Jonathan Printers Jr. is the founder of ‘A Writers Business‘. He started this platform to help the writers’ community evolve into better writers and gain exposure. And ultimately, helping them achieve their financial goals as well. We recently interviewed Jonathon to more about his venture.
Jonathon, Thank you for doing this. Tell us something about yourself. What did you do before founding ‘A Writers Business’?
Thank you for having me. I’m primarily a mental health therapist and for the most part I spent years balancing that career with one in the national guard. I’d been interested in starting a business and really had no idea where to begin. Technology helped with that. Back in 2017, I first played around with the idea. I found it easy to create a website, get an address link, and add some information and images. From there, I created or collaborated on various online projects/businesses. The inspiration for A Writers Business originally came from an interest in poetry that soon expanded to include writers, authors, and content creators as well. There is an emphasis to help these individuals expand their audience.
What was your motivation behind founding ‘A Writers Business’? What were the initial challenges that you faced in your endeavor?
I did a few clothing lines in 2018 and 2019. I found it difficult to get those going because of the upfront costs of production. I needed something relatable, something I was interested in, and at a minimum upfront investment that could run without thousands of dollars invested. The poet and writer community is extremely large, and growing, and because of social media now many people have the opportunity to showcase their talents. A Writers Business began sharing various poets and writers. Now with a goal to help those in this community grow their brand.
Do you think the space for authors and poets will change forever with the adoption of tools like ChatGPT?
Absolutely. ChatGPT comes with pros and cons, right? I see ChatGPT helping authors and poets develop summaries, outlines, bullet points, or even short stories with ChatGPT. With some editing, authors will be able to use AI to generate many more words in a shorter time span. I haven’t seen prompts for poetry yet, but I’m sure it’s possible. The downside is that it will take the creativity, uniqueness, and style away from the poet. So, If I had a preference, I can see it being useful if I’m on a tight deadline. Other than that, I’d prefer someone’s honest words.
Taking forward the previous question, do you feel that Artificial Intelligence tools can ever replace authors and poets?
No, absolutely not. I see AI as a great tool for compiling information and providing great suggestions. Filler material. However, great authors and poets put their essence and personal perspectives in their writing. That’s something that can only come from the human heart and mind.
How does ‘A Writers Business’ help authors and poets in achieving their goals?
Our goal is to help authors and poets gain exposure, grow their audience, and have some support with promotions. We offer a variety of services including social media promotion, editing, poet and author interviews (free of cost), as well as support through marketing. Each service is tailored specifically to the individual client, their needs, and the feedback we receive.
How did Covid impact your business?
Tremendously. We were up and running in 2019-2020, focusing heavily on poetry contests, interviews, and promotion. With the pandemic, there was worry over finances and unemployment. As a result, I lost some support I had with maintaining the website, social media pages, and marketing authors and poets. Also, most of my time went into maintaining my household and career. Since then, we’ve slowly built back up refocusing our efforts on consistency, article writing, poet and author interviews.
How has ‘A Writers Business’ evolved over the years? In the coming months, how do you wish to transform the landscape of the writers community?
A Writers Business went from an Instagram platform exclusively promoting poetry to a network that includes several social media platforms, a medium publication, a complete website, and a community on Patreon. There are so many talented creatives that are deserving of acknowledgment. In the coming months to a year, I hope to meet with several poets and authors, give a few interviews myself, and shift our focus back to marketing.
What would you like the writing community and your audience to know?
I always invite feedback. I want to meet people and guide them toward their goals. So, if there’s a need in the community, please, let me know. And if you’re looking to boost your portfolio, come write for us!
