Recap of "success as a writer" series

What is success for a writer? Is it plugging away at 500 words a day until you finally finish that book you've had in your head for the last 10 years? Is it getting signed with an agent or publisher? Getting a good review in the New York Times? Publishing a book that becomes a bestseller? Establishing a loyal readership? Selling the film rights to your book? Making millions? Becoming required college reading? Maybe it's all of those things. Maybe none of them.

Over the last several months I've been soliciting and publishing guest posts about different authors' definitions of success as a writer. Here's a quick recap:

For Kristen Strassel, who has seven books out, success "is a moving target" that, for now, means "to have people reading and enjoying [her] books."

Kiersi Burkhart, who already has an agent and an international book deal, defines success as writing full-time and making a living off it.

Ruthanne Reid's definition of success has changed over time from being a bestselling author with a movie deal and fanfic based on her work to writing something that she's "proud of and happy with" and that doesn't "leave [her] burned out and angry when [she's] through."

For Ebony Williams, who's on the verge of self-publishing her third novel, success means having "a nice following of people who believe in all that [she does]."

Although Scott Burtness has self-published one novel and has a second on the way, he doesn't consider himself to be an author yet, much less a successful one, nor will he until he's made more money on book sales than he spends on publishing and marketing.

For me, success means making just enough money writing what I want to be able to justify spending the time on it that I want to, making a difference in people's lives with what I write, and continuing to challenge myself and grow as a writer.

Nancy Christie also has several criteria for success: being happy with what's she's written, having it accepted for publication, and getting positive feedback from readers.

To finish off the series, Maree Miller confessed that although she's in the process of querying her first novel, for her, it felt like a huge success just to finish it so she could move on her to writing the next one.

What's your definition of success as a writer? How will you get there?


Need help figuring out what success looks like to you? Or maybe you already have your definition but need some support to achieve it. Writing coaching can help you articulate your goals, identify what you need to learn to accomplish them, break goals down into manageable tasks, stick to your timeline, navigate challenges and celebrate your accomplishments.

Guest post: How author Maree Miller defines success as a writer

Where I am in my Writing Career
Early stages of my next novel. I studied an anthropology major, and so I’m drawn to historical fiction exploring different cultural perspectives. This sort of stuff is research intensive, but it’s what gives me tingles down the spine - which means I'll probably stick with it for a while.

What being a Successful Writer Means to Me
Well obviously once I am so rich from the bajillions of books I plan to sell I can employ a slew of ghost writers. Then I will spend my days perched on gold throne.

I won't have to do a thing, apart from give the occasional direction.

"TYPE FASTER, UNDERLINGS."

Haha.

No.

Guest post: How author Nancy Christie defines success as a writer

“Success.” Now there’s something that most, if not all, writers think of, yearn for and at times doubt their ability to achieve. And when Sione asked me how I define success as a writer—a question I always ask writers when I interview them!—I came up with more questions than answers.

For one thing, defining success implies that there is a yardstick out there against which you can measure your own achievement. But whose yardstick is it: the reading public, reviewers, your own?

And what are the tick marks on that yardstick: number of sales, amount of income or royalties, size of fan base or following, number of pages written or writing projects completed, regardless of published status?

So what does make me feel successful as a writer—specifically as a fiction writer? What measuring stick do I use?

My definition of success as a writer

Since deciding to make writing a much bigger part of my life two and a half years ago, a few of my poems, short stories and creative nonfiction pieces have been published. I'm currently working on a collection of short speculative fiction stories and two books of poetry, which I haven't yet decided whether to self-publish or query. In addition, I've self-published three novellas and a collection of short stories under my pseudonym, with another novel and a few short stories on the way in the first half of 2015.

But getting my work out there isn't enough for me. For me, success as a writer is about money, influence, and growth.

Guest post: How author Scott Burtness defines success as a writer

Am I a successful author? I have no frickin’ idea. Honestly, I still have trouble deciding if I’m actually an author. At the moment, I have one novel finished (Wisconsin Vamp), a sequel on the way (working title, The Book that Comes After Wisconsin Vamp That I Really Need to Get Done, Dammit!), and a sci-fi short story that’s been shortlisted for an upcoming anthology. Seems like I should be able to say with some confidence, “Yep. I’m an author,” but I haven’t rounded that corner yet. For the most part, writing and all the marketing I’ve done to promote myself and my work has just been something fun to do while drinking coffee.

You see, writing was never a dream of mine. I’m pretty sure that when the teacher asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, “astronaut,” or, “the guy in the coffee commercials.” I remember these commercials featuring a guy that was all rugged-handsome and dressed in a heavy, cable knit sweater, who travelled the world and took amazing pictures of amazing places. In the commercials, he’d bump into some nice family and they’d invite him in for a cup of instant coffee. I wanted to be that guy, or an astronaut. But a writer? Never crossed my young mind.

Guest post: How author Ebony Williams defines success as a writer

The guest post series about success as a writer continues today with a contribution by radio personality and author Ebony Williams.

"It’s not about how many words are on a page, or how lengthy your book is, or whether you’ve put out tens to hundreds of books...." So then how does Ebony, who is on the verge of self-publishing her third novel, define success for herself as a writer? Read on to find out.

