5 answers
Archie
Student
Tucson, Arizona
1
Question
Asked
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How do I get started as an author?
I want to become an author some day, but I am not sure how to get started. Are there specific things I need to do?
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5 answers
Marvellous Okere
Prolific writer|Author|Freelancer|Faith advocate
2
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Marvellous’s Answer
Hello Archie,
Becoming an author most times can trigger fear, I understand the tension. But first you'll have to decide what kind of author you want to be, then choose a niche and start your writing journey.
You may want to get a journal to keep note of your mistakes and progress. Then join a writing community where fellow writers will help review and criticize your work.
When I start my writing career, I had accountability partners, those people helped keep me in check, that made me to be more serious and focus owning to a fact that I have people to give account to.
In my early days of writing, I volunteered to write for communities and organizations for free. Most were very reputable organizations. My aim was to see how the public will perceive my job, each work they rejected I went back to make corrections and that helped me improve overtime.
You can also start a personal blog, there are some free blog sites, you can create an account and start pitching your job, readers interested in your art will leave a review.
So the best way to become an author is by getting started, start registering your presence to the writing world. Draw inspirations from every action around you.
Lastly, remain focused. Don't give room to distractions, draw strength from critiques and keep note of every your progress.
I hope my little advice helps you in a way.
Cheers to a becoming a great author!
Becoming an author most times can trigger fear, I understand the tension. But first you'll have to decide what kind of author you want to be, then choose a niche and start your writing journey.
You may want to get a journal to keep note of your mistakes and progress. Then join a writing community where fellow writers will help review and criticize your work.
When I start my writing career, I had accountability partners, those people helped keep me in check, that made me to be more serious and focus owning to a fact that I have people to give account to.
In my early days of writing, I volunteered to write for communities and organizations for free. Most were very reputable organizations. My aim was to see how the public will perceive my job, each work they rejected I went back to make corrections and that helped me improve overtime.
You can also start a personal blog, there are some free blog sites, you can create an account and start pitching your job, readers interested in your art will leave a review.
So the best way to become an author is by getting started, start registering your presence to the writing world. Draw inspirations from every action around you.
Lastly, remain focused. Don't give room to distractions, draw strength from critiques and keep note of every your progress.
I hope my little advice helps you in a way.
Cheers to a becoming a great author!
Juanita Joubert
I am a writer, financial accountant, social media manager, and publisher
21
Answers
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Updated
Juanita’s Answer
Hi Archie. This is such a wonderful question and one that gets asked daily. I hope my answer will give you a little more insight.
Becoming an author is a long and winding road and takes time and effort to perfect. I'd suggest that you first find literary competitions and submit short stories to them. They will review your writing and give you feedback. Keep these notes save because they will help you perfect your craft for when you are ready to write full length manuscripts. I also agree with the previous comment from Destiny about self-publishing. It's the best option for these days, since traditional publishers have very stringent qualifying criteria's when it comes to approving drafts. Besides, as a self-publisher myself, it's not that scary and gives you a lot more freedom to do what you want to do.
I would suggest as you are starting your writing journey that you first focus on your writing, write your first draft, read it, read it again, and read it again. Believe me your first draft will need a couple of rewrites until you will be 100% satisfied with it and it's always a good thing to read it multiple times in case you want to change your writing. Once you are happy with your draft, send it to friends and family to read it and give you feedback. This will help you find any imperfections as well as motivate you to keep writing. And then once you are happy with your book, go ahead and publish it for the world to read.
I am sure you will be a fantastic writer and author once you get started. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer.
Becoming an author is a long and winding road and takes time and effort to perfect. I'd suggest that you first find literary competitions and submit short stories to them. They will review your writing and give you feedback. Keep these notes save because they will help you perfect your craft for when you are ready to write full length manuscripts. I also agree with the previous comment from Destiny about self-publishing. It's the best option for these days, since traditional publishers have very stringent qualifying criteria's when it comes to approving drafts. Besides, as a self-publisher myself, it's not that scary and gives you a lot more freedom to do what you want to do.
I would suggest as you are starting your writing journey that you first focus on your writing, write your first draft, read it, read it again, and read it again. Believe me your first draft will need a couple of rewrites until you will be 100% satisfied with it and it's always a good thing to read it multiple times in case you want to change your writing. Once you are happy with your draft, send it to friends and family to read it and give you feedback. This will help you find any imperfections as well as motivate you to keep writing. And then once you are happy with your book, go ahead and publish it for the world to read.
I am sure you will be a fantastic writer and author once you get started. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer.
