Ready for Top Tips for Authors? With so many people ready to advise us all on how to be this, that and the other when it comes to being an author, Dawn thought she would survey over 10,000 tops authors from around the world and see what they had to say.
Then she compiled this list of Top Tips to give it away to all those thinking about becoming an
author – and this now includes you.
So thank you for being here!
Read and internalise the tips, take from them what you will, and focus on the ones which are
relevant to you right now. Revisit the list and then see which ones resonate with you.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you remind yourself each and every day to be true to
yourself and stay focused!
1. Create before you consume
Whether that is the next 1-2000 words each day or part of creating your vision, do not read, watch or listen to anything else until you have worked on your book and vision. If that means getting up early or removing yourself from your existing environment, then so be it.
Take the dog for a walk and create the intention for your day and then just get on with it! No excuses. No faffing about. Just getting on with what is needed to be done.
2. Become an Authorpreneur
If you are not willing to
understand the dynamics of business and become an entrepreneur, then you need to ask yourself if you are really cut out to be an author.
Being a great writer isn’t enough. You must understand business, legal contracts and marketing strategies. There are distribution deals, awards, multiple income streams and merchandising to think about, so if you think that just writing the book and throwing it up on Amazon will bring you the millions, you are sadly mistaken. Writing and publishing is just the beginning!
3. Always keep at least two journals on the go when writing a book
a. The first one is for ideas and inspiration, goals, distribution and logistics as well as your to do lists with dates for the diary written in. This is what I call the Vision Journal. This is where you will be creating the business plan, the visions and to be with you at all times.
b. The other one is what I call is your Personal Journal and is a space for you to purge everything and anything which may have come up whilst on this journey. I also use mine for diving deep into what I truly want and manifesting all I desire by calling myself out on any fears. When choosing these journals, invest in ones that represent who you are and the vision you are creating for yourself. Do not buy cheap, your dreams and vision are worth investing in.
c. Your journal is your tool for success. Use it. Every. Single. Day.
4. Write every day
a. If you are called to write then write whatever comes up, it needs to be written for you to get back on track or to either be included in your current book or your next one.
b. If your book is about business, or social justice, write articles and post on your LinkedIn profile. If you are writing about parenting and feel the need to vent or ‘have a rant’ about the mums in the school playground, politicians who have ‘no bloody idea about anything’ or even the server in the café who ‘wouldn’t know how to make a decent cappuccino if it came up and bit them on the arse’ – turn these rants into short stories, get them out of your system and have fun.
5. Turn negatives into positives
a. Remember everything in your life has led you here to this point. So own it all, the good, the bad and the ugly.
b. Everything happens for us, not too us – so take a look at what lessons you have learnt through trauma, abuse, pain and heartbreak and see how you can work this into your stories, books and global impact.
6. Take action
a. Whether this is on your laptop, in your journal, on a napkin or voice recorded into your phone, get those ideas down and as soon as you can include them in your book!
b. Organise your files on your laptop with a folder called ‘Musings’ or ‘Short pieces’ – they will eventually come in handy for something, even a collection of short works.
7. Don’t worry about how good it is…
Until after you’ve finished your first draft!
a. First rule of business is to simply purge the first draft, get it written and then work with your coach to unlock what is missing, then revisit.
b. NEVER give your final manuscript to a friend or family member to read. Always seek out the professionals who know what they are doing.
8. Read as many books as you can whilst writing
a. Choose books similar to your own genre and the styles you wish to write in. They’ll inspire your writing and you’ll spot cool literary techniques you can employ in your own work
b. And then have a series of books which you can escape into for release. You’ll be glad you did!
9. Do not compare yourself with others
As with each and every area of life and business, comparing yourself to others is a futile activity and only causes problems in progress or unhappiness.
a. You are you and you are at the stage of your journey where you need to be at to springboard to the next level. Own it.
b. Even if you have already written a couple of books and need help getting them republished or you need to increase sales, your vision has evolved along with your knowledge, so be kind to yourself, your creation and show the world what YOU are
made of.
10. Start a short stories compilation
Publish them on social media, even if you are writing non-fiction.
a. This will free up space in your mind and allow what you to maintain the flow of your main body of work and enable you to start building a following of readers who love your work.
b. Enter short stories competitions – some of them have financial rewards – and remember to stay focused on your end goal.
11. Know exactly who you are writing for…
And know where to find them.
a. Not my favourite tip, but it works for some. This can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for many authors. They get stuck at this point and then don’t go on to write the book.
b. My take on this tip is to ‘write what needs to be said’ and promote what needs to be said publicly. Don’t be shy. You are now in business to promote and sell books. Own your voice.
