What Does Writing Success Mean to You? AND How do You Get There? #amwriting

Before you can decide what steps to take, and what path to follow toward success in a writing career, you must FIRST figure out what success means to you, and SECOND, write it down. If you’re not clear on where you want to go, then how can you plan how to get there?

Sometimes you may not be quite sure yet what it is you want, so set small goals in the beginning and work toward those first. To some writers, success may be completing a screenwriting class at a local college, or finishing their first book or short story, getting an agent or a publishing contract, self-publishing a book, making $100 extra a month, making $10,000 or more a month, quitting their day job, hitting the New York Time and USA Today Bestsellers Lists, etc. What is YOUR goal?

 

How do you reach your goal?

Whatever that dream writing goal is, no matter how big, take these steps:

·        * Write it down-seriously. When you write it down, it becomes clear on what exactly you want.

·       * Create a deadline. Not: ‘Someday I’ll write a book.’ Instead: ‘I have completed my first book by such and such date.’ Write it as if it already has happened.

·       * Read it daily, or a couple times a day.

·        *Visualize yourself achieving it. How do your feel? But not just that…

·        * TAKE ACTION! Massive action, every day. Plan steps toward that goal.

·        -*Emulate, not copy, the successful ones. Look at those who have achieved that particular goal already and see what they did to get there. How long have they been writing? Did they take classes? What do you like about their work that is missing in yours? What groups, organizations do they belong to? How do they present themselves online, at conferences, etc.? How do they promote and market their work? You probably can’t do exactly what they’re doing right now, but you can begin to make changes in what you are doing now.

·        *Continue to learn by taking classes, and reading books both about writing, publishing and craft, and also read a ton of books within and outside the genre you’re writing.

·         *Don’t give up! Mistakes are an opportunity to set you on a new and exciting path. If something isn’t working, try something else.

 

Feel free to post your goal here!!!

***Want to get the networking experience from 8 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors???

Cathryn Fox, Caridad Pineiro, Riley J. Ford, Geri Foster, Lisa Hughey, A.C. James, Sarah Makela, and Kathy Kulig have shared tons of information and direct links about publishing, and all the steps involved with self-publishing including writing, editing, formatting, cover design, contract and legal issues, boxed sets and other co-authored projects, and many helpful tips. They all have a variety of backgrounds and share their personal experiences, including triumphs and struggles in their book WRITE TO SUCCESS. It’s of ton of information and only $2.99. The links alone will save you tons of time, and recommendations on editors, cover designers, and legal contract tips are worth that alone. Not to sound like a sales pitch, but... The authors sincerely wanted to offer this book with the intention of helping new and established authors by answering many questions we frequently hear asked all the time. We all have learned from each other too!!

Buy Links for WRITE TO SUCCESS:

Kindle

Kindle UK

Kobo

BN

How to Prevent Writing Career Disasters – 10 Steps

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.

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1vY7iHs

Kindle UK: http://amzn.to/1v3CSBm

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1tpIj9h

BN: http://bit.ly/12fcrwF