You want to write. Maybe you’re not sure how to start. Maybe you don’t know what to write. And heaven forbid, how do you go about publishing the darn thing once it’s written?
You’ve listened to other authors. You’ve absorbed their talks of indie versus hybrid versus traditional publishing until the words swirl in your brain. They talk about data and sell-through and content marketing and platforms. They toss around lingo such as pixels, analytics, keywords, click-thru ads, algorithms, 90-day cliff, rapid release, and exclusivity. Let’s not forget the acronyms: AMS, KDP, KU, D2D, NFTs, and more. On top of it all, there are the discussions of how to monetize your website, leverage your email marketing lists, and engage your social media followers. Not to mention...do you need a virtual assistant?
Or do you need an agent?
Meanwhile, all you want to do is write.
It can be overwhelming. Make no mistake. It is overwhelming, even for seasoned authors. You long to find an hour to sort through it all, but that hour is not enough. You dig deeper. That hour then becomes a week, and the week turns into a month, and then before you realize it, you’re lost in a sea of marketing strategies and promotional who-ha, and you haven’t even written the book yet.
Don’t do that.
So, you take a break from the peripheral publishing chaos and vow to write. It feels good. Words on the page. You’re in your happy place. A few weeks (months, years) later, you raise your head and step back into the external writer world and rapidly feel lost. There is new lingo. New writerly discussions in your social media groups. Should you go indie or trad? Are you a pantzer or a plotter? How does a vanity press differ from self-publishing? What the heck is a hybrid author or publisher? Are you KU or wide? Do you sell direct? What about audiobooks? Licensing foreign rights? Large print? Hardbacks?
STOP. Just stop.
All the above can stall your writing and your writing career. It’s easy to get stuck in place, in the middle of that writer world swirl, and not find your way out. If you are a new writer, wanting to break into the publishing world, all the above and more can slow you down. Or worse, send you down the wrong path. If you are an established writer with a stalled or stuck career—no matter the reason—you may be desperate to get back on track.
One step at a time.
ONE HOT MESS
I started writing toward publication in the mid-1980s. I wrote a few articles for the local softball newsletter, a couple of Op-Eds for the city newspaper, entered some short stories in local bookstore contests (and won!), became the newsletter editor for my local RWA chapter, took a lot of writing courses, and started critique groups. I’ve blogged, attended conferences, stalked agents and editors, and finally published traditionally in 1997. Then, I jumped into independent publishing in 2010. For six years, I also owned and ran a small press publishing company, working with 50+ authors, and putting over 500 books in e-book and print.
All the above either moved me forward, or set me back in the grand scheme of things. While publishing other authors, I learned a lot; however, I could not focus on my writing career. While I helped jumpstart quite a few author’s careers, my writing career took a back seat.
We make choices. I certainly have done that.
For a few decades, I balanced a day job and a writing career. I quit writing once for five years when I landed a new, higher-paying day job. When I came back to writing, everything I knew about publishing had changed. My traditional publisher had orphaned me when the lines I wrote for closed, and one of my editors retired. Ebooks became a thing. And self-publishing was beginning to make a turn. I had to pivot. Since then, I’ve rebranded and reinvented myself in triplicate, at least, throughout my twenty-five years of publishing.
Yes, I’ve run that hot mess gambit of publishing like a champ.
What about you? What's your author journey story?
****
We talk about these topics and more in my Write Path Workshops, books, and coaching sessions. Details coming soon!
That didn’t happen, but I worked ridiculously hard toward the goal of supporting myself with my writing income, and my efforts paid off—eventually. I strived toward that goal for years and was successful in making it happen through diligent planning and hard work.
I also had that dream ripped out from under me. (That’s another blog post.)
Fickle world, this writing culture we strive to exist within.
Your goal for your writing is different from mine, or anyone else’s. Perhaps you want to write your family history, publish the book, and give it to your parents for Christmas. Maybe that’s your only goal, and if you accomplish that, you will feel successful. Good for you and no judgement here. It’s your goal. Your Write Path.
