The best advice I have ever received as a baby indie author was from Lynessa Layne at The Great Gathering event in Waco, TX. She said that being an author, especially a self-published author, is a long game. Success rarely happens overnight, and the success that does is hard to maintain unless you keep writing.
That really struck a chord in me. While I did sell some books at the event and loved mingling with other authors, I felt like I was a very small fish in a big pond. I only had 3 books to my name (two of which I didn't even have physical copies to sell at the event because they took too long to ship) and was surrounded by other indie authors who had tables FILLED with several books to offer.
But building up a deep and wide backlist will increase your chances of being seen, and will become what people call "bingeable" in this day and age. Now, unless you can crank out a book a month, this doesn't necessarily happen in a year. Maybe not even five years. But it cannot happen at all if you put out two books that don't gain traction, and you decide to throw in the towel after that. Sure, there are those select few authors that become insta-famous on BookTok and social media because they hit the right audience at the right time. I'm not saying that cannot happen to you too. But if you are committed to becoming an author, you cannot go into it with the expectation that will happen to you.
Lynessa also talked about the importance of grit and persistence in this industry. Writing is a skill like anything else, and skills can be practiced and honed. How can an author get better if they don't write? She encouraged us to enter awards and join reputable competitions to get our books in front of panels of judges who are respected in their genres. All this to say, success is not a passive event. Success as an author comes from work and dedication, like anything else worth having.
So whether you're just starting out or have been in the game for years, don't give up. The more you write and put out into the world, the more you grow. This is not a field for people who like to settle. But it is a rewarding experience nonetheless.
Good luck, and keep going.
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