5 answers
Rhiannon
Student
Kingsport, Tennessee
3
Questions
Asked
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How can I build visibility as an author?
My ultimate career goal is to be an author. I intend to get a job in the english field like editing or publishing and begin by publishing my work on the side, but I'm unclear on the process of transitioning to full-time writing. Is self-publishing the best way to go? Should I try to find a publisher and sell them my work? How do I promote my writing so more people will see it?
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5 answers
Rich Feitelberg
Novelist
33
Answers
Quincy, Massachusetts
Updated
Rich’s Answer
You can self publish or find a small press to publish your work. Promotion is the hard part. I wish I could let you what works. But you’ll need to network and do interviews/podcasts. You want to build an audience before you start writing. Good luck
Abinaya KSP
10
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Abinaya’s Answer
Start small and stay consistent.
Share your writing regularly on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn
Pick a niche so people know what to expect from you
Engage with other writers—comment, collaborate, support
Build a simple portfolio or blog to showcase your work
Submit to publications or contests to get exposure
Use social media (like Instagram or X (Twitter)) to share snippets and connect
Most important: keep writing and showing up. Visibility grows over time, not overnight.
Share your writing regularly on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn
Pick a niche so people know what to expect from you
Engage with other writers—comment, collaborate, support
Build a simple portfolio or blog to showcase your work
Submit to publications or contests to get exposure
Use social media (like Instagram or X (Twitter)) to share snippets and connect
Most important: keep writing and showing up. Visibility grows over time, not overnight.
jose pimienta
comics and storyboarding
32
Answers
Burbank, California
Updated
jose’s Answer
Sounds like you have a solid strategy by working on the editing side with a publisher while you do your own writing on the side. I'd say keep going in that direction.
Yes, self-publishing is a great option and very legitimate. It's likely that if you work for a publisher (e.g. Puffin Apartment) as an editor they won't take your work due to being a conflict of interest, but you're always allowed to publish with other publisher (e.g. Peter and Paul) while working as an editor for (Puffin Apartment) does that make sense?
As far as promoting your work, well, keep showing it around. Go to conferences, or put together some readings. Also, talk with more editors to learn what their day-to-day working in publishing looks like.
Best of success.
I hope I get to read your work soon.
Yes, self-publishing is a great option and very legitimate. It's likely that if you work for a publisher (e.g. Puffin Apartment) as an editor they won't take your work due to being a conflict of interest, but you're always allowed to publish with other publisher (e.g. Peter and Paul) while working as an editor for (Puffin Apartment) does that make sense?
As far as promoting your work, well, keep showing it around. Go to conferences, or put together some readings. Also, talk with more editors to learn what their day-to-day working in publishing looks like.
Best of success.
I hope I get to read your work soon.
Brandon Dang
247
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Brandon ’s Answer
When researching for this question, I found a good post on Reddit talking about it. So I'm going to post it here:
There is no simple answer to the question of "Which type of publishing is better?" Neither is right for every author or every book. Each has its pros and cons. You have to weigh the pros and cons against your unique situation to determine which solution is better for you.
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING might be the better choice if you...
Have one standalone novel.
Plan to write only this one book.
Plan to write a series or multiple books, but write only one book a year or so.
Write picture books, chapter books, or books for young YA readers, because it's difficult to get self-published books in front of this buying audience.
Have no money to invest up front.
Want an advance.
Want to get your book on bookstore shelves.
Dream of having a movie made of your novel or want to win prizes or get chosen by Oprah.
Would prefer to minimize (comparatively) the time spent marketing.
Want the validation of success on the traditional publishing stage or just the reassurance that your book was one of the few good enough to make it through the gauntlet of gatekeepers.
Are willing to invest the time it takes to query agents, get the manuscript ready for submission to publishers, and produce the final book.
Can handle the rejection, criticism, and rewrites that come with working with agents and editors.
Have written a book that falls cleanly into one genre AND meets the narrow word-count guidelines for that genre.
SELF PUBLISHING might be the better choice if you...
Have written this book just for fun and want to make it available to family and friends.
Are writing a series ( and have more than one book complete or have ended your book on a cliffhanger).
Write prolifically, producing several publication-ready manuscripts per year.
Write shorts, novelettes, or novellas.
Write erotica, particularly types that appeal to niche audiences.
Have written a book that might be deemed hard to sell because it crosses genres or is in a genre not selling well commercially.
Can afford to invest money in professional editing, a quality cover, or other service.
Know who your potential buyers are and have a solid plan for reaching them.
Want to publish quickly (or NOW).
