G I V E A W A Y   E N D E D

Guest Post:
One of my most longed-after dreams came true back in 2014, when I received the email informing me that my debut novel (written under a different pseudonym) was being published. To this day, seeing a story I wrote in novel form for the first time – and every time after – still feels like a dream. But I mistakenly believed that email would forever stamp my life with a “before” and “after” mark – before I was a published author and after I became a published author and that those two lives would look very different. I believed my identify would change, my livelihood would change, that being invited into that very exclusive Published Author camp had irrevocably altered my status. Mistakenly being the key word, and here are seven realizations I hope to share with aspiring writers out there:

1. The relationships formed in the publishing world don’t necessarily last forever. People will break up with you. Often. Membership rights to the club aren’t necessarily of the lifetime variety.

I believed that once I proved myself as a writer worthy of being published, I would have the opportunity to keep publishing, indefinitely. Sadly, this is not the case. This industry is a tough one, this industry has its own struggles to keep churning along, things change a lot, and things change quickly. Publishing companies can’t justify buying your books if they’re not profitable enough, even if they like them, even if they like you. Agents can’t keep championing your stories if they’re not what the industry is looking for, at that moment, if there are other concepts even remotely like yours, even if they love your story, even if they love you. At the end of the day, publishing is a business, and that business dictates if publishing can become your career. Not your work ethic, not your creativity, not your product. 

No writer is alone in this struggle. There are more talented, once published authors whom I’m friends with in my Insta feed than talented, unsigned country singer on stage in Nashville bars. There’s plenty of talent that currently doesn’t have a place to print their stories in this industry, even if they once did. So if you have an opportunity, cherish it. But remember that each and every single story is a stand-alone, and you can’t bank an entire future on that single opportunity.

2. Invest in so much other than the craft.

Traditionally published or not, if you put a book out into the world, you will come to find out how hard it is to… get that book out into the world. There are so many books. So. Many. Books. Readers with sky-high virtual TBR piles. Covers that looks like yours, because you want your cover to look like comparable books out there. Hooks that sound like yours, because you want your hook to catch the same type of reader. So getting your book to stand out while still fitting in takes a ton of work.

Navigating self-pub options (Kindle Unlimited versus Going Wide for example), social media and ad campaigns, ready-made cover designs versus learning how to DIY – it can definitely feel overwhelming and like there’s more information out there than one can possibly process, especially while trying to write a book. 

You don’t have to get through it all. There’s no way you’ll get through it all. But you can learn some, from those who have been there and done that. So make sure you spend time learning about things other than just writing technique before sharing your book with the world. The reality is that marketing falls primarily upon the author, even really well-known authors. And you at least need to have your eyes open to the world of author responsibilities beyond telling the story if you want to set yourself up for success.

3. Friends are important, but can be fleeting. Make them count.

Of course it’s important to connect and network with other authors. But there is inevitably a sense of “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” that comes from forming online friendships with people you may never meet in real life, when you know both party stands to gain from having one more author in their corner who can promote their book and help reach a wider audience. And keeping up with these friendships can be time-consuming if you’ve connected with too many people with favors to ask of you. It’s easy to become disillusioned when people don’t provide the same level of support in return as you might offer, also.

A word of advice? Quality over quantity. If you’ve connected with other authors you really vibe with, invest in those people – make it real and make it count. You might not end up with as large a network as some, but you will have a network you can count on, so long as this network knows it can also count on you. Develop relationships with those whose work you truly admire and who you authentically connect with – don’t lather fake praise or spend a whole lot of time kissing someone’s butt just because they’re successful if you don’t really gel with them or their body of work. It all comes out in the wash, and in the end, all that’s left are the authentic connections anyway. 

4. No matter what I’ve accomplished or what I haven’t, there’s still no joy like connecting with readers.

People have laughed when I’ve said perhaps the highlight of my “writing career” was the fervent reader response to my stories and characters I got when anonymously publishing Twilight fanfic at the height of its fandom craze. But I’m not being entirely glib. I still hold to the assertion that there’s nothing more fulfilling than a passionate response from a reader – sometimes more fulfilling than contracts and dollars and foreign editions. I’ve learned this after having all those things. Because when they’re stripped away, and you’re putting stories out into the world without the opportunity for them to be placed on an end cap at B&N and without publicists supporting your marketing, all you have is your readers. Their hunger for your stories and the time they’re willing to spend with your words. And when they grant you this gift, it feels worth more than gold when everything else is stripped away.

