5 Things About Being a Writer

January 26, 2018 / Business of Writing, Uncategorized / 20 COMMENTS

A woman's hand is holding a pen as she writes on a notebook on a writing table. The post title, "5 Things About Being a Writer" is superimposed on the top.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The writing life can be a wonderfully rewarding one.  But there can be headaches along the way.

Here are five things I’ve learned about being a writer: some of them apply solely to self-publishing and some to both traditional and self-publishing.

There is always something else to consider with self-publishing. 

This might be expanding your formats (print, audio, translation, digital, hardcover).  This might be expanding your distribution (to aggregators like Draft2Digital and Smashwords, to the library market through Overdrive via PublishDrive or Street Lib, to international markets through PublishDrive or Street Lib), or it might mean expanding your social media presence by exploring Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Consistency is better than racking up huge word counts, unless you can do both at once without burning out.

Unless you can maintain a  daily high word count goal, I think it’s easier to be productive by simply being consistent–showing up most days to meet an easy goal.

Book production can take longer than planned.

Things always seem to take longer than you think they will.  This includes the editing process, cover design, formatting, and even the process of uploading to retail sites (if you go wide).  To combat this, it’s helpful to do as much as possible in advance … and get on your production team’s calendar early.

In terms of back matter, newsletters, etc., one shortcut is to keep a template handy.  Keep a back matter file so that you won’t forget any of the usual elements (acknowledgments, list of titles, where to find you online, etc.)  And your newsletter can be worked on while your story is with the editor.  It can help to have as much done in advance as possible.

Promo can be subtle.

My most effective form of promo is sending out my release newsletter to the readers who’ve subscribed of their own free will.  The second most effective is changing my Facebook cover to the new/upcoming book cover and pinning a simple announcement that my book is available for preorder/sale.  Aside from that, my ‘promo’ consists of making sure that my book page SEO returns rich results on Google, that my Amazon product pages connect to my author page and to each other (for print and ebook), and that I include back matter in my books that point to my other books and series.

Once you end up with control over your writing and publishing, it’s tough (impossible?) to go back.

Having self-published exclusively for the last couple of years, it’s hard for me to imagine going back to traditional publishing (and I have had offers).  I feel as though Penguin Random House didn’t do enough to make the material I wrote work harder.  It could have sold overseas (as it does now), it could have branched into audio, etc.  And, having gotten used to playing a part in the cover design and every other bit of production, it’s tough to think about handing over my manuscript and not even having control over the release date.

What have you learned as a writer?

5 things about being a writer: Share on X

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  1. I’ve learned that an email list is a must, no matter how small. It’s the best tool to stay in touch with your true fans and to find those all important Beta readers and ARC reader/reviewers.

    I’ve learned that writing in series is one of the best marketing tools aside from a list.

    I’ve also learned that a bit of inexpensive paid advertising, done consistently, does wonders in those stretches between releases and just after a new release that has a couple of reviews.

  3. Oh, you are so right with these, Elizabeth! Every. Single. One. Right now, for instance, I’m doing some final work on my next Joel Williams novel. It’s taking longer than I thought, and I was hoping for an earlier release. But I won’t put out less than my best, even if that best isn’t perfect. So although I’m not happy about the delay, that’s just how it is.

  4. All good points, Elizabeth!

    I’ve also learned to be compassionate with myself.

    When I start to feel the pressure to the point where I’m not ENJOYING the very thing that I’m passionate about, it’s time to halt, breathe, and take time for myself in the midst of the chaos.

  5. Consistency, definitely. I “won” NaNoWriMo this year, and while it was great to see that I’d produced 50,000 words in a month (and incidentally, I’ve produced more in less time before), by December 1 I was exhausted. When I’d recovered in late December, I started writing every day, but only a quota of 500 words, not 1700. Result: I’ve written over 15,000 words since then, and I look forward to my writing sessions.

    I’ll add that as an indie it’s important to establish a “team”, but you have to give it time. You need a good editor whose style you’re comfortable with, as well as a cover designer who “gets” the visual of the worlds you’ve created. Plus you need good betas who are the right balance between constructive critics and believers in your vision.

    1. Congratulations on your NaNo win! That’s amazing! But I know you’re glad to settle into a more sedate writing routine.

      Good point about not putting the cart before the horse when setting up your self-publishing team. It can take time and research to make sure we get the best fit.

  6. Nothing is written in stone when it comes to self-publishing. It takes the fear of making a mistake out of the equation for me. This also allows me to “try new things” just to see if it’s worth my time.

  7. I found myself nodding my head to all of these, Elizabeth! I can’t imagine going to trad at this point, either. Although it’s a lot of work, I like having that control. Still lots of stuff for me to learn. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! My first 3 books wouldn’t be on audio, and I wouldn’t have expanded to PublishDrive and StreetLib if it hadn’t been for you. You rock!

  8. I find a lot of the authors who contact me for formatting don’t allow much wiggle time between the formatting and the release date. Two weeks puts us both in a crunch.

    We use a template for the backs of DLP’s books. In fact, when I sent a sample of the back cover to the Tick Tock authors, one worried that the two prices didn’t match – I had to explain the bar code was a placeholder and from one of the first books we did. LOL

    1. That’s a tight deadline, for sure. It’s so much better to get on everyone’s calendar early in the process.

      Those placeholders and templates make a difference! It can be so time-consuming to create those from scratch every time (while trying to remember all the elements that need to go into it).

  9. Hi Elizabeth – what a lovely down to earth post – and obviously one that your commenters relate to … I must do something about my aspirations – and perhaps that’ll settle me down here … thanks so much for this – cheers Hilary

  10. Thank you, Elizabeth! I’m in the process of editing right now…and of course it is taking longer than expected. This is a great reminder to trust the process.

    1. Good luck with the editing!

      I’ve come to expect hangups about every step of the way now. :) I’ve also made my release dates very vague until I really get a handle on when it will be up for sale.

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