Successful Self-Publishing: What is your definition of success?
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”
—Stephen King, On Writing
Before we jump into the mechanics of self-publishing, let’s take a step back and consider why you’re publishing a book in the first place.
Most authors write their first book because something is burning on their heart. They have a story to tell, a life experience to share, or they want to help people and change the world.
Essentially, that first book is all about you, the author.
And that’s fine, all the way up to the point of publication.
But I get emails every day from writers who are disappointed with their sales or how their author career has panned out.
If you want to be ‘successful,’ then you need to define what ‘success’ means. Then you know what to aim for, and you can use that definition to help guide your decisions.
The most disappointed authors are the ones who thought they wanted one thing but actually craved something else.
Here are some common visions of what publishing success might look like.
• It’s my life goal to write a book. I want to create something I’m proud of and hold my book in my hand and say, ‘I made this!’
• I want my book to change lives
• I want an agent and a publisher to give me a book deal, so I have the validation of traditional publishing
• I want to win a literary prize and receive critical acclaim
• I want to see my book on the shelves in my local bookstore
• I want to make enough money from my books that I can pay for a holiday every year for my family
• I want to leave my job and make a full-time living as an author
• I want to create a body of work that I’m proud of over my lifetime
These are all great definitions, and it’s really about considering what’s important to you and how you’re going to measure your success along the way. Of course, you might also have a combination of goals, and your definition of success might shift and change over time as your career grows.
You will also face challenges along the way, so consider your deeper reasons to write and revisit them if you need encouragement as your author career unfolds.
My evolving definition of success
Back in 2006, when I was miserable in my consulting day job implementing accounts payable systems, my definition of success was to leave my job and (somehow) make a living as an author.
It took five years of writing in the early mornings, building my website and podcast, and learning a lot of different skills to make it out of that job. I kept building step by step, year by year, and eventually we downsized so I could leave in 2011.
But that was just the start!
My next definition of success was getting back up to the income I had earned in consulting. I wanted to make six figures.
That took a few more years, but by 2015, I was earning more than the old day job. I’ve surpassed that every year since, and I’ve never gone back.
I’ve also had smaller goals along the way, like hitting bestseller lists and winning awards, which take time and strategy, as well as focusing on improving my craft.
My definition of success now, after almost twenty years as a writer, is to keep making a living as an author entrepreneur, with multiple streams of income, so I can continue to live a creative life, write the books I want to write, and travel for book research.
I measure my life by what I create, and that drives me on, along with all the ideas and stories in my head that want to be books!
This is my job, but I also write for the love of creating, and I want to be proud of every book I publish — now, and until my metaphorical pen runs dry.
I intend to write for the rest of my life, hopefully for at least another forty years. I’m in this for the long haul. The creative journey is the point, and there is no end game.
Your definition of success will differ from mine — now and in the future — so for now, just consider the first step.
Let’s move on to the practicalities of making it happen!
Questions:
• What is your definition of success — for the particular book you’re writing now, and for your longer-term writing career?
• How will you track and measure that success over time?
• What are the deeper reasons behind your writing?
• What will keep you going when things are difficult?
Resources:
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft — Stephen King
