Are You Prepared for the Big Time?

First off, congrats to author Angel Christina Archer for winning the $20.00 amazon or b&n giftcard from last week’s Toni Kelly Halloween post. Thank you to all of you who joined Nights of Passion during our Halloween Spooktacular! For those of you who missed it, there is always next year!

Now onto this week’s post…

Just a couple days ago I listened to an interview on public radio with Robert Galbraith (also known as JK Rowlings – her pen name for a mystery/thriller series) whom I had never heard of before then. I have certainly heard of JK Rowlings and I’ve also heard of authors taking on multiple pen names, especially as we look to target different audiences of readers. It just makes sense, especially for bigger name authors like JK Rowlings who build up such a following. Most interesting to me in this interview was JK Rowling’s reference to the immense pressure she felt with the Harry Potter series—something she didn’t mind leaving behind as she transitioned into this new series. I found this interesting because many authors dream about making it big and having a huge outreach, but at many times, we don’t remember everything that comes with this.

As an author, I have found the most surprising part of writing all the social media and marketing work that goes into building a brand and growing your base. Admittedly, the demands of my daytime job and home life don’t quite allow for my own ability to spend so much time on social media—which is why my own writing has taken a back seat for a bit (not for too much longer I hope!) but JK Rowling’s own reflections on her experiences and the pressures of writing a big-time series really does give one pause. Nobody plans to be a big-time author. One simply aims to write a great book and sometimes it resonates with a big audience and sometimes it doesn’t. Still, it kind of goes back to what I always say in aiming to give our all and being prepared for what comes our way, at least as much as we can. Moral of the story? It helps to think ahead and see the big picture, not necessarily just the short term gratification. Are you writing the best story you can? And are you prepared for that big splash?

Good luck writing this week and thanks for joining me!

Filed under: A writer's life, Toni Kelly