1.
Realize
as an author you will make mistakes in your writing career. Ask any author and
they may share their horror stories. If I knew then what I knew now... Many of us would
have done things differently or made different choices. I think it was Napoleon
Hill who said, “Why make mistakes if you aren’t going to learn anything by
them.”
2.
Have
a backup plan and remember Murphy’s Law. (Everything that can go wrong will
probably turn to sh*t). Or something like that. You may have specific goals set
for the next 5 years and maybe you’re right on schedule, but what happens if
your editor leaves your publishing house, your contract isn’t renewed, your computer
crashes and you thought you had backed up your WIP, you have a family
emergency, etc., etc. Anything can easily derail your schedule and goals. Be
ready to re-evaluate and make new plans.
3. Write a business
plan and make adjustments as needed. In the book, The Naked
Truth About Self-Publishing by the Indie Voice authors, there is a really
good example of a business plan for writers. I used this as a guideline. If
you Google ‘Business Plan for Writers’, you’ll come up with a number of places
for ideas too.
4. Don’t put sales and
marketing before product. In other words, don’t spend all your time and money marketing one or two books. Get the next book or series out. Create a
good product base.
5.
Always
strive to improve your craft and be a better writer. Every book should be better than the last.
6.
Don’t
put all your eggs in one basket. That can mean different things. Writing only
for one publisher these days can be risky. What happens if that publishers
fails or doesn’t renew your contract? As an indie author, some prefer to put
all their eBook eggs into Kindle Select and Kindle Unlimited, or a few of their
books into this option. It might work well for a time, and it doesn’t hurt to
try it. You’re only locked in for 90 days. But again, if the market changes
during those 90 days, you’re locked in. That can be a long three months. It’s a
business choice.
7.
Work
in a collaborative group. The support from other writers with varying skills
can be very advantageous to your career. Many authors (like me) are finding
great success by being a part of these groups. I’ve learned many new things about the
business, writing, technical, promotion and marketing and how to relate to
fans. I’ve also participated in brainstorming sessions for developing story
ideas, series and serials, box sets, and more. Colaborative groups are great for joint launch parties and
promoting. Share techniques and editing knowledge, advice and more. www.sexyscribbles.com is our group.
8.
Stay
positive, online and offline. It’s hard when challenges and bad times occur
during those ‘down times’ in your career. Like when you just put up a brand
new book and a day or twelve hours later you get a one star review. It’s
tempting to get on a blog and spout off after reading an offensive post.
Emotions run high when your hard work is threatened. Don’t do it. How do you
want to be known as an author? Sometimes I've considered standing up and saying my piece in response to an emotional topic on a blog, or something that hit me personally, or I
felt was wrong, but I usually don't. My choice. Authors have to decide for themselves whether or not to
respond. It’s a good idea to give it time before responding, instead of a
knee-jerk response which you may regret later.
9.
Leave
time for fun with friends and family and relaxing time to read or get out to do
your favorite activity.
10.
Don’t
compare your career path to anyone else. If you look around you, you will
always find another author who is climbing the bestseller lists and just started
writing six months ago when you’ve been writing for 10, 15, 20 years. If you
look again, you’ll find other writers who have never completed a manuscript and have
been writing longer than you. Many of those ‘overnight successes’ have taken 3,
5, or 15 or more years of long, hard and heartbreaking work. Set your own
goals, run your own race, follow your own path. Sure look to see what the
successful authors are doing and LEARN from them. Every author's path is unique.
If
you need a few inspirational quotes to remind you to keep positive:
New writing book just released with helpful tips for self-published authors or those wishing to enter the self-publishing world.
WRITE TO SUCCESS by Eight NY Times & USA Today bestselling authors: Riley J. Ford, Geri Foster, Cathryn Fox, Lisa Hughey, A.C. James, Sarah Makela, and Caridad Pineiro.
WRITE TO SUCCESS by Eight NY Times & USA Today bestselling authors: Riley J. Ford, Geri Foster, Cathryn Fox, Lisa Hughey, A.C. James, Sarah Makela, and Caridad Pineiro.