12. Be in the moment and write what comes through
Don’t over think it and allow yourself to channel what is coming through you
a. When you overthink what to write you get caught up in the realm of “too much analysis causes paralysis”, you get stuck and then frustrated, and a frustrated writer is an angry writer.
b. Trust the process, and trust that what you write needs to be written. Even if it is clearing the clutter on the top of what needs to be published eventually, just write!
13. Everyone’s work deserves to be read, including yours
If you have the desire to write a book, write it. Your readers will find you through your promotional activities and sharing your author journey as it unfolds (you do have to share your work and the journey by the way, otherwise it won’t get read!)
14. Write the story which consumes you
The one bursting from deep within you, the truth you know needs to be spoken.
When you do this, this is the book you were born to write, the book which will free your mind and soul to enable you to focus on the message you were put on this earth to spread; whether through fact or fiction, your story needs to be heard, let the world hear it!
15. Remember if you like it, others will too
This is one of the most important tips to remember, because if you like it, and you are proud of it, you will talk about it and share the excitement with others, then they will buy it.
16. No Shortcuts
Don’t try and cut corners or ‘make do’ with any element of your work. Not the cover design, not the marketing and certainly not the writing. If you are feeling frustrated, or bored with your work, put it aside, have a coaching session and then go back to it. With this renewed energy and focus, your book will be even better than before.
17. Accept your journey, own your truth and enjoy the ride
Everything you have experienced, learnt and felt has led you to this point in life, embrace it, because when you do, you become inspired by yourself rather than everyone else… and isn’t that the best gift you could ever give yourself?
18. Expect to be noticed!
Some will say ‘do not expect to be noticed’ but for me that is simply setting yourself up to fail. With your expectation to be noticed comes the desire to be noticed, and the desire to be noticed will call you into action.
19. Get ahead of the marketing game
Share updates of where you are at with your book, the artwork, the vision everything, because not only do you know who will be able to help you, but you are building anticipation for the book’s release. Like I mentioned in the above top tip…. Expect to be noticed!
20. Beware of dishonest publishers, the vanity publishes and the ego trip
The last thing you want is to spend weeks and months, years even creating this amazing book to hand over cash to a publisher who then rips you off, taking your copyright with them and you never see a penny. Read the contract, the small print and get copyright smart! This is business and if you are not ready to go into business, reconsider whether you should be publishing a book
21. When self-publishing, understand everyone gets paid before you do
a. Whether it is Amazon for print on demand or the typesetter, the graphic designer for your cover design, or even the software company you use to do it all yourself (I highly recommend against this btw) they will all need paying before you see a penny or a cent of your royalties. It is simply the way it is, and one of the reasons so many authors who are not entrepreneurially minded choose agents and traditional publishers – and then end up facing rejection, self-doubt and delays in getting published.
You may get an advance upfront with a traditional publisher, but if your agent is handling that, they will also get paid before you do, and the future royalties from franchising your book will go to the publisher first, you will get a percentage, normally between 5 and 15%
b. Self-publishing is simply the entrepreneurial version of traditional publishing with the Top 5 and is no different to setting up your own business as opposed to getting a job working for someone else.
22. Set your book for pre-order well in advance
a. A great way of building sales and gaining awareness of the books imminent release. Just don’t set it too far ahead in the future or too soon. Your excited readers will get annoyed with waiting and if you do not meet the deadlines of pre-order there are some hefty penalties in place from the publishing platforms who can prevent you from publishing for up to a couple of years.
b. Email your contacts with the news your book is on pre-order and get others signing up to your email list to get the goodies you have on offer in the run up to the launch.
23. Market, marketing and marketing
a. This is the key to success with any product or service not just with your books. No business can survive without marketing, whether that is word of mouth, social media marketing or good old-fashioned press releases to news outlets. If you want to make money from your writing, then you have to market and sell your book. If you are not willing to shout about your own work, how can you expect others to?
b. Get yourself on different platforms such as other people’s blogs, write articles for publications or at least on your own LinkedIn profile. You might even want to create your own Medium Profile and write on that platform – getting paid every time someone reads your work.
24. Hire the professionals
a. Invest in the essentials and focus on your own area of genius. No one can edit their own work, and if you are like me, leave the design work to the professionals!
b. Hire a coach, hire proof readers instead of friends and hire a PR company to at least send out a launch press release.