The Long Game of a Writer

As wonderful as it would be to have a bestseller on your book's release day, the odds are, unless you are backed by a publisher or slowly gaining a heavy following, it isn't likely.

Now, my intention is not to crush your hopes and dreams but to simply help you set not only your expectations but your goals as a writer. Are you seeking quick fame and following or long-lasting readership?

What I have come to learn as a writer is that each story, each piece of writing, and each novel is paving your way. Now that I understand this, I know that each product I put out as a writer is going to set a precedent. Each thing becoming another brick on the platform I am building for my brand. Learn more here about Building a Brand as an Author.

Am I saying that you shouldn't get your expectations up when it comes to sales? Absolutely not! I am definitely one of those people who checks the sales charts so much that I'm afraid it'll break. But knowing that with all the work I put in, the progress that I make, and the connections I develop are only going to increase my sales over time.

In the title of this little post, I mention the long game. What exactly did I mean by that? Exactly as it sounds. As important as it is to celebrate and anticipate each achievement along the way, you need to focus on the larger picture. Where you see yourself as a writer once all of the groundwork is laid.

For example, I started reading Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft. This book was not what I expected it to be so far but has taught me so many things, one of the main ones being patience. Over King's writing career he explains how he started writing stories for magazines and his brother's local newspaper. Such a simple task that not only worked on his writing craft itself through practice and feedback but on how he built his audience. I believe there are so many lessons to be taken from that. The long game itself, coming from a man who has too many books to count. (I checked... 63 Novels, 11 Collections, and 5 Non-Fiction.)

I know that this isn't some long-winded inspiring piece about how to increase your profits or a guaranteed way to reach your readers. ( I mean, even I want to know those nuggets of golden wisdom.) But, I can tell you to not give up. To keep striving for solid, great content for your platform. And I can tell you that even if all of the other perks (Sales, readers, and more) catch your eye, never forget why you started writing in the first place. The art of storytelling. The love of creating worlds, characters, and things that matter.