By Michelle Laurey
There were more than 45 thousand writers and authors working to make a living in the United States in 2019. That’s a lot of people pursuing their passion.
Unfortunately, despite an increase in the number of people exploring the world of writing work, there are still a lot of writers who struggle to achieve success. There’s more to reaching your goals than writing something and publishing it on one of the many online channels that exist today.
Like many professionals, writers need to be aware of and prepared for the many issues that can cause them to stumble on the path to greatness.
Here are some of the most common reasons that authors fail to publish their work.
Lack of Confidence
We all have issues with self-esteem from time to time. We ask ourselves if we’re knowledgeable enough to create something that people want to read. However, if you want to succeed as a writer, you’ll need to find a way to rediscover that confidence.
If you don’t believe you have what it takes, you’re never going to reach your goals. It’s up to you to convince everyone, from your publishers and investors to your future readers, that you’re definitely worth their time.
If you’re struggling to keep a grip on your confidence, consider making a list of all the things that you have to offer, from expertise to unique insights. Reflect on this when your self-esteem drops.
Not Understanding The Market
Understanding the market is critical in any profession. You need to know exactly who you are selling your skills to so that you can prepare to speak their language. Before you start writing, evaluate your audience, and create user personas.
This article about marketing your book to teens is an example of how to speak to your target audience.
Having a good view of your audience as you’re writing will improve your chances of reaching your reader on the right level. At the same time, knowing your audience well should help you figure out how to present your new book to your customers.
What kind of benefits, quotes, and insights are most likely to capture attention? What avenues are best for promoting your book?
You Don’t Have a Mentor
Figuring out how to be successful as a writer is difficult in any circumstances. However, your task becomes even more complicated if you have no experience in your field.
Although you can’t necessarily rely on someone to prepare you for everything that might happen on your journey, a mentor can assist with some essential navigation.
Your mentor is crucial to showing you which challenges you need to avoid, and what steps you need to take to ensure that you reach your goals. They can give advice on researching your next book, and help you to maintain your confidence when your motivation dwindles.
Remember, a mentor can be anyone you look up to and admire. You can find these people on writing forums, websites, or even at your current job.
You can find mentors in books as well. The fastest way to learn from others is by reading books. Pick up some works on writing and publishing and learn from other’s mistakes instead of making your own.
Lack of Discipline
This is easily one of the biggest problems that authors face when trying to publish their writing. The book that you’re working on is going to take time to perfect. Even if you’re done writing, you’re going to need to find enough time to edit your work, and successfully market it.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to lose hope or commitment on the path to success.
In a worst-case scenario, a lack of discipline will mean that you never complete your book. If that seems to be what’s happening for you, consider looking into setting aside a specific amount of time every day for your creative process.
On the other hand, you might find that you finish your book, but your lack of discipline means you never sell it.
Consider what you can do to motivate yourself properly and develop a long term perspective that will help you be more patient.
You Are Not Working Systematically
One of the best things you can do to improve your chances of staying disciplined and achieving publishing success is to develop a strategy.
Great authors don’t create amazing success overnight. They have a plan of action.
The systematic approach to writing makes it easier to reach your goals one step at a time. Work systematically and you will find yourself doing more in less time, and procrastinating less.
People today are under a lot of pressure, and they need to make sure that they’re dealing with stressful situations productively.
Unfortunately, many writers just don’t know how to handle things like stress, problems, and lack of motivation. Finding strategic ways to overcome these issues will ensure that you’re not constantly being thrown off track as you pursue your targets.
It will also mean that you can keep a handle on your emotions when you’re investing in a challenging and sometimes tricky career.
Make Sure You Achieve Your Goals
The good news for today’s authors and writers is that there are plenty of opportunities for you to make your dreams come true by publishing your work and reaching your audience. However, if you really want to accomplish amazing things, you need to have the right plan.
Strategizing the best possible route to your goals will improve your chances of reaching your target audience, connecting with your readers, and even building a loyal fan base. Start by avoiding the mistakes above, and you’ll already be on the right track.
Michelle Laurey is a freelance writer who enjoys fitness, relaxing in the fresh air, trying to live a healthy life. Her best ideas and problem solutions appear while she’s riding her bicycle. Her superpower? Vinyasa yoga! Talk to her on Twitter.
I’d say the single biggest reason writers don’t do it, fear. Their afraid what people will think of what they have to say, how they said it, and so on. I think I adapted what Ike Asimov said, and to paraphrase, he wrote his books and stories for the entertainment of pleasure of one person, and that was himself. That others liked it was amazing to him.