Writing Books for a Living

Writing a book in and of itself can be considered quite a feat. Many writers who start their books, from novels to short stories, never finish their books. For those that do finish their book, a lot more goes into making a living as an author.

Here are some tips and information that can be useful.

Traditional Publishing Vs Self-Publishing

Many authors nowadays are bypassing the publishing companies and publishing their books themselves on places like Amazon and Lulu. There are both pros and cons to each of these approaches but what is key is that you research both options and make a decision. When you self-publish, for instance, all of the expenses come directly out of your pocket, meaning you have to invest significant time and money in addition to the time you spend writing.

This is something to consider quite early on in the process so that you can have the necessary budget when the book is finished. If you are hoping to be published, consider contacting the publishers early with a concept for the book, rather than waiting for the book to be finished. If a publisher agrees to take on the project with you, you may get considerable help for things such as artwork, editing and proofreading by their in-house staff. These costs can be quite considerable, especially with longer works so it can make a huge difference for any aspiring author.

Self-publishing may also get rid of that air of notoriety that comes from having your book published by a certain publisher. However, you get full creative control of where your book is published, how it is published, and every sale is made by the result of your hard work.

Whether or not you choose to self-publish is also not entirely up to you. To be published, you need to be chosen to be published and this is not an easy process. Most publishers receive large amounts of proposals every day and so it is wise to be prepared before submitting your proposal.

Write Books Often

You might think that all you have to do is write one book and it’s all royalties from there, but that is not how it works. The most successful writers write books often to ensure they have a steady flow of money coming in. J. K. Rowling, who wrote the popular Harry Potter series has published 25 books to date. Stephen King has written at least 111 books during his career. Even if your first book is a published success, the deal you had to reach with the publisher may have been for a relatively low percentage (as is common with first time authors) and so having a steady flow of ideas and books is vital to earning a living.

For when you have lots of ideas at the same time, organization is key. For more on that, see the Organization section below.

Niche Writing

While you may want to write a book about a fairy tale land, or about a space age, the market for these topics is over-saturated. Unless you have a very unique take or story to tell, these topics are generally a tougher area to sell in. So in order to ensure that your book sells, you have to make it stand out from the millions of other books that are written by writers just like you.

A good way to do this is to write about the topic in a way that has not been done to death. J. K. Rowling, for instance, did this when she wrote a story about Wizards and Witches having to go to a school in Britain to learn magic. Finding a good way to expand on your topic of writing will ensure that not only do people buy your book, but they read and promote your book.

Finding specific niches to write for can be very lucrative, especially for self-publishers. It is also much easier to become well-known in a niche than for a record breaking bestseller series. Once you do become known in a niche, your future books will have a captive audience, waiting for your next publication with bated breath.

Marketing Tips for Self-Publishing

Marketing is one of the hardest parts of writing books, because all that writing is basically for nothing if nobody buys or reads your book. So one good place to market is through social media sites and forums. If you do write in a niche, engage with people about that niche. This can also be a great method for research and can give you a taste of what people like and dislike.

Making a blog is an extremely cost effective way to market your own book, as you can talk about your experience, and share ideas with other people, meanwhile promoting your writings to them. It is a great way to show credibility. Of course, you can also engage professionals to ensure your blog is promoted and seen by more people but the key part of a blog is the content itself – give it the time it deserves and learn about the best ways to do so.

Book fairs are awesome, because you can meet other writers and buyers, and can promote each other’s books. Finding an excellent platform to advertise your book without looking like a spammer will always be beneficial to your career, as well as for your financial life.

Organization – The Real Key

When writing anything, organizing your thoughts, keeping them together and focused as well as laying them out in an intelligent fashion are vital to achieving a positive result.

Writer’s Blocks is a tool which allows you to bring all of your thoughts, inspiration, research, quotes and values together in one place and gives you the freedom to write better. The simple to use but invaluable software ensures your writing is always organized and put together properly without forgetting your key points.

Try it for free today.