I wrote my first book when I was six. My mother found it the other day and was talking to me about it, laughing about the subject and hand drawn illustrations. It was about 30-35 pages, but for a six year old that’s not bad. I slowly started to fall in love with poetry, the art of making it rhyme and then not rhyming brought on a new sense of creativity for me.

Guest post: How author Ruthanne Reid defines success as a writer

Science fantasy author Ruthanne Reid has three novels out - The Sundered (which is a great read, btw), The Christmas Dragon, and Strings - all with high ratings on Amazon; a fourth on the way, Notte; and a slew of short stories available on her website.

But none of that matters. Read on to find out why.

How author Ruthanne Reid Defines Success as a Writer

Contentment.

That's cheating, perhaps, to use one word, but it's true. Let me explain.

When I started this whole writing thing, I really had no idea how publishing worked. I wanted to write, find an agent, and then see my books on the shelf at Barnes & Noble, where they would inspire potential movie deals and copious amounts of fanfic.

The back of the closet

Last week I wrote about one of the major reasons I fail to get writing done, namely that I try to swallow the whole ocean in one gulp, become paralyzed by my inability to do so, and in my enthusiasm to get everything done NOW, manage to get nothing done.

Another habit I'm trying to break is shoving writing time to the back of the closet. I'm really good at getting work done for other people, but not so good at reserving time and energy to work on my own writing. Up until about a year ago, I'd consistently save writing for the end of the day and was often too drained to give it very much effort. My fix for that was to make my first block of work time each day writing time.

But last week I fell into the trap once again. I stayed up super late reading on Tuesday night, and as a result, Wednesday morning was shot. What do you think I shoved to the back of the closet? Was it blogging? Marketing work? No. It was writing. Again. 

Swallowing the Atlantic

Over the last few days I've been having a conversation with another writer friend of mine about our plans for this year and all the creative projects we want to complete.  In both our cases, our heads are full of ideas; there's so much that we want to do, we're excited about doing it, and we want to DO ALL THE THINGS RIGHT NOW. It's like trying to swallow the entire Atlantic Ocean in one gulp. Not possible. Not until we figure out how to split ourselves up into multiple bodies or clone ourselves, and even that solution comes with some pretty serious undesirable consequences. (Trust me, I've spent a lot of time thinking this through.)

Anyway, the point is that, at least in my case, I start to feel overwhelmed and then become paralyzed. I put so much pressure on myself to get everything done well and quickly that I end up not doing anything at all. No bueno!

So what can one do instead of trying to swallow the whole ocean in a single gulp?

Write down your goals
The first step is to know where you're headed. What do you want to accomplish? If you're already suffering from overwhelm paralysis, it likely means you have LOTS of goals. Write them down.

While you're at it, make up some new ones. Why not? I love this part - the dreaming part, the scheming part, the part full of all kinds of possibility. I like goal-setting so much that it probably means there's something wrong with me.

How author Kiersi Burkhart defines success as a writer

It's been a big year for my friend Kiersi Burkhart (aka the Prolific Novelista), co-author of the middle-grade series Second Chance Ranch. Not only did the series, which she co-writes with her friend Amber J. Keyser, get picked up by publishers in both the U.S. and Europe, but she also signed on with agent Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Agency. To many an aspiring author, this sounds like the Holy Grail of writerly success. Does Kiersi consider it won and done? Read on to find out!

How do you define success for yourself as a writer? How do you know when you're successful?
For me, success is writing for a living—subsidizing my life with my work and being able to write (and do all my blogging, social media, promo, etc.) full time. At least, that's what it looks like from this vantage point; I think what counts as "success" tends to change according to where you are in the process. A while ago, "success" was having a book contract. I imagine in a few years, my idea of what makes success will change again. I'm excited for that.

Is it something achieved and done with, or does it have to be maintained?
I think success is always evolving. In my version, it needs to be maintained, because one needs an ongoing income in order to survive; so just one book deal isn't going to cut it long term, unless your book somehow magically sells gangbusters forever. (I am prepared for this should it happen!) 

How author Kristen Strassel defines success as a writer

Over the last few years, I've self-published three books under pseudonym and have had some of my short stories, a poem and a creative nonfiction piece published under my own name. Not bad. But I don't feel successful as a writer. Which has led me to ask: How does one define success as a writer?

Obviously there's no one right answer to this question; it depends on the writer, why they write and what their goals are. For today's guest, Kristen Strassel, "[s]uccess is a moving target." By the end of the year, Kristen will have published seven books, with more on the way next year. This on top of a demanding day job. What drives her and when will it be enough? Read on to find out.

How do you define success as a writer?
This is a great question, and it’s not easy to answer. Every writer is going to have a different answer. For me, right now, it’s to have people reading and enjoying my books.

But that wasn’t always the answer. As I worked on the first book, it was to just get it done. I’d tried so many times to write a complete book and failed about a quarter of the way through. After that, it was to get it out in the world. Writing the book the fun part. It’s after you finish the first draft that the rules kick in. Revisions and editing. Traditional or Indie? I’ve become a very strong advocate of independent publishing. It was the right path for me.