#fridayfive 2.23.2024

5 more tips for new authors. These are some more things I wish I’d known before I got my first publishing contact.

plan for the long game. There’s a saying that everyone has one book in them. That would make you a one-and-done author. Don’t be a one-and-done author. Make this a serious career and plan for it like you would if it were a job out in the workforce.don’t write to market. Ever. Today’s hot vampire is tomorrow’s cliche. Today’s dark fantasy fae is tomorrow’s no-sales story. Write what you want to write, not what the market at the moment is telling you is hot.don’t overload yourself with social media. You don’t have to be everywhere, posting constantly. I learned this lesson early on when all I was doing was creating content and not creating stories. Pick a lane and make yourself an expert at it.never stop learning the craft. Take courses. Go to conferences. Read craft books. Never stop learning. Your writing will only mature and get better if you do.networking works. Join a writing group. Start locally and move to the national level. Many times it really isn’t what you know but who you’ve met that can give you a leg up in the business. Learn that lesson early in your career and it will truly help you.