According to CliftonStrengths, my #1 strength is Strategy, so it’s no surprise that 1) I’m writing this series on author strategy, and 2) I love the Enneagram.

If you want to know how to work with a person, you need to know what motivates them at that core level. What are they running toward, and what are they running away from, essentially. And the Enneagram is all about motivation.

So let’s talk about what motivates an Enneagram Type Nine, the Peacemaker, and how to build a comprehensive and compatible author strategy around it.

Before we jump into it, let’s revisit what drives a Peacemaker:

Type Nine: The Peacemaker

If a Nine doesn’t find his or her own pace and rhythm in this industry quick, they can get crushed or swept away by the fast pace. While Nines are in the anger triad of the Enneagram, their natural aggression is rarely a danger to anyone but themselves. Whereas Eights can use that natural anger as fuel and Ones are especially adept at molding it into self-righteousness, Nines have a tendency to turn the aggression on themselves and feel like they aren’t measuring up to the standards of others. They don’t always fare well in a competitive environment, as they fear conflict above all else and desire peace and harmony.

Some things Nines will care about:

Creating stories that bring people together
Feeling like they can write at their own pace
Creating a strong sense of community with their readers
A lifestyle that allows for stillness and tranquility

Nines can find great success by their own standards in this industry the moment they stop letting comparisonitis compel them to try to write faster than feels comfortable. Part of this is because of a need to keep others happy. Not people pleasing so much as just keeping the peace.

Nines require a peaceful environment to feel at ease, and as we all know, that’s not the natural state of things. So it takes a little work to keep everyone happy and subdued. As a member of the gut triad, discord in their environment can manifest in physical ailments until they are able to control it.

No, Peacemakers, it’s not just your imagination! The gut triad experiences the world through the body, and as the type with the hardest time expressing your naturally high aggression, a lot of the experiences can get trapped inside you and cause some very real issues.

Keeping the peace is necessary for you, and that’s why it’s crucial you work that into your strategy. No need to feel guilty for it, but definitely a need for acknowledgement!

Before we get to strategy, though, let’s check in on some of the reasons why a Nine would choose to dive into indie publishing in the first place:

“I just love telling stories, and I want as little conflict as possible in the process.”
“I want to share my optimistic view of the world with others.”
“People need a place to escape to from real life, and I want to create that.”

There will be other reasons, but one of these will resonate with your giving nature as a Nine, no doubt.

Now, it’s especially important for Peacemakers to sit and write down a clear strategy that works for you. If you don’t, you run the risk of reactively doing whatever will restore the peace in your environment in that moment, and the odds of that also benefitting your work are low.

Your ability to know how to calm and manage the personalities of those around you so conflict doesn’t even get the chance to start comes so naturally to you that you don’t have to think about it. But that can mean you lose sight of your own unique gifts as a Nine.

A strong strategy that’s thought out without the influence of others will help anchor you.

So, let’s return to the question. What do you want to accomplish with your books? What’s your goal?

Here are a few likely possibilities:

Writing the stories that engross me, at my own pace.
Connecting with readers who appreciate my story worlds.
Making enough money to contribute to my family and commitments without becoming entirely dependent on it.

These goals are enough to keep any of the Peacemakers I know happy.

Peacemakers are naturally creative types, and because you’re such keen observers of human behavior, you can write some deliciously complex characters. So this first goal makes total sense, and from an artistic standpoint, it’s a huge contribution to the reputation of indie publishing. But notice that last bit: do it at your own pace. When you feel rushed, things will go pearshaped quick, and your focus will turn into resistance.

The second goal is where Nines really excel. You know how to truly connect with people in only a few words. All the Peacemakers in my life somehow know exactly what to say to make me feel appreciated and supported. You’re great people! And that ability to forge those bonds makes you a spectacular member of the tribe you’ll build.

And this third goal is delicate, but important. You want to be careful about becoming too reliant on your book income so that you feel like to have to push, push, push yourself into a frantic state to get the books out. That won’t work for you.

You won’t last long without the peace of going at your own pace. But the good news is that Nines can live very simple lives that don’t require much money, and when you’re at your best, you resemble a healthy high-achieving Three. But the crucial element to this is that your achievements and action are internally motivated. When you tap into that well of intrinsic creative energy, you can really do amazing things.

Unfortunately, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation cannot exist simultaneously. So the moment your motivation for writing becomes the money, you’re in trouble. This isn’t just for you, this goes for everyone. But Nines need to be the most wary of it.

Now that you have considered the things in this business that will matter to you, why you got into it in the first place, and what your goal might be, let’s construct a sample strategy to keep you grounded when the problems of those around you threaten to sweep you up and away.

Example:

I got into this business because: I want to tell amazing stories that help people escape and feel less alone.

Things I care about: Working at my own pace, avoiding industry drama, publishing what I want without having to fight for my creative vision.

Goal: Decide which genre really speaks to me and begin a series of character-driven books in it that I publish at my own pace. Make enough money from it that I can continue covering the publication costs.

Are you feeling peaceful and sparkly yet, Nine? Doesn’t this sound nice? It might mean that you have to rely on another source of income for a while or forever. But guess what? Royalties don’t have to be your sole source of income to call yourself an indie author.

The last thing you want to do is to ruin the joy and escape you get from telling stories. Because your type often has a hard time speaking up when it means creating conflict, telling stories about people who do can be extremely therapeutic for you, and that benefit can extend to your readers as well. Protect your creativity!

So now that we know all these things about our example Peacemaker, let’s take a look at what the strategy might look like:

Find the genre where I enjoy the greatest escape as a reader and engross myself in that community of readers. Then publish two books a year in it and invite my new friends to enjoy my story world. Reevaluate my royalties once a year to see if I’m making enough to commit more time to the pursuit and less to my other sources of income. In the meantime, I won’t worry about the money, and I’ll focus on enjoying the process of creation and connecting with whatever readers I have.

This community-centered strategy is going to feel nice and comfy for you, and that’s the space you need to stay in — comfortable enough to continue taking action (and the action part is important, because Peacemakers are prone to excessive inaction).

So, you Peacemakers of the world, it’s time to create an anchor for yourself to keep your vision at the forefront of your mind, even if doing so creates a little bit of conflict in your life. Your contribution is more important than your comfort.

If you want to built the right strategy for your type, make sure you start small with the things that matter to you (peace, escapism, optimism and hope) and build from there. If you keep yourself focused on your deep spring of intrinsic motivation and avoid the lure of money as a stick-and-carrot substitute, you’ll be well on your way to something better than cash: a clear sense of purpose in your life, and an enjoyable way to fulfill it.