Thank you for the advice.
Archie
Saint P
SongWriter and Creative writer
75
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Saint’s Answer
Hey Archie!
It’s awesome that you want to be an author! The best way to get started is simply to write. Start small short stories, poems, or journal entries and let yourself explore different styles and topics. Don’t worry about being perfect. The more you write, the better you’ll get.
Also, read a lot. Read in the genre you want to write, but also outside of it. Pay attention to what makes stories work characters, pacing, dialogue.
When you’re ready, try sharing your work on a blog, with friends, or in writing groups. Getting feedback helps you grow. You might also look into books or classes on writing, and eventually, think about publishing (traditional or self-publishing).
Most importantly: keep going. Writers become authors by writing consistently and not giving up.
What kind of stories do you want to tell?
Saint
It’s awesome that you want to be an author! The best way to get started is simply to write. Start small short stories, poems, or journal entries and let yourself explore different styles and topics. Don’t worry about being perfect. The more you write, the better you’ll get.
Also, read a lot. Read in the genre you want to write, but also outside of it. Pay attention to what makes stories work characters, pacing, dialogue.
When you’re ready, try sharing your work on a blog, with friends, or in writing groups. Getting feedback helps you grow. You might also look into books or classes on writing, and eventually, think about publishing (traditional or self-publishing).
Most importantly: keep going. Writers become authors by writing consistently and not giving up.
What kind of stories do you want to tell?
Saint
Helen Grimmett
Product Manager
11
Answers
Slough, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Helen’s Answer
Hi Archie
Writing is a craft. You have to learn it as you do any other skill, and the more you practice, the more you learn, the better you will become. You should write because you enjoy it, because you have a story to tell. I learn something new with every book I write.
Whether you decide to publish is an entirely separate decision, and if you decide you want to publish, then you need to ensure your book is the best it can possibly be. Which means professionally edited and an eye catching cover that reflects your genre. The reading world is filled with critics, you want readers to love your work, not tear it apart because you haven't learned grammar or the basic story writing skills like show not tell or use of dialogue tags.
Once you decide to publish, then you have a choice; find an agent and get traditionally published or self publish. Both have pros and cons, both are professional routes that class you as author.
If you traditionally publish then you need to send query letters to an agent, once you get an agent (could take a couple of years, and be prepared to be rejected), they sell the rights to your book to a publisher who will assist with editing, creating the book (formatting), cover distribution to shops, online. Some marketing. You will receive an advance, but you won't receive any further royalties until the book has sold enough copies to cover that initial advance, ie earned out. You will be responsible for marketing as well, ie social media, events.
If you self-publish, you do all the work; formatting, editing - I highly advise you pay for a professional editor- you should not publish anything without a professional edit- cover design, uploading to publishing platforms, and you pay for everything yourself, but you retain control of your book, timeline to publish, and any money you make through sales is yours.
Good luck in your writing journey. I recommend you join a writers group. Writers are very generous people and love to talk about their experience and their journey. You can write every day for free. There is a plethora of free information online. Take the time to practice and learn the craft of writing. The more you learn, the more enjoyable it becomes. Have fun!
Join a writers group
Writing is a craft. You have to learn it as you do any other skill, and the more you practice, the more you learn, the better you will become. You should write because you enjoy it, because you have a story to tell. I learn something new with every book I write.
Whether you decide to publish is an entirely separate decision, and if you decide you want to publish, then you need to ensure your book is the best it can possibly be. Which means professionally edited and an eye catching cover that reflects your genre. The reading world is filled with critics, you want readers to love your work, not tear it apart because you haven't learned grammar or the basic story writing skills like show not tell or use of dialogue tags.
Once you decide to publish, then you have a choice; find an agent and get traditionally published or self publish. Both have pros and cons, both are professional routes that class you as author.
If you traditionally publish then you need to send query letters to an agent, once you get an agent (could take a couple of years, and be prepared to be rejected), they sell the rights to your book to a publisher who will assist with editing, creating the book (formatting), cover distribution to shops, online. Some marketing. You will receive an advance, but you won't receive any further royalties until the book has sold enough copies to cover that initial advance, ie earned out. You will be responsible for marketing as well, ie social media, events.
If you self-publish, you do all the work; formatting, editing - I highly advise you pay for a professional editor- you should not publish anything without a professional edit- cover design, uploading to publishing platforms, and you pay for everything yourself, but you retain control of your book, timeline to publish, and any money you make through sales is yours.
