Kimberly Flynn is a leader whose goal is to inspire artists to see their full potential and put it to use. She wants every creator to realize that they already have everything they need inside of them to thrive as an artist. As someone with over 15 years of art and business experience, she offers artists helpful tools that give their art business both heart and structure. Kimberly is the creator of the Starlight Artist Insights podcast, the founder of Starlight Art Consultancy, and the author of Businify Your Art Life.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
While I never thought I would have written a book let alone three additional books I can see how it makes sense looking back. My background has always been a mixture of business and creativity. I had a passion for photography and the arts and I spent many years working in finance and sales, I wanted to create a place where I could utilize all of those passions and skills.
I created Starlight Art Consultancy a place where artists can find mentorship with the business side of their art business and a source for Hospitality Design Interior Designers to source artwork for their projects. I realized I was getting a lot of the same questions from artists and I felt it would be wonderful to write a book to help guide them. That’s how Businify Your Art Life was born! Also, born out of that was Starlight Publishing which was created as a way to promote and provide books that serve a purpose. A purpose to lead, educate, and inspire artists to see their full potential and put it to use. Starlight Publishing produces products that help artists bust through limiting beliefs and get their art business thriving.
What were the top mistakes you made writing or publishing your first book?
I feel the top mistake in writing my book would be second-guessing everything I wrote. I recommend not looking at writers and books that may be competitors to what you’re writing. At least not until after you’ve completed your project. This will alleviate any second thoughts about what you’re doing. Remember there will always be others writing on similar topics, but none will write the story you have to share.
Another mistake I made when publishing was not knowing more about book distribution. The way that bookstores and retailers purchase books may be very different than you realize. If your vision is to be in bookstores and retailers you will need to be a part of a bigger distribution company such as Ingram. You will also be more likely to have your books purchased by these places if you list your book at a higher discount and a returnable status.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your first book?
The one thing I wish I knew before publishing my book would be to understand book distribution. I feel that I was so focused on getting my book listed on Amazon, I didn’t realize that isn’t how many larger companies purchase their books to sell in their stores. Because of this, I had to wait over a month to complete a title transfer between Amazon and Ingram which delayed me being able to reach out to buyers.
The marketing technique that has worked very well for me was to create a sell sheet for my book. This lists all the important information about your book including purchasing information such as retail price, book size, ISBN, page count, where available, author bio, author photo, phone number, email address, website, social media, book cover photo, and book description. I will then attach this sell sheet to an email when contacting buyers.
Another marketing strategy is to have a website, social media, and presale to get potential buyers excited about you and your book. Don’t wait until after your book is done to start this. It is a great way to show your followers your writing journey. It helps them to get to know you and your dedication to your project. It also helps for you to be interactive and engaging with your followers. People are following you because they have a connection with you and the message you are sharing. This will help you to build those long-lasting relationships with your readers.
What helps you stay driven and motivated?
It is so important to stay motivated and driven because you will have days where you may want to throw in the towel. You will face rejection, sometimes from strangers and sometimes from those closest to you. I personally stay motivated and driven by knowing what my bigger vision is for myself and my books. Make sure you have that written down or even as a reminder that pops up each day so you don’t forget. You will need it on those tougher days.
How do you personally overcome fear?
I personally overcome fear by thinking about how proud my future self will be. The more things you do that you fear the easier it will be to bounce back from that fear. I also try to break down what it is that I actually am fearing. From there I think about what is the worst thing that could happen and by then I usually realize the what I was afraid of was not as scary as my mind was making it out to be.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I am always learning; I feel that the moment you stop educating yourself is when life begins to feel very small. I’m the type of person who loves to share what I’ve learned with others as a way to make them feel that they aren’t alone or a way for them to avoid making the same mistakes as I may have. One of my next books will be a book for artists to show them how to self-publish their own high-quality art books.
The advice I have for new authors self-publishing their books would be to get organized! Create a tracker listing out everything you need to accomplish for this project. From writing each chapter, finding a cover artist, a layout artist, hiring an editor, purchasing ISBN, setting up a website, social media marketing, build your email list. Create a budget so you know how much you are comfortable with spending. You can certainly use freelancing websites such as Upwork and Fiverr to assist you with staying within your budget and on time with everything. Also, think about what your vision is for your book. Do you only want to list it on Amazon or do you want it in bookstores? If you only want it on Amazon then you could get away with not purchasing an ISBN and use their free barcode. However, the downside to this you will not be able to list your book elsewhere. Anywhere else and major distributors require an ISBN. I would strongly encourage new authors to get friendly with “googling” their questions. If you search hard enough you will find the answer you are looking for, I promise! Another piece of advice would be to have a strong support system around you. Sometimes you will need to find those who are also doing what you are doing or have already done it. You will absolutely need those who can lift you up when you hit those setbacks.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
If I had the chance to start my career over again there would be a few things I would do differently. One is that I would look at myself sooner as a writer and an author. I think sometimes we downplay calling ourselves that because we aren’t on the top ten bestseller lists. I think the sooner you can find confidence in yourself the sooner you can connect with others to share your stories. I feel that if I had done this sooner I wouldn’t have spent so much time in the finance world and would have been a writer and author way sooner!
What is a productivity tip you swear by?
A productivity tip that I absolutely swear by is the Pomodoro technique. I’m using it right now! The Pomodoro technique is when you set a timer and sit down and only complete that one task until the timer goes off. I love this technique because I don’t know about you but I can get distracted easily with all the social media and news notifications, emails coming through, phone calls, and text messages. This technique helps you to solely focus on what you need to get done and limit those outside distractions.
I also love using Parkinson’s Law which goes hand in hand with the Pomodoro technique. Parkinsons’s law is the theory is that work fills the time allotted. Meaning if you have something to do and you give yourself four hours to complete you will use the full amount of time or if give yourself two hours to complete the same task you could most like get it done in the two hours. It helps you to be honest with yourself about how much you can truly get accomplished in a shorter amount of time.
I would love to share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or snippet from Businify Your Art Life.
“You set your intentions and goals and now 21 days later you are stronger, more knowledgeable, more confident, and have more peace-of-mind. You may have completed this book, but your art business journey is just beginning. Creating a successful art business takes heart, consistency, and patience, and just dedicating yourself to the last 21 days proves you have each of these.”
How can we get in touch with you?
I always love to connect with others! You can connect with me through social media on Instagram @StarlightArtConsultancy, email me at Hello@StarlightArtConsultancy, or check out my website www.StarlightArtConsultancy.com.
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