Every writer wants to make writing transcripts, a successful career and a stable source of income. Writing is not a get-rich-quick kind of scheme. Fresh writers need time to build an audience and receive recognition for their work. Being patient and humble is the right way to proceed. Keep working on your writing and love the process.
How to actively thrive as a long-term writer?
Here are some basic strategies for building a long-term writing career—
*Writing what you like and not what just makes most money.
Let’s think about it this way: “Would I rather work at a position that keeps me motivated and build my long-term writing career or would I want a job that makes me expect for the weekends which will not last for too long?” Just writing anything for the sake of money is not motivating enough to keep writing for long. The focus in writing is lost because the mindset is changed.
Start with a small workload:
We do hear of writers all the time who release their first novel in 8/10 years to full anticipation, or of readers anxiously waiting for the next novel in a series. Building a slow, steady and robust fanbase early in your career means those fans will be there waiting for your book. Authors may continue receiving emails from other recruiters with different freelance writing opportunities. While things are finally going well, there is a tendency for the author to think that the more chances they take on, the quicker they can stabilise their writing career, right?
No-Wrong!!!
Starting small and then slowly taking on more as you get used to the work pace, adding few gigs and meeting their expectations is better for a long-term career than to start big and not be able to – keep up with the assignments.
*Good to break in between writing or be stuck and never come out of it? A tricky one!!!
There are two ways to look at this——
Getting back into the publishing career can depend on how the previous books were accepted.
–No author is a machine, despite how that “one book a year” kind of authors make it look and sound! Taking breaks is essential to protect creativity, but keeping momentum and maintaining a support system, surely keeps them motivated.
Well, that’s not always the case
–Always think about the next project. For sure there are exceptions, but I think it’s elementary to get stuck in a break and never come out of it. And if you want to build a fanbase, it’s challenging to do that if you have long stretched between books. Readers might forget about your writing and stop following your work.
Some authors do benefit from these breaks. Sure enough, from the standpoint of someone trying to help build your brand, I certainly think it makes it more challenging.
* Don’t expect big advance-Big advances can be good, and it’s the goal for many writers and agents. Big increases can be a sign that a publisher is investing quite a lot in a specific author or book, taking a risk. So, it does often mean that they will put a lot into trading and publicity than they do for other publications, to be able to ensure they get a significant return on that investment.
*Making Commercial success valuable– Publishing is a business, so commercial success will always be of value. Well, if you are not quite there yet, keeping in touch with the editor and house enthusiasm for your book is a significant factor. If they enjoy your work, love working with you, and you have received praise, then they will want to stick with you and try to build your career for sure.
*Get to know the basics of a book contract–
The book contract encompasses every angle of the author’s agreement with the publisher including—the physical and practical aspects of the book development such as what will the work be, the timing of the authors delivery of the manuscript etc.
*Know the financial issues of the book deal–such as schedules of advance money paid against royalties, the exact royalty percentages given on each type of sale, etc.
The key to your career is not your first novel. It’s your second. You’ve laboured long, and in love, on that first manuscript. You must be ready with a second book that’s just as good. And get it in before the deadline!
*The one quality of a competent, consistent writer– ‘Patience’ is of utmost importance and the one class to maintain in publishing. With patience comes flexibility and optimism. Keep the focus on what you can control—writing, making connections in the local literary communities—and not harbour anxiety over the things you can’t. Always look at what can happen next, and not what didn’t happen before.
Conclusion- for all writers looking to make this gig a career: patience and truthfulness is the key. Success does not happen just like that. It takes years to get established. The real defeat occurs when you stop writing. So never give up.
Publishers are thinking outside the box now, more than ever, and that brings more opportunities to all of us. Each writer has their strengths and weaknesses. It is always wise to know your weakness and improve them by learning. Victorious writers don’t dwell on works that are already completed. Wasting no time, they quickly move on to the next assignments.
