Yesterday, I attended a wonderful writing conference at Chatham University here in Pittsburgh called Connections and Conversations. When I attended the conference last year, I was a writer trying to figure out the gist of my memoir Accidental Soldier. Now that my memoir is scheduled to be published in June 2016, I am now officially, an author. So naturally, I decided to write this post, “The Courage to Become an Author.”
As one author said on a panel, becoming an author is “a different kind of party.” Suddenly, you’re expected to promote your book, do readings, and basically just get out there.
For many of us who are labeled introverts, we find ourselves in a struggle. We wish to still be writers, but we can’t anymore. We long to hide behind the cozy computer and just write. Ah…if only, if only.
The funny thing about courage is that it changes as you suddenly find yourself in a new situation and you’re trying to adapt. Do you fight the change (and give up) or jump into the sea, bit by bit? Because it’s just downright scary. Suddenly, your work is out there for the entire world to see. And yet, you have to promote. Every. Single. Day.
The hardest part of transitioning to authorship is suddenly realizing all the things you need to do and you scramble at the last minute. As an author pointed out on yesterday’s panel of “Becoming an Author” – “suddenly, the small things like getting an author headshot and preparing a bio become big, huge things.”
So how do you muster the courage to be an author?
- Know that you are not the first author to walk this path and what brings you to this path. However, to walk this path successfully, you need to to walk with confidence. The problem is that the promotion stuff starts to get icky when there’s an intense focus on sales and numbers.
- That’s why it’s best to surround yourself with other like-minded authors to feel a sense of community. You don’t get stuck in your own head with all the “what ifs?” Remember, we’re not just this business to sell our books although that is part of the equation. But…becoming an author whether you write fiction or not requires good literary citizenship.
Your book is your calling card. Send out free copies. Build a literary community. Do a monthly reading.
3.Ask yourself why you became a writer in the first place. Book publishing is slow business. Often we don’t have control over the industry, but we do have control over how we can react and respond to a situation. It’s easy to get wrapped in the language of sales, but it’s important to go back to why we decided to become writers in the first place. So … why did you become a writer? Why is it important for you to write your book? Authors continue to write even as they promote.
4. Courage is really perseverance and when you are numbed by fear, you don’t take action. That’s why, it’s super important to take constant action whether you’re networking with other authors, attending a reading, or reaching out to booksellers for a launch. Ask yourself, “who are the people you’d wish to connect to” and “where are some of the palces you’d like to be on tour?” Answering these questions will give you a true sense of how you envision your career and what actions should be on your weekly marketing plan.
Finally, read this article, 5 Things Writers Don’t Do to Prepare for Authorship. When you don’t plan for success, you suddenly feel super afraid and you cower to possibility of failure, which tends to happen right in the middle of the night when suddenly, you wake up and think, “Oh, shit! I have a book coming out in one week and I have no platform! You feel mighty stupid about all those late nights trying to figure the plot of your story while ignoring the opportunity to build your writer platform.
Not planning for your success is like giving your power away as an author. Why the heck would you want to do that?
How have you planned for authorship? What steps have you taken for it to become a success?
I admire the way you step out with confidence. Not only that, but you give good advice to others too. I wish I was young again. And old, disabled author without transport can’t do the things you advise.
Wow, Francene, you are so gracious with your compliments. I thank you! I hope I was able to help you just a little bit. Just a little.
You are so right about the process of becoming an author requiring courage and perseverance! I used to think, “Oh, the publisher will do the publicity and networking etc.” HA! It ain’t so. Fortunately, you get it, and are doing the right things to launch a stellar career.
Wow, thanks so much Melissa for noticing that and chiming in. Your thoughts are appreciated!