We caught up with the brilliant and insightful George Stevens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi George, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’m really fortunate to earn my living through creative work, via my design business and as a musician. I worked at a publishing house for more than a decade before founding my design practice in 2019. Since then, I’ve worked on hundreds of projects and built a worldwide client base, growing the business each year and forging many strategic partnerships that feed my pipeline. And the way I made this happen was to be relentless on a couple of fronts: exploring opportunities without hesitation, consistently managing my business functions, and ensuring my clients have a great experience. That last factor is perhaps the most important, and it’s a bit of an art because every client defines “great experience” in their own way. I’ve learned to identify what any given individual is looking for in a collaborator, and adapt to that while remaining true to my process, and delivering quality design work.

George, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In simplest terms, I’m a book designer. More specifically, I’m the founder and owner of a book design practice called G Sharp Design, LLC. I work mainly with non-fiction authors who are independently publishing. I design book covers and interiors, as well as supplemental graphics and marketing materials in support of the book’s launch and publicity efforts. There’s also a major component of project management and client service in what I do. I began designing books in 2007, fresh out of college. I landed a job with a hybrid publishing startup, which led to a twelve-year run with this company. It was a really cool experience to be a part of that growth. Six employees when I joined; we were above eighty by the time I left to found G Sharp. At that time, I was the creative director, and led a wonderful team of book designers. In September of 2019, after a year of planning and research, I stepped away to found G Sharp Design, LLC. It was a bit terrifying to leave a stable, tenured position to start from scratch, and little did I know a pandemic was right around the corner. (I’m actually glad I didn’t—it likely would have curtailed my plans!)

Year one was lean. I remember doing about $200 of business in February of 2020. But things slowly picked up. Since then, I’ve helped some 200 authors transform their manuscript into a fully-designed book. I’ve thrived on a client-forward approach. I work directly and thoroughly with my authors throughout the design process, which can be quite overwhelming and mystifying to them. I’ve found that providing confident guidance and a dependable resource is just as important as delivering quality design work, and I think that’s what people really appreciate about working with me. I also maintain a presence in the Charleston, SC music community. Music is a great passion of mine, so it’s really rewarding to be able to earn a bit of supplementary income and scratch a different creative itch. A lot of the professional lessons I’ve learned in running my design practice have been useful in the music arena. In both cases, talent is important, but is not the whole picture. In both music and design, if you show the client that you’re capable and dependable, you’ll keep getting calls.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I left my full-time role to launch my own practice, I wanted to take on all kinds of graphic design work. Logos, web stuff, product packaging, you name it. After twelve years of focusing on book design, I was ready to do something more. But it didn’t take long to realize that I was doing myself a disservice. The non-publishing projects felt more laborious; the work asked more of me. My focus was constantly swiveling between different design deliverables, because each requires its own approach and style of thinking. Finally I asked myself: Why am I not focusing on the work that comes easiest, that I’ve spent more than a decade specializing in?

So I decided to embrace specialization. I reskinned my website, positioning G Sharp as a publishing design practice. I began exclusively attracting authors and turning away other jobs. My days started flowing better because I was focusing on the work I did best and was most confident executing. It was a mid-stream pivot I’m very glad I made.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Referrals! By a wide margin.

For better or for worse, I don’t advertise and mostly avoid social media as a personal rule, other than the occasional post to show a pulse. But, I do have scores of clients and colleagues who are sending business my way. I’d hazard that 90 percent of my design and music opportunities originate via emails beginning, “[So and so] gave me your name.” This is possible because of what I talked about earlier: the emphasis on client experience. Ultimately, my job is to reduce my clients’ stress level, not add to it. Every decision I make before, during, and after the professional relationship begins can roll up into that equation. If you can deliver quality and a great experience, then you’ll have a fleet of happy folks out in the world advocating for you. It’s the ultimate sales force. I should add that

I’m really grateful to be able to work with such an extraordinary and gracious market. The authors I serve are impressive people who are looking to share a story. They’re fascinating people, and I consider it a privilege to be able to help them get their message out to a broader audience. For those authors to then give me a vote of confidence by referring others is really humbling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gsharpmajor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsharpdesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgestevensdesign/

Image Credits

Photos by Melissa Toms, Clint Davis, Bailey Baker, and Brett Noddingchin