Navigating the Storm: Tips for Aspiring Writers

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “I love writing prompts.”

This one can serve to help you imagine that Fantasy job. We all have them. And your “Oh God, I don’t want to do this anymore” job might be someone else’s dream job. An example is a friend of mine who was surprised that I’d been raised a working cowboy. He’d always wanted to do that and couldn’t imagine someone walking away from such a job, strap on a six-gun, and make a living as a Law Enforcement Officer. Here I was, living his dream job, and it wasn’t what I wanted.

But it can also make you stop, pause, and flesh out that roadmap a little more on how to get to that dream job.

My dream job is writing. I’ve four novels out there and I’m thinking in terms of how I can market them, plus whatever comes out in the future so I can make a living off it. I don’t want to go to a publishing house. They often times try to dictate to a writer what they can and cannot write about.

That said, I’m going to give it the old college try. That means pushing into unexplored areas, trying to figure out how to do new things and to make the new things work. It’s about getting out more in the writing/business world which I compare to a storm. It’s about watching the sky turn black and getting out in the wind. It’s about feeling the rain and hail (good comments and bad). It’s about bowing to the wind or catching it in your sails. And it’s about waiting for the lightning. For some of us, it might come sooner. Others, later. For some, it might never come. But if you’re not out there in the storm the lightning will never strike for you.

So, things to do:

• Start running your writing as a business – Here’s where I see a lot of writers going off the tracks. They want to be a writer, and they miss something important. You’re a business. And unless you’ve got people to do things for you (unlikely), you’re going to have to run yourself as a business. One of the easiest ways to start doing this is become a business. In most states, it’s a simple matter to become an LLC. If you want to make it as a writer that supports themself in this business, then I’d argue that running yourself as a business is just as important as anything that you create. As I said, you’re in a storm and you need legal protection before the lightning strikes for you.
• Write yourself a business plan. Your business plan should have elements like what you what to do, how you hope to do it, what you’ll need to get there, and how you’ll keep track of revenues. Let’s face it, we’re in a business that for many of us is a “Dream Job.” In short, it straddles that fine line between business and hobby. Without it being ran as a business, the IRS will say you’re not and they’d be right. I’m not saying go out and become a business professional. I’m saying, learn business. Check your local community college. They might have a course that will work for you. If you’re going into the storm, put on a jacket.
• Create a marketing plan – As a writer, how do I intend to sell my books. Now this is the pain because here’s the problem. It’s a lot more than simply establishing a website and waiting for the world to beat a path to your door. It’s about selling yourself. As an indie author that’s a real challenge, but even as an author who has had their stuff published professionally, it can be daunting. More often than not, a publishing house will buy it, print it, and put it out there. But if you’re an unknown, they give you minimal advertising. A lot of authors find that promotion is up to them still. Figure out how you’ll do that promoting. And don’t be afraid to try something new. The thing with marketing is there’s some things that work fine, others, not so well. And what worked great for one person might not work for you. The important thing is, “KEEP GOING!” If you want the lightning to strike, have a lightning rod and be ready to change rods. And you never know when an old rod might work better.
• Separate Business from Personal – Pretty simple. Go to your bank and have a separate account just for your business. Everything coming in and going out for your business goes out through it. It makes things easier for you when it comes to accounting and taxes. This should be part of your overall business plan but it’s an easy one to miss. While on the subject, know what you can and cannot deduct and keep good records. You might find yourself defending your deductions.
• Learn – Learn your tools or discover the tools you need. An example is Amazon has a great tool (Kindle Create) that will help you prepare your book for kindle. Works fine for kindle. Not so well for the printed book. Also learn little things like “How do I get an ISBN?” “How about a Copyright?” The best thing you can do is learn the backend (and there is a lot to learn). The more you know about the storm, the greater the chances of a lightning strike.
• Be prepared for the long haul – I always remember the acceptance speech Huey Lewis gave when he and his band won their first Grammy. I don’t recall it word for word but in essence he thanked all the people who had supported the band at the school dances, the county fairs, the bars, and the college campuses for all the many years it took before they became an overnight success. What he was saying was it took a lot of work to get to that moment. What I drew from that is stay in the game and keep trying. If you’re not out in the storm, lightning will never strike for you.
• Networking – Now, here’s where I need the work. It’s not just becoming friends on Facebook, but it’s about getting to know people. Some people fall naturally into this, others (like me) not so easily. It’s the old “Word of Mouth” advertising. You can’t buy that. Believe it or not, this should be an important part of your marketing plan. It’s an art form that I’m still learning. Your best lightning rod you already have and that’s you. Use it.
• Be prepared for discouragement – Stephen King wrote about his first book signing. He had one guy come up to him. And that guy knew nothing about his being there and had come into the store to buy tape. What would have happened if Mr. King had simply said, “Screw it.” When you’re down, stay in the storm. You never know when lightning will strike and if you come in out of the storm because of discouragement, it will never strike for you.
• Take criticism especially if it’s good – Be prepared to have people criticize you. Not all of its bad. Learn from it. Are they just being critical to be critical or is there merit to what they’re saying. An example was my first novel. It was reviewed by a well-established author, and he loved it. BUT he also noted there was a fair number of typos and misspells. I took it to heart and decided I needed to up my game in proofing. Catch the wind in the storm and use it.
• Be Prepared for Success – Think of this as more a warning than anything else. What’s your plan to deal with success. Are you going to allow yourself to be drug off to every writer’s conference or publicity event? Think about it. Hollywood, Broadway, the music and writing industries are full of people who got what they asked for, only to discover it meant possibly giving up something they didn’t want to. Jesus said it best in in Mark 8:36 (GNT) “Do you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not!” Know where the line is drawn between what you want, and what you might lose. Lightning can hurt you.
• Write – You’ve got to keep chasing the storm. There’s a point where you either publish a project or you abandon it. Don’t get wrapped up in a single work and stay in one place for years. Storms move. Move with it or you might find yourself waiting for lightning when the storm is already gone.

‘Nuff said.

A few links to consider:

Kindle Create – https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GUGQ4WDZ92F733GC

Get you an author’s site here – https://www.bookbub.com/launch

An authors site at – https://www.goodreads.com/