It’s two weeks into 2018. Are you still carrying unfulfilled goals from last year?
If you want to become a successful author, you’ll need to think and act differently from what you did in the past.
After all, if what you did last year just didn’t work, something clearly needs to change.
Successful authors have common beliefs and attributes they tap into to achieve and maintain publishing success. With some of the oldest books dating back to more than 2,000 years, but only a handful becoming bestsellers in comparison, just how does one become a successful author?
Here are seven things most successful authors have in common:
Show up
Whether you adhere to a daily word quota or a time allotment, showing up is the most important aspect of writing and launching a book. If you don’t show up, you won’t succeed. That’s a guarantee.
Successful authors make writing a habit; they write with or without inspiration because it’s not a side hustle, but rather, what sustains them. It’s what they need to do rather than what they have to.
Would you walk into your workplace and tell your boss you can’t work because the muse just isn’t showing up? Of course not. As a serious writer, you write whether or not the muse shows up. You have to be “all in” to earn the title of Author, and the only way to do it is by making writing something you practice consistently. Sure, there will be days where nothing will sound right or good enough (in fact, it will be most days), but perfection isn’t the goal. The discipline to write daily is the focal point. The more you show up, the better you’ll become at it. And the more likely the muse will show up.
So, if your alarm didn’t go off (or you ignored it), the babysitter was late or your commute home was hell, show up anyway, even if you do less than you’d planned. You’ll feel better and will be closer to achieving your goals. That’s another guarantee.
- Decide right now that you will build the discipline to show up. Then, keep reading 🙂
Don’t waste time
There are just three rules to completing a manuscript: planning, writing/editing and not giving up.
Successful authors don’t waste time on techniques that don’t work. Although it can take time to figure out the best writing time, space, and routine, once they know what works for them, they quickly learn to optimize their writing time to maximize their word output.
- Make a plan to write every day. No matter what.
Read profusely
If you want to stretch your thinking and enlarge your vocabulary, you must strive to read every day. Successful authors are those who ready widely—fiction and nonfiction—and pick up new phrases, expressions and of course, knowledge. They also rely on writing and editing books to polish their work. If you haven’t started collecting writing books yet (and if you haven’t why not?), check out my list of essential books for first-time authors.
- If you read often but have fallen off the wagon and need recommendations, check out Amazon’s Best of the Month list or Kobo’s daily deals for some inspiration.
Have thick skin
Whether you’re pitching to multiple publishers or managing revisions, at some point you’ll come across negative feedback you didn’t expect. To make things worse, it’s at these times that self-doubt and fear can creep in and mess with you. My advice here is simple: Accept it and move forward.
- Decide how you’ll get through the hump when times get tough and you feel like giving up. Check out some useful tips in this post.
Trust other professionals
Your specialty as an author is obviously writing, but what about other elements like editing, designing (book cover and illustrations) and publishing?
You could take on those steps by yourself and save a good chunk of money. But successful authors are honest about what they’re not good at and outsource those necessary elements. Why give up valuable writing time and the chances of achieving a higher aesthetic appeal for your book when you can hire professionals who specialize in other parts of the process?
Phenomenal content enveloped in crappy packaging will render your book invisible. An investment in the right kind of help will help you produce the very best book you can.
- Check your local or regional editor and graphic designer associations and shortlist those you might want to engage when you’re ready to assign these tasks.
- If you have some design skills and want to take on your cover design yourself, consider using online tools such as Canva or a pre-made book template.
Fire the naysayers
Are there any dream crushers in your life? People who will never understand your mission and why you need to write? Or those don’t even believe in your dream?
You won’t become a published author if you don’t learn to ignore people whose presence will throw you off course; they don’t belong in your environment.
- Make a list of people whom you need to cut off for the duration of your writing time (yes, this means the entire time you’ll be writing), or in whom you will stop confiding your plans. People with nothing but negative input are just another distraction. Get rid of them.
Take charge
Successful authors don’t leave their success to chance. They take full responsibility for their success. Unless your name proceeds you (i.e., Oprah, John Grisham, or Tony Robbins), you must be willing to do the (ongoing) work necessary to get the word out and sell your book—regardless of your publishing method.
- Which successful authors do you aspire to emulate? What systems to do have in place—book revenue, public speaking, media engagements, other income streams—to promote themselves and their book?
- What’s your definition of success? Sales, more business, or sharing your story? Whether it takes a year or a month to complete your manuscript, you must define it early in the process.
- Commit to promoting your book by first setting up your author platform and online presence.
- Adopt a no-excuse mindset.
Aspiring authors often don’t know what they need to know before they begin writing. Download this free resource—“8 Things You Should Know Before You Write Your Book”—to set the right expectations and start writing your book today.