The Business Side of a Writing Career | J.D. Barker
Fri Dec 19 2025
One of the most consistent themes I hear from writers is that many struggle with the business side of things. They become writers because they love the craft, the storytelling, or simply creating content. But the need for clear business thinking and processes often comes as a surprise.
That’s why I’m excited to share this conversation with J.D. Barker, who’s here to help us understand how to navigate the business of being a writer.
J.D. Barker is a New York Times and international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural.
He is the bestselling author of Dracul, The Fourth Monkey, and Something I Keep Upstairs, his newest novel inspired by a real-life haunted house. He brings decades of experience as an author, coauthor, and creative entrepreneur. J.D. is also the co-host of the excellent podcast for writers, Writers, Ink.
In this conversation, J.D. shares his insights about building an author platform, developing income streams, his collaboration with James Patterson, mindset shifts you need as an author, the value of traditional publishing, how ghostwriting can help build your own writing business, and much more.
Make sure to check out J.D.’s site, https://jdbarker.com/ as well as the Writers, Ink podcast at https://writersinkpodcast.com/.
More
One of the most consistent themes I hear from writers is that many struggle with the business side of things. They become writers because they love the craft, the storytelling, or simply creating content. But the need for clear business thinking and processes often comes as a surprise. That’s why I’m excited to share this conversation with J.D. Barker, who’s here to help us understand how to navigate the business of being a writer. J.D. Barker is a New York Times and international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural. He is the bestselling author of Dracul, The Fourth Monkey, and Something I Keep Upstairs, his newest novel inspired by a real-life haunted house. He brings decades of experience as an author, coauthor, and creative entrepreneur. J.D. is also the co-host of the excellent podcast for writers, Writers, Ink. In this conversation, J.D. shares his insights about building an author platform, developing income streams, his collaboration with James Patterson, mindset shifts you need as an author, the value of traditional publishing, how ghostwriting can help build your own writing business, and much more. Make sure to check out J.D.’s site, https://jdbarker.com/ as well as the Writers, Ink podcast at https://writersinkpodcast.com/.