Did you know that 98% of people who start writing a book never finish it? 98%. As an author, who has many author friends, this number is inconceivable to me. Writing books is my entire life, and it’s the entire life of so many people I know. But one of the most universal author experiences is telling someone - a stranger or a family member - that you’re an author, and them responding with something along the lines of “I wish I could write books,” or “I tried to write a book once.”
Here’s the reality: not everyone has what it takes to be an author.
I know that sounds harsh, but hear me out. The absolute first step to becoming an author is finishing the book. That alone takes dedication and bravery. At this point, the book doesn’t even have to be good. It can be a dumpster fire full of plot holes, unresolved conflicts, and inconsistent characters - none of that matters. In finishing the book, you instantly become part of the 2% of people who finished writing their book.
Only then can you start to think about becoming an author.
I’ve been asked many times about the advice I have for people wanting to become an author, or how I got started as an author. And truthfully, the nuances of becoming a published author are so intricate and vary greatly between every author that it’s almost impossible to give the answer someone expects to hear. When someone asks me for advice, I tell them to be the 2%. When someone asks how I got started, I tell them I am the 2%.
But publishing a book is so much more than just writing it. I wanted to talk a little bit about my journey to becoming a published author, in the hopes it helps someone out there.
I wrote my first book when I was nine years old, circa 2007. By the time I was fourteen, I knew I wanted to be an author. In fact, I knew it was the only thing I’d ever want to be. Ten years later, that has not changed. In my time as a writer, I have written more than 30 books, the vast majority of which will never see the light of day.
In 2017, I started querying literary agents in order to get my books traditionally published. Between 2017 and 2021, I queried six different books I wrote during that time period. At the time, I genuinely believed that the only ‘right way’ to publish a book was to get an agent and sell to a publishing house. With each rejection I received, my heart broke further and further, and I saw my dreams slipping through my fingers. In another post, I’ll go into the details of why my books were being rejected, but that’s not the point of today’s conversation.
After 327 rejections, I couldn’t take it anymore. I used a printing shop to print a dozen copies of my book, just so I could see it and hold it - and I thought that would be enough. I was resigned to letting my stories belong to me and me alone.
That mindset lasted about six months.
During that six months, something strange happened where I began to see more and more independently published books. I learned about this little thing called BookTok, and kept learning about indie authors and self-published books. And these books were amazing. They looked beautiful, they were popular, they had great stories.
And just like that… self-publishing was the answer.
Once I decided to self-publish, the hard work began.
First, I had to write a story worth telling. For me, that meant pouring through nine years’ worth of drafts for the same story and plotting out an enemies to lovers romance worth dying for. It meant meticulously crafting each page, paragraph, and sentence until every piece of it was absolutely perfect.
But the work doesn’t stop there, because being an author is so much more than just writing something good.
I had to research which publishing platforms and distributors were right for me. I spent hours, days, weeks, and months learning the nuances and legalities of self-publishing. I became knowledgeable on copyright laws, ISBNs, pricing strategies, and so many other things that no one ever thinks or talks about. I studied publishing best practices: how to title a book, how to design a book cover, how to market a book. I educated myself on the importance of trigger warnings, diversity, and inclusivity. I found designers, and formatters, and editors, and built a relationship with each of them.
And here’s the thing - all of this is different for every author. The platforms that work for me may not work for others. My pricing strategies are specific to my own books. The work I put into marketing is specific to my audience, not anyone else’s. Beyond that, this work never stops. I’m eight books into my writing career, and it’s my responsibility to stay up to date on laws, strategy, and design.
That’s why it’s so hard to answer the “how do you get started” question, because the real answer involves everything I listed and more.
But truthfully, I couldn’t have done any of this without my writing community. Talking with other authors on social media like TikTok and Instagram was invaluable in learning what information to look for and where to get started.
Below, I have included some resources and information that work for me. Whether or not they work for you is up for you to decide, but if you’re a new author looking for a place to start, I hope these help.
BookTok and Bookstagram - Connect with the community and follow fellow authors. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, many in this community do not gatekeep and want to see their peers succeed. You can learn a lot from watching what others are doing. What do popular book covers look like? What’s selling in the industry? What trends are other authors using to market their books?
Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook by Helen Sedwick - This book was a really great introduction to the legalities and financial aspect of publishing. After all, publishing is a business. I will say this book provides very generic information, so I highly recommend the next step of researching how the things within impact you directly.
IngramSpark - Personally, I love IngramSpark for my paperbacks. Using them allows me to get my books into brick & mortar stores, which is great because doing in-person signings is a huge part of my income. However, there are many nuances to properly using IS, so I recommend doing your research to see if it’s a platform that will work for you.
Amazon KDP - Almost every indie author I know uses Amazon KDP in some form or another. I use it for paperbacks, and for ebooks. My ebooks are exclusive to Amazon in order to have them in Kindle Unlimited. Again, though, not every platform is right for every author, so do your research.
These things are just the tip of the iceberg of what helped me when I was doing my research, but hopefully they’ll get someone out there started. Truly, even a Google search will provide a wealth of knowledge for anyone looking to publish - and almost any author out there is more than happy to answer specific questions.
If you’re looking to publish a book someday, I wish you the best of luck on your journey!
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