- Engage online using social media, blogs, and videos.
At the end of the day, though, it doesn't really matter what the business does or doesn't do; it matters if people spend their money there. People who come in and buy things keep the business running, regardless of what the business chose to do or not do. A business can cut their prices to the bone, engage on social media all day, make fun videos about their store, and host raffles and giveaways to customers... if no one buys anything from them, it doesn't matter. And if it doesn't matter long enough, the business closes up, and blows away. That's the life cycle of commerce.
You May Have No Idea What You're Missing
Inevitably when I start talking about the life cycle of business, and pointing out that independent creators are small businesses, there's a slew of people who get defensive on the subject. Some of the most common remarks include:
- "I don't have to buy anything I don't want."
- "No one is entitled to my business!"
- "If they offered a better product, maybe I'd go to them instead."
The list goes on, and I'm not digging through my social media history to find all the examples. However, I feel like a lot of folks who comment on this issue are leaping ahead, or responding to things I did not say. So, I want to step back, and return to the point I reiterated.
Artists cannot survive, and keep making art, if they do not get support from an audience. This is just a simple statement of fact. Whether it's an audience who buys a certain number of books, or who watches a creator's videos, or who listens to their podcasts, or who buys their merch, the source of an artist's income is their audience. Period, full stop.
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| If no one buys, it doesn't matter what you make. |
To be clear, here, you are not personally obligated to be a part of that audience if you don't want to be. You don't have to read anyone's books, watch anyone's YouTube channel, listen to anyone's podcast, or follow anyone on social media if you don't want to. No one is sitting here demanding that you immediately open your wallet, and spend all your time signal boosting the profile of independent creators, and to act like that's what's being said in this conversation is disingenuous.
The only point I want to make (and which I've made repeatedly on this blog) is that consumers need to realize how much power they have when it comes to whether or not independent creators are successful, and what directions their art takes going forward. More than that, though, it's important to remember that all of us are small businesses... and unless you've checked us out, you don't actually know whether you want to support us or not.
That's the message I wanted to deliver this week. Not that you are personally obligated to help me and every other indie creator out there. Not that you owe us anything. I don't want to give anyone The Hard Sell with a side of Guilt Trip.
All I'm saying is to maybe come inside, and have a look around. See whether our work is actually something you want to see more of, and if we as creators are people you want to encourage.
Don't go too crazy. For example, if you see a book that looks cool, read the preview (you can usually get the first chapter or so for free). If an author has free work, like the cyberpunk audio drama above which I made for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Weird War II tale Where The Red Flowers Bloom about a Japanese force dealing with a terrible curse on a Pacific island, check those things out to see if they're to your taste. Maybe read some reviews of their work, or check out their social media posts to see if they're the kind of creator you can jive with.
Think of it like checking out any other local business. If you walk into that weird little cafe, and you dig the vibe, then you should take a look at the menu and see what they've got to offer. If the prices are too high, or the food and drinks are not really to your taste, you aren't obligated to buy anything. If you go into that little thrift store, but most of what you find are knicknacks and clothes that aren't in your size, you don't have to make a purchase that day. If you're lactose intolerant, then maybe the local ice cream parlor isn't going to have something that really fits with your needs... but who knows, maybe they will?
The same is true for independent creators and their potential customers. If you're not into tabletop roleplaying games, or you don't like your games to have their tongues firmly in their cheeks, then you probably won't enjoy my RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic. If you don't like sword and sorcery novels with a rough country edge to them, then Crier's Knife probably isn't for you. If you don't like short fiction, then The Rejects probably isn't something you'll enjoy. And even if you like any of those things in concept, it's possible that when you check them out in more detail that you won't really be sold on the idea.
That's fine.
I'm not demanding that you use the power of your purse, and your social media signal, to immediately support all of us, anymore than I'm telling you to go out tomorrow and patronize every local business in your town. However, I would like it if more people who noticed a small business (or a creator they've seen around) decided to actually check them out instead of saying, "One of these days I'll have to see what that place is all about."
Just take a moment, and check us out. Maybe you won't care for our work, or it just won't do anything for you. Maybe you like the vibe, and you subscribe to our newsletter or follow us to see what comes out next. Or maybe it turns out that our work is the new thing you've been searching for, and you can't believe you were sleeping on us this whole time!
I'm not telling anyone to support businesses or creators they don't like. All I'm saying is actually find out whether you like someone before making the decision to support or not support their work.
Support The Literary Mercenary
If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!
- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)
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Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!
That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!
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