The Two Worlds of Becoming an Author

So, you want to be an Author?

Writing is putting the stories in our head into a format where we can share it with others, or simply keep it for our own enjoyment later.   There are two distinct parts to being an author that do not necessarily apply to just being a writer.

Writers enjoy the artistic side of the craft. They tell their stories; they create worlds and characters.  They evoke emotion and imagination in their readers.  Writing is truly an art.

As such, writing can take many directions, some even outside the control of the writer.  Many times, once characters or the outline is created, other ideas, concepts and direction will emerge beyond the writer’s control.  This isn’t just specific to fiction writers; nonfiction writers are many times afflicted with this same hematoma of original ideas.

This only becomes an issue as we decide that we want our works to be available to others. Becoming an author, means getting published.

Publishing is not just sharing your artistic endeavor with others.  Publishing is the other side of the writing profession.  Publishing is the business of writing.  If you are not ready to start a business, then you probably are not ready to publish.  There are many aspects to the business side once you decide that it is the direction you will pursue.

First, once you decide that you will publish, you have an obligation to put forth the best version of your work that you possibly can.  This means editing and rewriting.

Editing and rewriting is how you polish your manuscript to make the words have the greatest possible effect on the reader.

Second, you need a true cover design. The cover is the first opportunity to sell your written work. It is the quiet salesperson who has the job of cold calling potential readers.

Third, takes us to publication, the physical act of creating a book. This article isn’t to suggest one version of publishing over another. I will only say this; Publishing is how you get the product your business will sell. Choose wisely. And like any business opportunity, do your homework before you make a decision.

Finally, the biggest expense of the business side of becoming an Author. Marketing. This is how you expand your brand and the public’s knowledge of the existence of your book.

There are all kinds of ways to market your book. Hopefully you have a publisher that will develop a plan with you and help implement it in a way that gets the most bang for your buck.  Ultimately, this is still a business, and you must remember to treat it that way as you move forward to your hopefully inevitable success.

KA Brown
03/16/23

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