Cannot handle the rejection, criticism, and rewrites that come with working with agents and editors.
A word about money...
Self publishing pays a significantly higher royalty percentage, but there are potentially high upfront production costs if you want to put out a professional-looking product.
Traditional publishing pays a small royalty percentage, but you have NO upfront financial investment (or risk), and the publisher covers all production costs.
Self published books *tend* to sell only a few copies. The average is around 50 copies. The risk of not recouping your investment is very high.
Traditionally published books sell an average of around 5000 copies.
Books that are self published "well" tend to sell more copies.
There is no simple answer to the question of "Which type of publishing is better?" Neither is right for every author or every book. Each has its pros and cons. You have to weigh the pros and cons against your unique situation to determine which solution is better for you.
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING might be the better choice if you...
Have one standalone novel.
Plan to write only this one book.
Plan to write a series or multiple books, but write only one book a year or so.
Write picture books, chapter books, or books for young YA readers, because it's difficult to get self-published books in front of this buying audience.
Have no money to invest up front.
Want an advance.
Want to get your book on bookstore shelves.
Dream of having a movie made of your novel or want to win prizes or get chosen by Oprah.
Would prefer to minimize (comparatively) the time spent marketing.
Want the validation of success on the traditional publishing stage or just the reassurance that your book was one of the few good enough to make it through the gauntlet of gatekeepers.
Are willing to invest the time it takes to query agents, get the manuscript ready for submission to publishers, and produce the final book.
Can handle the rejection, criticism, and rewrites that come with working with agents and editors.
Have written a book that falls cleanly into one genre AND meets the narrow word-count guidelines for that genre.
SELF PUBLISHING might be the better choice if you...
Have written this book just for fun and want to make it available to family and friends.
Are writing a series ( and have more than one book complete or have ended your book on a cliffhanger).
Write prolifically, producing several publication-ready manuscripts per year.
Write shorts, novelettes, or novellas.
Write erotica, particularly types that appeal to niche audiences.
Have written a book that might be deemed hard to sell because it crosses genres or is in a genre not selling well commercially.
Can afford to invest money in professional editing, a quality cover, or other service.
Know who your potential buyers are and have a solid plan for reaching them.
Want to publish quickly (or NOW).
Cannot handle the rejection, criticism, and rewrites that come with working with agents and editors.
A word about money...
Self publishing pays a significantly higher royalty percentage, but there are potentially high upfront production costs if you want to put out a professional-looking product.
Traditional publishing pays a small royalty percentage, but you have NO upfront financial investment (or risk), and the publisher covers all production costs.
Self published books *tend* to sell only a few copies. The average is around 50 copies. The risk of not recouping your investment is very high.
Traditionally published books sell an average of around 5000 copies.
Books that are self published "well" tend to sell more copies.
Tom Tate
Copywriter
15
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
Tom’s Answer
Hi Rhiannon. You've just asked the toughest question: how to get visibility as an author. I have written two novels, and promotion has been the most challenging piece of the puzzle. I went the self-publishing route rather than seeking a publisher because I was writing my books as much for me and a few family members and friends as for anything else. Sure, I'd love to make tons of money, but promoting takes an enormous amount of time, something I don't have a lot of since I write for others:>)
Thinking about it, it dawned on me that working as an editor for a publisher might be a good approach for these reasons:
1) You get exposure to the publishing business.
2) You learn what sells and what doesn't.
3) You can see how other authors write and use that to refine your style.
4) You make contacts that can shorten the path to being properly promoted.
With an English background and the modern editing software tools, the task of editing is simpler than in the past. Don't get me wrong, it is still a demanding job and one that requires absolute accuracy. Also, you might have to begin editing in a field outside your preferred writing genre. For example, you might start with a technical or legal editing role even if you want to write fiction.
Good luck!
Work as an editor for your school's publications whether they are for students, alumni, or other audiences.
Edit doctoral candidate's theses.
Work for a publisher near your home if you want to be onsite, or seek out editing roles remotely.
Thinking about it, it dawned on me that working as an editor for a publisher might be a good approach for these reasons:
1) You get exposure to the publishing business.
2) You learn what sells and what doesn't.
3) You can see how other authors write and use that to refine your style.
4) You make contacts that can shorten the path to being properly promoted.
With an English background and the modern editing software tools, the task of editing is simpler than in the past. Don't get me wrong, it is still a demanding job and one that requires absolute accuracy. Also, you might have to begin editing in a field outside your preferred writing genre. For example, you might start with a technical or legal editing role even if you want to write fiction.
Good luck!
Tom recommends the following next steps: