I often get asked to give advice to aspiring authors. This seems to be a favorite topic for podcast hosts and panel moderators at writing conferences. Today, I’d like to offer you an expanded version of my reply: eight pieces of advice meant to help you go from aspiring to published author.

This advice is just as applicable to novelists as it is to nonfiction writers. And each one is as timeless as the next.

1. Don’t give up on yourself or your dream of authorship.

The journey to authorship can be challenging and involve rejection, critical feedback, and sacrifice. That’s why so many writers never become authors. When the going gets tough, they give up on themselves and their dream of becoming an author.

You can let the challenges of fulfilling your dream stop you. Or you can continue to believe in yourself and your dream of becoming a published writer—and take action to reach that goal. The choice is yours.

No one can do either of those things for you. You might find some cheerleaders willing to encourage you. But in the end, you have to believe in yourself and your dream enough to keep trying to achieve it. And if no one’s on the sidelines cheering you on, be your own cheerleader.

2. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t (or shouldn’t) become an author.

Loads of people will tell you it’s crazy to dream of authorship, and that you aren’t cut out to be an author. Let them have their opinion.

Their beliefs about whether or not you should become an author have more to do with them than with you. Maybe they don’t believe that they can achieve a dream. Perhaps they tried to become an author and failed. The reason why they don’t think you should pursue authorship has to do with their experiences, beliefs, and outlook on life.

The only person whose opinion matters is yours. So don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t become an author or talk you out of pursuing your dream.

3. Be a writer.

You must be a writer to become an author. Many people claim to be writers, but they don’t write. Or they journal but never produce publishable work or pursue publication. They avoid, procrastinate, and find many reasons to do almost anything, but write or do what it takes to become a writer.

First and foremost, be a writer. Make “writer” your identity. Then your habits and mindset will align with that identity, making it much easier to write consistently.

4. Be an author.

If you dream of becoming an author, you have to do the things that authors do. And you need to do them before you’re actually an author.

Be an author. Take on that identity. When you do that, your habits and mindset will align with that identity.

What do authors do? They write. They build an author platform or an audience for their books. They self-publish or traditionally publish. And they market their books.

Ultimately, authors publish. So if you want to be an author, do the things that get you published.

5. Don’t get your advice from too many places.

There’s so much information on the Internet and available via AI, and so many people claiming to be publishing experts. Aspiring authors try to learn from all these sources to get clarity on how to get published.

The result of all this research is that they end up confused, overwhelmed, and stuck. They don’t know who is giving them good information or bad information, and they accumulate so much advice that they don’t know what to do next. Plus, the advice offered by so-called experts often differs, leaving the newbie with no idea who to believe.

It’s all well and good to do research and learn as much as you can. Eventually, though, you need to choose one source of information. Find one real writing and publishing expert, and follow their advice. Take the steps they recommend.

And when I say a “real” publishing expert, I mean someone who has not just published one or two books independently and decided they know everything there is to know about writing and publishing. I mean someone who has successfully self- or traditionally published multiple times. You want a mentor who knows the ins and outs of the publishing path you choose, and someone with a proven track record.

6. Develop an Author Attitude.

Many aspiring authors never become published authors because they lack what I call an “Author Attitude.” Without it, you are more likely to give up on your dream of authorship.

I wrote at length about Author Attitude in my book The Author Training Manual. Let me give you a quick synopsis of what an Author Attitude comprises.

First, you need willingness. You must be willing to do many things you might not know how or want to do, but which are necessary to achieve authorship. To become an author, you need to be willing to sacrifice, do the difficult work of writing, risk rejection, accept constructive criticism, and develop the habits and mindsets that help you succeed. If you aren’t willing, you’re gonna struggle to become an author.

Second, you need optimism. If you approach the journey to becoming an author with a negative mindset, you’re gonna find it hard to keep moving forward towards your goal. You have to be the type of person who sees a rejection letter, for example, as just one step towards getting an acceptance. You have to be someone who continues to see possibilities even when everyone else sees none.

Third, you need objectivity. It’s easy to take everything personally, from rejections to critical feedback from editors to bad reviews. You need to develop the ability to step back and consider all of these things objectively. You can’t take them personally.

Fourth, you need tenacity. You can’t be the type of person who stops trying to find a publisher or agent after the first rejection letter arrives. You can’t give up when your editor tells you you need to revise your manuscript. You have to keep going no matter what. You must be so committed to yourself, your book project, and your dream that you refuse to let anything stop you from achieving your goal.

7. Engage in personal growth.

Work on yourself. You are the only thing standing in the way of becoming a published author, so you need to get yourself out of the way.

How do you do that? By engaging in personal growth work.

You might be thinking that personal growth has nothing to do with writing, publishing, or becoming an author. In fact, it has everything to do with it.

If you want a supportive identity, habits, and mindset, all of which help you become an author, you have to develop them. Do that through personal growth, which could mean attending a workshop, hiring a private transformational coach or Certified High Performance Coach, getting involved in a group coaching program, or reading self-help books. You need to find a way to see your blind spots and how your words, beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors hold you back, making it almost impossible to achieve your goal of authorship. Once you see them, you can change.

Every time you work on yourself and try to improve in ways that help you become a person who can do the things necessary to get published, you move yourself towards authorship. And you will achieve that goal faster as a result.

8. Manage your career.

You need to manage your career. You can’t leave your career as a writer and author to anyone else but you.

Those who traditionally publish often end up leaving career decisions to their literary agent or publishers. If you are starting out and you’ve hired a book or author coach, you might allow such a person to advise you on your career. But if you’re not careful, you will give your power away to them.

Don’t do that! Stand up for yourself and take control of your career.

I have had several experiences in which others tried to dictate my next steps as a writer and author. And I’ve allowed others to keep me waiting and to tell me what to do. I have always regretted giving these people power over me and my career.

I have had to muster the courage and self-confidence to stand up and say “no,” to cancel a contract with an agent, to voice my opinion to a publisher, and to disagree with an editor. I have self-published my work and sought out the right agent or publisher for my books..

Actors often have managers who help direct their careers, but the actors have the final say. The same goes for writers. No matter what, you need to have the final say on what you do or don’t do with your career and how and when you become an author.

Take the Advice…or Leave It

Along the same lines, stand in your power and take my advice…or leave it. It’s up to you. Learn to discern who to trust…and who not to.

My advice does come from a long career as a journalist, book coach, author coach, developmental editor, and self- and traditionally published author. I’ve had 20 books on the Amazon Top 100 list, and six on the Authorship Top 100 List at the same time. I run two tracks at the San Francisco Writers Conference and am a popular writing podcast, summit, and conference speaker.

But decide for yourself.

Ultimately, what I want to advise you to do is this: Be the type of writer who becomes an author.

Do you have any advice to add to this list? Tell me in a comment below. Also, please share this post with a writer who would benefit from reading it. And if you are looking for an Author Coach to provide you with more time-tested advice, click here. Or join the Nonfiction Writers’ University for group Author Coaching and training.

Image courtesy of mhyimge.