On the endeavor of how to become an author to write successful books, many aspirants have endless questions of how to do so. However, the answer to all of those questions is one. It’s to publish the novel that they are thinking about.
As a result of technological advancements, self-publishing has become accessible to all, and you could basically publish a novel in a month’s time and call yourself an author. So, the question that arises now, or rather, the question that should be asked in the first place is: how to become a self-supporting author?
Here, we are going to take a look at a few methods that have been embraced by countless writers to become an author and write better books.
Regardless of the type of book you want to write, you’ll find an approach here that will help you set the wheels of your publishing career in motion.
1. Create a writing schedule you can stick to
Writing is your primary job when you are an author, so treat yourself and work like they are meant to be treated. Turn up to write even if you feel like you have writer’s block or are burdened with other more pressing issues. Do the work even if you feel like you are in a creative rut.
Earlier in one of the posts, we also talked in detail about how to overcome writer’s block and how it really works for most people.
To do this, find a minimum of six hours of writing a week. Stick to these hours religiously and ensure that you have a commendable draft by the end of it. Mark these hours into your daily schedule and obey them.
If it’s not possible to think about what to write, then edit. Even if that doesn’t work, then plan out your novel. When you ultimately place yourself in your chair, you will be shocked at your capacity to get stuff done.
2. Determine the sort of book you want to write
This may sound painfully simple and humble, but to truly become a great author, you must first plan out what you want to write. You can know this by asking yourself the following:
- what is your reason for writing a book
- what is your reason for writing a book (why do you want to write a book)
- which perspectives are you currently qualified to write
You might be a huge fantasy novel aficionado and have your sights set on creating something within it. However, you have to ask yourself how your knowledge can contribute to it.
What can you utilize to differentiate your epic fantasy book using your personal experience? Much like that, if you are considering non-fiction, think about the subjects that you are an expert on and what you have to tell individuals that they may want to know more about.
3. Pinpoint your readership
Your first move doesn’t have to be too difficult, but you can get very descriptive and construct a proto-personae to try to get into the minds of your potential reader.
What are similar novels in the fiction genre? If you recognize that you’re going to write a book that fans will appreciate deeply, then you’re on for a great start!
When it comes to non-fiction, ask yourself which issue are you fixing? If you’re writing a novel about the romance between a young couple, your market might be urban adults and teenagers in their late teens who are looking to buy something similar for themselves.
You might theoretically leap right into writing a book at this stage. But what if you’re still not feeling ready? Well, you could always do with laying more groundwork for those who’re not in any hurry!
4. Develop your craft and build your readership
There is no form of art in which artists are supposed to create a work that is almost flawless for the very first time. Yet, it is the burden that numerous first-time novelist place on themselves when they decide to write a novel.
You don’t need to write a few unpublished books just to have your debut feature ready for production. There are several ways to improve your writing skills and to increase your readership at the same time.
Short stories are a great way to initiate yourself with the art of writing if you’re an aspiring writer. Although writing novels is a different discipline, working on short stories serves as the most excellent way to enhance your storytelling make it more successful by revealing the voice of your inner author.
5. Plan your book
Many authors tend to rely on instinct rather than logic or knowledge. However, it is advised to all first-time writers that they prepare their novel to have the best chance of finishing the novel. But what does that entail?
Authors can detail their book by developing character profiles, experimenting with plot development, and planning their narrative. This, however, doesn’t mean that everything is carved in stone just because it’s in your plan. These are simply there to give you a sense of direction.
A roadmap is even more essential if you’re composing a non-fiction book. Before they start writing, almost every credible non-fiction novelist produces a book proposal, irrespective of how they intend to publish it.
The book proposal is the document that will be submitted by the novelists to the publishers. The document not only describes the book’s content but also evaluates its commercial viability.
Many writers collaborate with ghostwriters to guarantee that they have the greatest chance of capturing the interest of an editor to build the book proposal.
6. Write like a pro
There exist a host of methods (check snowflake method) tools and to aid you in honing the art of writing creatively, but before all of these, a writer should possess the fundamental prerequisite for all aspiring authors — that is to treat their work as a professional endeavor as much as a personal one.
The foremost factor of consideration is that there is no full-time writing by the large majority of published writers. They don’t usually earn enough from sales to keep going.
That doesn’t say, though, that they do not regard it as their occupation — which means guaranteeing that they make time to finish their writing.
Some writers don’t work on more than five days every week, while others work only for an hour or two each day. It’s totally up to the author to create time for their writing during the day if they have a family and other responsibilities.
Some authors wake up early to squeeze out a few extra hours while others stay up in the night. However, you accomplish it, make sure you consistently write and grow it into an everlasting practice.
Conclusion
Your writing career will come to fruition as soon as you start following the above tips in obvious conjunction with hard work, creativity, and a dash of good luck. However, this is just the beginning. In order to continue to prosper and attract fresh readers, you need to regularly put in the effort and then roll up your sleeves and get to work!