Maybe you have years of expertise on a subject, and by writing a book and sharing with the world, you are giving back to humanity.
Perhaps the notion of flexibility is appealing. If you are your own boss, you are in control of your time, your life, your hours, your lunch break. Nice.
Maybe there is a story in your head that has been spinning for decades—and you need to get it off your brain. You need to tell the story.
All good. All honorable. Go for them, one and all.
The bottom line is this: whatever path you choose, it’s Your Write Path. Yours. You own it. No one else.
How you define success in your writing world is yours too. Your path. Your success.
Own it and do it.
Your words. Your heart and soul. Your rules.
Your way.
Your goals, and your successes, should never be measured against anyone else’s goals and successes.
Success means different things to different people—particularly in the writing world.
For a moment, close your eyes and create a mental image of what success means to you as it relates to your writing. Wander over that thought for a moment. No need to rush—you have plenty of time.
Picture what your life would be like if that image came true—if you achieved the success you are seeking, the goals you've created for yourself. How would you feel if you accomplished them?
What is the image that represents your success?
What does writing success mean to you?
****
Defining what success means to you, setting goals, and uncovering what's holding you back are a few of the topics discussed in my upcoming book and workshop series, Discover Your Write Path to Publishing Success.
There are many paths to follow in the writing and publishing world. Finding yours can be an exploratory process.
]]>
I'm an indie published author. I didn't start out that way. Originally, I published with large and small presses, from 1997 to 2010. Some were better experiences, than others. I’m clocking over 25 years now as a published author, and I’ve run the gamut of publishing options.
In 2010, I created a small publishing company, fully intending to self-publish my work, jumping on the indie train. Soon, I was helping other authors and also publishing their works, too. That venture grew to 70+ authors and publishing over 500 titles in a little over 5 years. Then, in 2015, the publishing industry shifted a bit and I closed that business. I went back to working a day job and kept publishing my own works.
But, the wind was taken out of my sails, so to speak, for a while. A few years ago, I moved more fully into the independent author space, not only publishing my works wide (I don't believe it putting all my eggs into one basket) but also choosing to sell my books directly from my website.
I've tried a couple of different shops and landed on one I love. (This one!) My website and bookstore are now one thing, and you can buy my books in various formats directly from me.
Why would you want to buy direct from me? Here are a couple of reasons:
1) To support a small business—a working published author.
2) When you buy from me, it’s like you are saying, "Hey! I recognize you as a legit business person and I want to help you succeed!"
3) Buying direct cuts out the middleman (all the ebook retailers) and puts a few more cents per book into my pocket, which helps keep my lights on in my house.
I still publish my books wide, in all the major bookstores, because I think it’s the right thing to do. I also love being in control of my content and creating direct sales relationships with readers.
But what's in it for readers? Here's what:
1) Buying direct puts readers in direct contact with me and my newsletter. Subscribers get my news and book deals first. Subscribers get perks!
2) When readers purchase from me, there are additional opportunities for savings—sales, discount codes, bundles, and other exclusive content. The newsletter spreads the news.
Sounds like a WIN-WIN for you, and for me. 😁 Why don't you hop over to the bookstore now and check it out?
]]>So here you are, thinking about writing.
Maybe you’ve done more than think about it. Maybe you’ve already drafted a novel, published a few articles, or written a couple of dozen novellas. Maybe you’ve crafted a heart-felt letter to Dear Abby, or possibly an emotional Dear John email, or perhaps one fine note to your kid’s second grade teacher.
Or maybe not.
Maybe you’re not so certain you can do it. Perhaps you’ve been told it’s a silly idea. Nothing to come of it. Nice hobby, perhaps, but let’s get real, you can’t make a decent living writing. Can you?
While the notion that writers cannot make a living writing is old-school, maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe you just want to write. You don’t care about a career. You like to string words together into pretty sentences. You like going to writer meetings and rubbing elbows with other writers.
Perhaps a writing career would get in the way of the rest of your life.
Or the rest of your life might get in the way of your writing career.
Been there. Done that. Both ways. Then again, maybe you do want a writing career. Maybe your goal is to support yourself with your writing. It can happen. Right? Sure, it can. There are ways. But the thing is—whatever Your Write Path, remember it’s yours alone. Yours.
You can choose to write only for yourself, or you can choose to write for a paycheck. You can write to the market, or you can write the book of your heart. You can write to entertain your great Aunt Sally, and that’s cool too. And if you are happy, and you do what you want to do, then life is good. Truly, it is. Don’t get stuck in the ruts of what other writers say you must do, or what you must achieve, to be successful.
Only you can define success for yourself. No ruts allowed here.
Writing is not a competition.
Remember, there are no overnight successes. Whatever Your Write Path turns out to be, you’ll find it. Or (like a cat) it will find you.
Excerpted from the upcoming non-fiction book, Discover Your Write Path to Publishing Success, Chapter One, by Maddie James.
Coming Fall, 2023.
]]>
I've been writing for over thirty years and publishing for about as long. I started out small, with short stories, magazine articles, newspaper pieces, and then novels. It took ten long years of work to sell my first novel in 1996. I've learned a few things over the years.
Just starting out with your writing career? Here are five things I wish someone had told me thirty years ago.
There are no overnight successes.
This writing journey is a process made up of processes, and it takes time. Learn your craft, hone your craft. Writing gets better with each project you tackle. Learn from your editors and critique partners. Become savvy about what advice to keep and what to throw away. Writing needs fermentation! The best stories are written in layers and not in one sitting. Give your writing and your career the time it deserves to succeed.
Be a rule-breaker.
When someone tells you there is a right way to do something, and you are doing it wrong, run away from that person. Fast! Of course, you need to know and understand the rules before you can bend or break them. Bending the rules unintentionally or out of ignorance is not a good thing or a defendable practice. But when you break them with confidence because you know what you are doing, and that you are doing it intentionally, there is power there.
Nothing stays the same.
The industry will change. Accept it. Roll with it. Change your game plan. Pivot. The "rules" and trends that applied ten years ago, or last year, will/may not apply today. Be on top of your business and treat your writing as a business. After all, it is. Learn when to drop back and punt, when to speak out, and when to lie low and say nothing. Know when to burn bridges and when to mend fences. Change is inevitable. Change is good. Just know how to manage it in a way that is beneficial for you.
Educate yourself.
Read in your genre. Read outside of your genre. Take workshops and classes. Attend conferences. Talk with your fellow authors. Lurk on writer lists. Listen to podcasts. Read blogs. Soak it all up, educate yourself, and listen, listen, listen, and then apply to your work. Make educated and informed decisions. If you have done your homework, you can trust your educated instincts.
This is your writing path, your journey.
No one else's. Drive it the way you want to drive it. If you do your due diligence, educate and prepare yourself to make wise decisions for your career, then you will be fine.
I'll add a sixth piece of advice, for what it is worth. Don't compare yourself with other authors, their careers, or their fame. Don't measure your self-worth as a writer next to someone you admire or want to be like—measure your success against what you do each and every day to meet the goals you have set for yourself and your career. Be in competition with no one. Judge no one for the choices they make. Write and enjoy the ride.
]]>The struggle of finding time to write, for many aspiring and established writers, is real. How does one balance a day job and writing? How does one find that beautiful balance between perfection and chaos?
Writing takes time to develop and hone craft and story. Day jobs take up valuable space and effort in your day. Is it possible to do both and do them well?
Is writing full time your ultimate goal? Or not?
“Writing while holding down a forty-hour-a-week job is possible… But in time, exhaustion sets in, concentration wanders, creativity crumbles, and you’re tempted to quit. Before you do, you must find a way to earn your living from your writing.”
Previously published on Maddie James Author Blog, August 12, 2018.
]]>