Shadowed Seats by Marguerite Ashton Book Tour, Guest Post, & Giveaway! {Ends 2/16/23

10 Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author I Didn’t Know Before

The ten things I wished I’d known about being an author before deciding to make it a career are not centered around a list. For me, I had to incorporate a process of evaluation. I had a lot of unpacking to do when I completed my second novel, Promised Lies. 

In the beginning, I dedicated every hour that I could between raising kids and getting through life while finding time to write. I’m thinking; I’ve got this. Later I realized that wasn’t true. My plan had failed.

However, writing kept me focused. Weird to say, I know. But writing was something that I looked forward to doing as much as I could. It went from a hobby to wanting to write full-time. Then it dawned on me that I was in a tough industry. Unless I was able to sign with a literary agent, there was no way to compete with an already saturated market.

So, rather than give up, I decided to treat my writing as a business and put together an LLC, allowing me to write and publish the books. I have worked with wonderful editors and cover artists who helped me to keep my dream alive.

But then I hit a wall. They say that most authors are responsible to help with marketing. I did what I could, but it didn’t go well. I thought I’d come this far, and there’s no way I’m giving up now. Then in 2020, my mom passed away. One of the cheerleaders’ who encouraged me to keep on writing was ripped from my life.  As a momma’s girl, I was crushed. There would be no more mother-daughter dates at Starbucks or breakfast, lunch, or dinners. My momma was gone.

I had two books that were due to be released that year. The whole, keep your publishing obligations no matter what went out the window. As a one-person team, I had to step back and breathe. The main thing that sat in my head was that I couldn’t write. Normally, I could write my way through the chaos. Not this time.

So, I’m hoping that the above can give you a hint of what I’m about to say regarding the things I wished I’d known before taking the leap into an author’s world.

The most important thing for me is that writing is like food. I love it! I learned that writing a book is not easy. Rewrites are my favorite thing to do because that’s the moment where you get to go back and fill in what was missing. Rewrite and create a better scene for my main character. But when it’s time to package the completed manuscript, I always feel a sense of joy, and oh crap, will my book make my readers happy. Whether it’s my writing style or the story itself, I have learned there will be people who aren’t interested in my books. My little sticky note on my laptop says, “Keep writing! Don’t read reviews and learn something new every day about writing.”

 Writing is what I do. It’s my job!