Want to be a Career Author? Avoid Pitfalls (and a few tips, too)

If there’s anything I’ve learned in the thirteen years I’ve been writing and in the seven novels published, success isn’t linear. Not in this field. It’s about as up and down as it can possibly be, twisting and turning with exhilarating highs and devastating lows. Trends come and go. Editors, agents, and publishers come and go. One of your books is hot, another is dead-on-arrival. (Most are lukewarm) But a career author gets this—they know they have to play the long game. Ride the waves as they come and keep putting words on the page, keep trying new ideas and new ways of getting their stories out there. Not only because they need to eat, but because they know that every single project can’t be the game-changer or the end-all, be-all. There are hits and misses. They also grasp that everyone has their own path to publication so there is no right or wrong answer. That said, there are some things you can do to help yourself along the way (and some things to avoid to keep your career afloat).      

First, I’ll share the pitfalls a career author must avoid: 

Misbehaving.  I’ve spoken about this before at Writer Unboxed in articles called “Behaving Badly in Publishing” and also “Being a Good Literary Citizen,” so I’ll just give the short version here:  Pay it forward when another author helps you out. Don’t make rude and edgy comments when someone makes a mistake or typo in an article or post, and don’t trash an author’s book in a way that is a personal affront. Be kind. People never forget a slight. And above all, be a professional. 

Arguing with your editor. Look, it’s your book. You don’t have to do everything your editor asks of you. Their editorial letters really are suggestions; a list of their instinctive reactions about how your story is coming across to them as a reader. You may disagree with them, or even feel offended (we are rather sensitive about our work, aren’t we), but it’s best to ponder the editor’s suggestions for a few days, or even a couple of weeks to digest it all. Chances are, you will find good stuff in their feedback even if you disagree on how to address it. Most editors understand it is your book, and they will hear you out about why you’re going in a particular direction, but ultimately, it’s important to remember that they can choose not to publish it, or worse, not buy your next book because you have proven to be difficult and argumentative. In other words, set your ego aside and learn to take criticism. It’s very easy to be black-balled in our business. I’ve watched more than one friend go down in flames, in spite of earning out their previous advances. (There are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes an editor or a publisher is truly missing what you’re trying to do and it’s a poor fit. If this happens, talk with your agent or other author friends for advice on how to part ways.)  

Being narrow-minded. (Is it always Art First at all cost, or Art + the Market?)  There seems to be a never-ending squabble over genre versus literary novels; art versus books “written to market.” If you choose topics that will sell because they fit within a particular era or style, you’re a sell-out and you don‘t care about writing well because your work isn’t art. I call rubbish on that whole line of thinking. First of all, who is to say writing a well-paced book with lean, deliberate writing isn’t art? It’s very difficult to write a book that feels clean and easy to read. It’s an art form in and of itself. Who is to say that balancing your author brand while crafting something similar but still unique that will appeal to readers isn’t its own art form?

In other words, all choices are perfectly valid and valuable. You may want to write national book award-winning novels. Fine. That’s your choice and there’s honor and satisfaction in that–as long as you can accept that it may be more difficult to find a publisher (or more difficult to reach readers). It is true that fewer people over all are interested in reading these sorts of books, whether we like it or not. But you might get lucky and knock it out of the park! (See above: publishing isn’t linear) The risk you take is your own, but it’s a valuable choice. On the other hand, you may choose to write crowd-pleasers to put food on the table. Hell, you might try your hand at both. Good for you! Career authors understand this. They know that there is no box except the one you make for yourself. That there’s no reason you can’t dabble in either or both, and that writing to sell doesn’t make an author a lesser writer or their works less meaningful to readers. It means they are able to pay their rent, and in the process, they might just buy themselves time to work on some other beloved pet project that winds up on the national book award list.   

And now for the tips: 

Set a Schedule You Can Live With.  Being a career author doesn’t necessarily mean you’re making enough dough to do nothing but write. Many are juggling another job—or several–so it’s imperative to set a schedule for your writing time that you can stick to, day in and out. Career authors don’t mess around with the schedule. It’s the backbone of their success. There are many of us who write in the wee hours of the morning before the day gets going. Others do the same thing at night, when the rest of the day’s obligations are done. Regardless, career authors aim for a certain daily word count no matter what, and they don’t make excuses.  

Pace Yourself. Burn Out is Real. Most authors I know hit some variety of burn-out somewhere around book five if they’ve been writing one book per year or multiple books per year. It’s a tough pace. Writing isn’t just work. We’re drawing upon dynamic energy to create, to produce, to bring to life. This is no easy task and it’s depleting, no matter what genre you’re writing. When you start to feel as if writing is a chore, that it’s more work than it’s worth, it’s time to take some time off. A month? Two? Maybe a year or more. Don’t panic. Keep your eye on the long game. Your love of story isn’t going anywhere. The writing will come back, but it’s imperative to keep your mindspace healthy and full so you can be open to inspirations around you.

Listen to Seasoned Authors, They Know the Deal. If you’ve written three books or fewer, chances are, there’s a lot you have to learn. Frankly, I’m working on my eighth novel and I still learn new things constantly! For one thing, there are different styles and formats of writing to try (epistolary, multiple or various POVs, interesting framing devices, short stories, collaborations…). For another, we work in an ever-evolving market. There is nothing static about publishing, no ultimate body of knowledge you can possess that means you know all there is to know. But the one thing we can rely on is our experience; our time spent trying and failing and succeeding and failing again. Those who have been around the block for a while have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t. They’ve started to see patterns in readers and in the marketplace. Listen to them. Seek their advice. They have a lot of hard-won wisdom to share. 

Learn to Be Flexible.  This, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of being a career author. Being flexible means so many things. You must be flexible about your vision for a singular manuscript. You must be flexible about your brand. You must be flexible about your career path. Perhaps your current genre isn’t working out for you because you can’t sell to a publisher, or maybe your sales numbers suck. Pivot. Try something new, innovate, change directions. I don’t know a single career author who hasn’t been faced with the need to pivot. Don’t fight it. Learn to go with the flow because it might just take you downstream to something far richer in your career than you could have imagined.   

Have thoughts on pitfalls or tips and advice you’d like to share? The floor is yours!

Heather Webb

Heather Webb is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of historical fiction. As a freelance editor and an adjunct in a MFA in Creative Writing program, Heather has helped many writers sign with agents and go on to sell at market. When not writing, she feeds her cookbook addiction, geeks out on history and pop culture, and looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world. To date, her books have been translated to seventeen languages.

www.heatherwebb.net/