Good luck in your writing journey. I recommend you join a writers group. Writers are very generous people and love to talk about their experience and their journey. You can write every day for free. There is a plethora of free information online. Take the time to practice and learn the craft of writing. The more you learn, the more enjoyable it becomes. Have fun!
Helen recommends the following next steps:
Destiny Hankerson
Athlete, Artist, and Writer
16
Answers
East Orange, New Jersey
Updated
Destiny’s Answer
Hi Archie,
I think your answer depends on what kind of author you want to be. If you just enjoy writing and don't want to be a professional author, there are plenty of free options for creating and distributing your books. E-book creation services, such as Draft 2 Digital, are an example of some of the ways you could self-publish your work. You could also visit writing sites, such as Wattpad or similar sites, that will let you publish your work to an online audience.
If you want to be a professional author, the road can be a little more challenging. If you want to be traditionally published, you have to submit your manuscript to the publisher, and hope that they accept it, create your book, publish your book, and market your work to an audience. Many authors don't get accepted in the beginning, and if this continues for too long, they often opt to self-publish instead. Keep in mind, though, that if you self-publish your work first, some publishers don't want to republish it traditionally.
On the other hand, the big benefit of self-publishing, which is why I enjoy doing it myself, is that you control how you want your work to be released. If you self-publish your writing, whether it's on a writing site or through an E-book creation service, you control the editing, the final layout and cover, and all the parts of your work. This can make your writing a more unique experience for your readers.
I'd advise you to continue writing and honing your craft to be an author one day! The Indeed Editorial Team also gives some good advice about how to become a professional writer: You can earn a degree in Communications, English, or Journalism to support your writing career with an educational background. You can also find freelance writing opportunities, such as making guest posts for a website.
When I became an author, I started by writing my own manuscripts. I didn't publish them right away, but my goal was to eventually release them to the world. I'm working on that publishing aspect now, and I'm grateful I spent so many years building up a good collection of material. So, if you'd like to be an author, I think continuing your writing, even if you don't publish it right away, is a great step to take. Set aside a little time each week for some writing, even if it's not a lot. That will keep you in a creative mode, and soon you'll build up your own collection of work.
Although you didn't specify what kind of author you'd like to be, you have plenty of options, whether you become a creative writer or a technical writer. I wish you the best in your writing journey!
Keep a writing habit going by setting aside time to write each week.
Build an online or offline portfolio of your writing. Your portfolio showcases your work, such as your stories, essays, poetry, and so on.
Find freelance opportunities to develop your writing skills, such as offering a guest post to a website or blog.
Connect with other authors and writers, and ask them about how they gained professional experience.
I think your answer depends on what kind of author you want to be. If you just enjoy writing and don't want to be a professional author, there are plenty of free options for creating and distributing your books. E-book creation services, such as Draft 2 Digital, are an example of some of the ways you could self-publish your work. You could also visit writing sites, such as Wattpad or similar sites, that will let you publish your work to an online audience.
If you want to be a professional author, the road can be a little more challenging. If you want to be traditionally published, you have to submit your manuscript to the publisher, and hope that they accept it, create your book, publish your book, and market your work to an audience. Many authors don't get accepted in the beginning, and if this continues for too long, they often opt to self-publish instead. Keep in mind, though, that if you self-publish your work first, some publishers don't want to republish it traditionally.
On the other hand, the big benefit of self-publishing, which is why I enjoy doing it myself, is that you control how you want your work to be released. If you self-publish your writing, whether it's on a writing site or through an E-book creation service, you control the editing, the final layout and cover, and all the parts of your work. This can make your writing a more unique experience for your readers.
I'd advise you to continue writing and honing your craft to be an author one day! The Indeed Editorial Team also gives some good advice about how to become a professional writer: You can earn a degree in Communications, English, or Journalism to support your writing career with an educational background. You can also find freelance writing opportunities, such as making guest posts for a website.
When I became an author, I started by writing my own manuscripts. I didn't publish them right away, but my goal was to eventually release them to the world. I'm working on that publishing aspect now, and I'm grateful I spent so many years building up a good collection of material. So, if you'd like to be an author, I think continuing your writing, even if you don't publish it right away, is a great step to take. Set aside a little time each week for some writing, even if it's not a lot. That will keep you in a creative mode, and soon you'll build up your own collection of work.
Although you didn't specify what kind of author you'd like to be, you have plenty of options, whether you become a creative writer or a technical writer. I wish you the best in your writing journey!
Destiny recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much, Destiny!
Archie
You're welcome, Archie! I'm glad I could help you. Feel free to explore other people's answers to your question, too! They can give you lots of good advice.
Destiny Hankerson