We were lucky to catch up with Racquel Henry recently and have shared our conversation below.

Racquel, appreciate you 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?

Well, it wasn’t always this way. It’s kind of a long story because I’m a writer, but I also own and operate two other businesses–a writing studio and a literary magazine. I’ll try to give you the Cliff Notes version. After earning my MFA, I knew I wanted to write and help other writers. I started by editing everything I could get my hands on. I did a lot of free work to get started. Then I did a lot of work that I got paid very little for. I edited, published, and coached writers while working as a receptionist at a law firm. Eventually, I’d leave that job to open a physical writing studio that would expand my offerings and later become an online company. While I got the studio off the ground, I continued running the magazine and at one point, worked five jobs to keep it going. Only recently have I been able to run both companies and write full-time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a writer first. I consider myself to be a hybrid author, which means I independently publish my own titles, but I am also agented and hoping to be traditionally published with her direction. I write mostly sweet romance and YA. I’ve always loved words. My mother tells me that I started reading at age two! I’ve wanted to be a writer since I could hold a pen! I used to write stories on construction paper and tie the pages together with yarn. Although I denied being a writer for years, it wasn’t really breaking news that I’d end up becoming one and that I’d want to help other writers.

At Writer’s Atelier, we help writers become pros on the page. This means we offer them community and tools like writing classes, editing, coaching, website/graphics services, an accountability program, and more to help them become successful authors. Some of these resources are paid and some of them are free. At Black Fox Literary Magazine, we publish writers and we’ve recently introduced an educational component. I think I’m most proud when a writer tells me that I’ve helped them in some way. Writing is hard, and I’ve seen way too many talented writers give up. I am proud that I’ve helped writers keep going and I’m proud when I’ve helped them get their stories out.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I didn’t really have any capital! I didn’t even have a business plan. Would I recommend this today? Not necessarily. However, as humans, we sometimes overthink things, and that can keep us stuck. Back then, I was idealistic. I had a VERY loose plan and I started the business with money I got back from an income tax refund. Once I learned how expensive it was to run a business and how hard, I ended up taking on multiple jobs. I mentioned it in a previous comment, but I worked five jobs at one point (including ghostwriter, part-time professor, and bookseller) to make it work. As I said, I don’t know that I’d recommend anyone start this way, but I also wouldn’t trade it. It taught me so many valuable lessons.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

There was a period when Instagram, specifically, was responsible for around 80% of how people found us. Early on, I decided that writers would be able to come to our page and feel inspired, but also learn. To this day, we still talk to writers on the page, and make them feel like they belong in our community. And honestly, I think that’s the key to our social media. We’re really just hoping that writers who follow us feel like we’re looking directly at them and saying, “Hey, we see you.”

My advice isn’t groundbreaking. I would encourage others to be social, be themselves, and have fun. Strategy can help, but I think people care more about seeing something (or someone) real.

Contact Info:

• Website: Well, I have three: racquelhenry.com; writersatelier.com; and blackfoxlitmag.com
• Instagram: Again 3: https://www.instagram.com/writersatelier; https://www.instagram.com/blackfoxlit/; https://www.instagram.com/racquelhenry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RacquelHenryAuthor/; https://www.facebook.com/WritersAtelier/; https://www.facebook.com/blackfoxlit/
• Twitter: We aren’t really active there, but have a presence: https://twitter.com/RacquelHenry; https://twitter.com/WritersAtelier/; https://twitter.com/blackfoxlit
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/writersatelier