By Joss Wood
It’s easy right? You get the call, you sign the contract, write the book, you’re on your way to a fantastic, rocket-fast career as a published author…
I hope that’s what’s happened to you but in case you are a mere mortal like me, I have some tips! These are my five tips learned over eleven years and seventy books.
It’s your journey…
An author friend who started at the same time as you has just picked a big deal contract with a huge advance, another has hit the USA Today Bestseller list. That one seems to be making bank self-publishing… Everyone seems to be doing so much better than you. I’ve learned not to compare myself to other authors, and I stay in my own lane. This my journey, they are on theirs. And I always remind myself to be happy for them in their winning season, because I have no idea what they went through in their losing season.
Boosting other writers does not take away sales from you…
Coming from a business background, I know that competition is good, and that cross-promotion is always beneficial. So if a writer hits me up and asks if I will promote a book, I always say yes. I believe that everything that goes around comes around. I will always be a loud cheerleader for other romance authors.
Writing is hard work…
It takes discipline, determination, and persistence. When I started writing full time, I remember thinking I have to approach this as if I would a day job. So I get dressed, put on a little makeup and make it to my desk by 7.30 AM. I stay there for a good six to eight hours. I make a point of hitting my deadlines: I don’t want to make my editor’s job harder than it needs to be. Writing is my career, and I take it seriously.
You need to be super-resilient.
I’ve had a change of editors, I’ve had my fair share of rejection and bad reviews, and I’ve frequently considered the switch to raising llamas. More than anything else, I think resilience (and persistence) are the keys to a career as an author.
Learn the mechanics.
I believe a ‘voice’ can’t be taught—you can’t teach someone to have a personality, right?—but you can learn your craft. Get to grips with conflict, structure, stakes, goals, motivations and character arcs. Don’t stop learning, ever.
Holding your book in your hands, hearing from readers, knowing you gave someone a few hours of escapist pleasure? The best feeling ever! Hemingway describe writing as simply sitting down at the typewriter, opening your veins, and bleeding.
That’s what I intend to keep doing…
Happy writing!
Joss
Follow me on @josswoodbooks everywhere.
In Joss Wood’s latest Afterglow Books, Love in Translation, a stressed-out translator on the brink of a meltdown and a thrill seeker with a serious case of wanderlust find love outside their comfort zones.
Up until a few months ago, Rheo Whitlock had it all. Stability, self-confidence and a safe job as an interpreter for the United Nations… It was the predictable sort of existence she, as a dedicated homebody, had always dreamed of—the security she’d needed thanks to her nomadic #vanlife upbringing. But ever since an unfortunate “hot mic” moment threw her career into a tailspin, she’s been struggling—really struggling—with fear, anxiety and uncertainty. A calculated escape is in order, and Rheo knows just the place: her grandmother’s secluded hideaway in the breathtaking town of Gilmartin.
Except she won’t be alone, thanks to a random twist of fate…
Fletcher Wright lives for adrenaline, always chasing the next high. So when he learns he’ll have to share his rental accommodations with Rheo—a stranger, basically—he simply chalks it up to another challenge. It doesn’t hurt that there’s an immediate attraction between them, which neither can explain. Before long, they’re not just sharing a house and new experiences—they’re sharing a bed. But when it’s time for Fletcher to move on to the next adventure, he and Rheo will both have to decide—are they ready to take the biggest risk of all?
Love in Translation is out now! Check it out on Harlequin.com.
