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

Susi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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’ve been able to earn a full-time living within the first year of starting Creative Blueprint Design. Of course it was very low at first and I certainly took a pay cut going from my 9-5 art director position that I held for over a decade to starting a brand new adventure, but within just 5 years, I was able to match and exceed my income that I used to earn in my previous job.

Having freelanced on the side for over a decade before taking my freelance business full-time and also having been exposed in the publishing field to many different projects and professionals within design, marketing and printing, gave me a solid foundation to starting my own business.

I took it very slow at first, really trying to figure out in which direction I want to take my business and how to find clients. At first, I had a few long-term clients and also received projects from my previous job which was very helpful.

To find more clients, I added myself to Upwork, a platform that connects designers with clients, and I went to a few local in-person networking events. I quickly learned that my target audience was not at either of those two things. People coming through Upwork usually didn’t want to pay a lot of money, it was also time-consuming to look for projects and while I made a few good connections at the networking events, overall, it wasn’t worth my time going to those events, plus Covid happened, so I focused my search online.

I joined a few Facebook groups that were in the design and publishing space to see what others are asking and doing. I also created my own Instagram account (highly recommend!!) and I slowly started making connections and attending online workshops. This is where I was able to weed out the people that were just trying to sell me something vs the professionals, who truly cared about building relationships or who also offered similar services that I could connect with or learn from. I’ve even made many real life friends by doing so.

Figuring out who to connect with, who to follow, who to learn from that benefitted my path and also which projects I want to work on, was a major milestone moving my business forward. Once I decided that I love working with authors and helping them through the book design and self-publishing process, I knew that I can’t reach every single author by themselves and that my best connections would be copy-editors, proofreaders and book coaches, people who already work with authors and could be great referral sources. I showed up for book related networking sessions and started building those relationships and they are to date, besides returning authors or past clients, my best referral sources.

During that time and still to this day, I keep improving the business side of things, for example the on- and off-boarding process, marketing, accounting, each design phase and how to best communicate with my clients during each phase.

Being a solopreneur is not easy. You wear many hats and it takes a lot of determination, self-motivation, courage to fail or to do well because work is never guaranteed and you have to be able to pivot as you go to find your balance between what you love doing, creating a full-time living, yet also having a life away from your desk.

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?

How did I become a business owner, who has been successfully booking clients for over 6 years now?
I studied Graphic Design and took my first entry-level job as a designer with a publishing and marketing company. I quickly worked my way up into an art-director position leading a team of designers, working on a variety of projects from brand identity designs, editorial work like newsletters, direct mail designs as well as book designs while also nurturing a small freelance career on the side.

When I left my position as an art director and took my freelance career full-time, I wasn’t sure which type of projects I should focus on, but very quickly, working with authors on book design and learning more and more about the self-publishing world, truly lit me up.

The excitement and gratitude I feel from my clients throughout the process of taking their manuscript all the way to becoming a best-seller on Amazon feels incredible and it is truly so much fun. I could talk about self-publishing and book design passionately for hours.

I help authors with book cover designs, the interior layout design, Ebooks and help them through the self-publishing process, meaning help them get their books onto Amazon or into bookstores. I can also help them with logo design and other marketing materials they may need.

What sets me apart from other book designers is that I don’t just design covers or the interior that I also have an in-depth knowledge of the self-publishing process and can help them from day 1 to make the best decisions for their designs while keeping the end goal and needed specifications for the publishing or printing vendors in mind for an efficient process. I also work with authors of all genres, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, children’s books, workbooks or journals.

When working with me, authors can be rest assured that I will be by their side. Even if they are new to the writing process and don’t have any ideas as to how to get to the final physical book, I can guide them to a successful and professional looking outcome.

So many times have authors come to me that were burned by a previous experience and didn’t get the results they were looking for. Sometimes they even come to me referred half way through the process to ask for help. Some have amazing cover designs but the format is completely wrong for a publishing vendor, or they have a completed book design but then don’t know how to get it onto Amazon or into bookstores. I am always happy to jump in when needed to find a solution.

I am very proud of all my clients, the variety of book projects I have worked on, the quality of the books and the connections I’ve made across the US and globally. My heart lights up every time an author reports back to me with their book events or the success of their books, when a past client returns for their next book or when a past author refers me to a new client, or when I get to meet clients in person that happen to be in my area and reach out to meet up. It’s truly a blessing.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I truly care for my author clients to be proud of their book and I want each author to have a professional looking outcome.

I don’t cut corners, I don’t use automated software. I work hard on every design, for example meticulously going line by line through the entire book interior to make sure that each paragraph looks visually pleasing. I also stay in touch and up-to-date with industry standards and design best practices. I happily share my clients work on social media as well and follow them along their journey, getting just as excited as they are about their book and release.

I also build authentic relationships with any of my referral sources, the copy-editors, proofreaders, illustrators, book coaches or other designers that are part of my network.

The authors I have worked with, wouldn’t keep coming back or referring me if they didn’t experience the level of care and professionalism I bring to each project. Knowing that I will be there for them, with patience, and make sure they are proud of their book when they hold it in their hands, ready to market it to their audience. I’ve received so many testimonials that I am even behind on sharing them on my website or social media.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I highly recommend the book “Influence—The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini which has taught me so much about marketing that I can use within my business but also within my daily life, even yard sales. It has truly changed how I look at “selling” my services or myself.

I also recommend the book “QBQ! The Question behind the question.” Taking responsibility and stepping outside of your lane to go above and beyond is something we should constantly revisit to keep growing as individuals.

Any books by Ryan Holiday! His wisdom is empowering.

To be honest, there are so many great books for entrepreneurs. I recommend reading as many as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.CreativeBlueprintDesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativeblueprintdesign/