One Year as a Published Author and Lessons Learned…

Do the Homework

There is a lot to learn about being an author, especially if you are going the Independent / Self-Published route. What I can recommend is choosing your mentors carefully. There are a lot of people out there who are just trying to make a quick buck off of inexperienced authors. However, it is an absolute necessity to learn the ropes if you are serious about being an author, and more importantly, selling books. I recommend Robert Ryan, the author of Amazon Unleashed, and Joana Penn, who runs the Creative Penn to name a few. The important thing is to read up and learn the ropes as much as possible while moving forward with your writing. 

Don’t Wait

That brings me to the second thing. Yes, you need to learn and you should read up as much as possible, but don’t wait to move forward. It’s okay to start your journey without knowing everything. Remember the saying; “90% and published will change more lives than 100% and in your head.” Don’t wait for perfection, you can always go back and re-edit it later. 

You Have to Market Your Book

I know some of you hate the thought of having to market your book, but it’s a necessity. A well written book that is put out with zero marketing has no chance of making it. Now what marketing looks like will be different with every person. Some people use ads, some people use newsletters, some people post to social media, and all find success in their own way. You have to find what works for you. Speaking of which…

Find Your Own Way

Yes, learn the different marketing options, yes learn different techniques and philosophies, but most importantly, figure out which techniques work for you. Some people can sit down and write 2500 words per day. Others have hectic schedules so they write fewer times per week. Some people are good at social media and attracting readers, others are shy and do better buying ads. You have to find what works for you. Every person is different. If it means trying a lot of different things to see what works, that’s fine too. 

Take the Good, and the Bad

I’ve gotten a lot of praise in the past year. Readers have emailed me, written reviews, and messaged me on Social Media. It truthfully makes my heart full to hear all the praise. However, I’ve also seen my share of criticism. Sometimes over the smallest, most insignificant things. I’ve learned through all of this to have thick skin and not worry about the criticism. If anything I’m happy because whether they write a positive or negative review, they still felt strongly enough about it to do so, and I think that is the most important thing. If we as writers can make people feel something, then we’ve done our job. 

This is An Amazing Journey

Even though it gets hard at times, and I find myself struggling with imposter syndrome, writer’s block, burnout, or some combination of the three, I feel I am lucky to be on this journey. To create a story in your head and release it into the world can be incredibly scary, but also incredibly rewarding. I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything in the world. Here’s to the first year, and many more to come! Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

As always, drop me a line if you want. Let me know what you think, do we need strong villains to make a strong hero? Ask a question, tell me what’s going on in your life, or share what you’re writing. I answer every email I get. So everyone stay safe out there and we’ll talk soon!

– Ryan