Oh yes … I’ve heard … you’ve heard … we have ALL heard about the author who starts up chatter in the book world. Out of the blue, one hits the bookselling lottery. A gazillion copies are sold. The media is all over the place. The buzz is, well, the buzz.

Authoring … what a journey.  Highs and lows. Hopes and fears. Tears and joy. And a journey that requires perseverance. It’s the magic word that creates the buzz … the book sales … the author success. If that’s “the lottery”, then every one of us–meaning YOU– has the ability to grab the winning ticket. Your lucky charms have lined up!

Webster’s defines perseverance as a continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.

Reality check: it’s not easy being an author. There’s rejection—sometimes in a cascading abundance. There are flops; authors feel that nobody likes them, everybody hates them AND everything attempted is a massive flop. There are times when an author think there’s no freakin’ way she or he can sell a book. Yup, sometimes an author feels like that being a solo on the publishing dance card is a label that will be worn in perpetuity.

Hang on. We all feel that way at times. The publishing dance card is actually quite crowded. No author is alone here.

But then, a nudge comes into play. You love your topic. The cover brings a smile to your face. You remember the unbelievable sense of pride when you held that first book in your hand. A kind word, email, or note comes the way that you’ve made a difference, solved a problem or just provided a new fan with a terrific story.

Isn’t that what we authors face—sometimes on a daily basis? Are you thrilled with your book sales? Would you like to increase them? Book sales don’t come from luck … they come from marketing work. And perseverance.

Your book is like an iceberg—5 percent is the writing; the other 95 percent is below the surface … everything that you do to kick-start sales, your marketing, and your on-going plan. The continuation of your Book and Author Platforms. Author Success. Everything.

For sure, authoring and publishing aren’t for sissies.  Successful authors have more rejections than Hogan’s got goats. Successful authors have it the wall of dismal sales more times than they care to count. Successful authors have received more negative reviews than their walls have room to post them on. Successful authors have had days, sometimes weeks, months, even years when they have wondered, “What was I thinking …."

Yes, authoring is hard work … what separates the successful author from the non-successful one? One word: perseverance.

The Magic, No … the Wonder of Perseverance … that’s the ticket to Author Success.

Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and works directly with authors who want to be seriously successful and has been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the ’80s. Judith is the author of 36 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35, How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos has earned 7 national book awards in 2017. Her Latest, How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech is out now. Get your copies now.

Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged Bootcamp, a three-day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2019, the dates are June 13-15.  Participate in her Judith Briles Speaking Unplugged Bootcamp held in March and November. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for “AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing." on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow.

Follow @AuthorUYOUBooks and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like." at AuthorU, and join the Facebook group Book Publishing with The Book Shepherd. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact me.

The Book Shepherd ™