Becoming an Author

Being a mom to three children before age thirty is something I never thought could happen. But in this instance, I took a big step in doing something I did not think was possible. That was becoming an independent author, and self-publish my work through the ways of Amazon KDP or Kindle Direct Publishing. Becoming an independent author takes time but there are ways in making it a reality. Ways I had to learn all throughout this year alone. To becoming a successful indie author I had to follow my own form of steps to becoming such an amazing storyteller.

1. Write what people want to read. Do not write something because it’s the hot stuff in the industry. But think about what you think people would love to read, and in the end would want to read more in the end.

2. Stick to a certain genre. When a author walks away, and try something new then they will lose readers like no tomorrow.

3. Create your own marketing plan. Hope is not the way. Marketing on your own is hard, but it can lead to fantastic results.

4. Keep writing no matter what. Plan your publishing schedule. Even if the dates aren’t set in stone, giving yourself a goal and something to work toward is still 1000 times better than winging it.

5. Understand the role that the book cover will play. Knowing that the cover will attract the people, and in the end have them want to read the book.

6. Find an objective editor. But you must know which one will be the right choice for you in the end. Do an honest assessment of your editor. If you are less than enamored, start interviewing someone else to do your next book. Sometimes you do not know how much better you can be until you give a different editor a chance. Until you consider yourself a success, it must be business, not personal.

7. Connect to the readers. Connect with at least one reader a week and make it personal. You will notice that it becomes much more natural and your entire online presence will shift in incredibly positive ways.

8. Never ever give up.

9. Create a calendar or other tracking method for what kind of promotion or marketing you are doing, and when you tried it. Have you given each a solid shot at working for you? If not, try again. Keeping a calendar is a great overview of your efforts and tells you whether you are doing enough.

10. When you start getting reviews read them! Start reading reviews from top and bottom books in your genre and create a list of trends, demands, holes to fill, and stellar compliments, to inspire your next release.

11. Start building your superfan group. Share unique content with them and give them the opportunity to really understand you, your work, and your writing world.

Briefly it takes work to become a successful author. You need patience, persistence, and a strong focus on business. With my very first book, Ella which has been out a year on November 26th, I learned a lot on when it comes to being an independent author. Marketing was the hardest one for me. Because it takes so much money for people to promote your work. But if you have computer skills then it can lead to being able to make the perfect posters that you can put on different social media platforms. Now in the end it has led to my first book being nominated for an Author Elite Award in the top 10 finalists for Fantasy. Also my book has one hundred reviews on Amazon! Following the certain number of steps then anything can be done, and being a writer can be a true reality.