Never underestimate how much it means to any author when you let them know how their stories have impacted you! Never underestimate a single rating or review. Never feel silly for reaching out to your favorite author on social media. On some days, readers are the only thing that keep writers going, and you can absolutely make someone’s day but letting them know you are one of theirs.

5. There is power, freedom, and joy in self-publishing.

I’ve definitely come to see self-publishing as something other than a “last resort.” After publishing options shifted due to various factors, and after my agent released me following a change in focus and lack of success selling my latest work, I was impacted way more than professionally. My soul was wounded. I felt like I’d been silenced, like my voice had been taken away. 

When I was eventually ready to consider self-publishing, I was surprised to find how empowering it felt to be able to put my stories out into the world, exactly as I wanted them, exactly how I wanted to do it. Are they as polished as some of my novels that had a team of editors and copy editors poring over them? Of course not. Are they my stories? Yes. Can I share them with anyone who wants to read them? Yes. Do I feel fulfilled and proud of taking the process from start to finish all by myself? Absolutely yes, yes, yes!

6. Whatever happens, don’t let this industry take your passion from you!

There’s an inherent danger in trying to make money doing what you love. Sure, it might sounds like a dream to be a full-time writer, but that’s a dream a very select few actually get to live out. For every other author, trying to make money from selling books while dealing with the frustration of finding and keeping representation, hearing “no” a thousand times over, hearing your ideas aren’t marketable right now a hundred times over, trying to make your art fit into a different shaped box so you might be profitable, playing by rules you can’t seem to apply to your creativity, devoting hours and days and weeks and months to a project and characters you fall in love with only to see them go nowhere… this can really take a toll on an artist’s soul. 

I’ve spoken to several authors who are saddened to realize after going through the wringer that is the publishing industry, they no longer even want to write. The creative drive has left, a learned helplessness has settled in, and it seems there’s no point at all in trying. Moments I’ve felt like that have left me incredibly sad, because it’s felt like an actual part of my being has shriveled up and died. 

In those moments, I’ve realized the importance of stepping away. Rather than pounding my head against a wall, I’ve stepped back from the wall. Because more upsetting to me than an unpublished version of myself is a version of myself that doesn’t feel like writing. Writing has always been the things that’s lit me up, that’s been my escape from stress rather than a cause of it. So sometimes I’ve temporarily put the proverbial pen down and waited until creativity has struck, even if I just want to write for myself, knowing it will go nowhere. Writing is an endeavor I cherish, and if it ever comes to a point where I feel like the endeavor to get my words into the world is taking more from me than it’s giving… my love of writing is not a price I’m willing to pay.

7. Getting a complete story down on paper is not an easy feat – and if you are an author… by all means, YOU ARE AN AUTHOR!

One time I was telling my non-author friend how after not having traditionally published a book in some odd years, I was suffering imposter syndrome when someone referred to me as an author. I said something akin to, “I feel like I can’t really say that anymore. It seems like I’ve had my shot and that part of my life over, like I’m claiming I’m something I’m not when I use the term ‘author.’” 

She was sort of appalled. “You are absolutely an author!” she reminded me. “Are you kidding me? I couldn’t begin to find the time to write a book while working and managing my family, let alone begin to do so even if I tried. Your words are beautiful and your stories are amazing. You are always going to be an author!”

I try to remember this. I try to take it to heart. Because it’s true, that there’s a very small part of the population that could actually sit down and do what authors – traditionally published or otherwise – can do. 

The number of books you publish doesn’t make you an author. Having representation or not doesn’t make you an author. End caps at B&N, and book tours, and spots on the NYT best seller’s list doesn’t make you an author. Breathing life into characters with your words, crafting their tales and weaving their journeys, embracing more than the idea or inspiration for a story but ACTUALLY MAKING IT HAPPEN… this is what makes you an author. 

Claim the title for yourself. Wear it proudly. Because it’s the craft that makes you an author, not the pedestal or sits upon or the price it gets at auction. You go, you Author you. You go.

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Synopsis:

Blessing Savage barely remembers who she was before the unexpected death of her father, Pastor Savage. These days she clings desperately to the party girl persona she’s created for her second year of college, living with a new group of friends, joining their sorority, and partying non-stop. There’s only one thing that can kill her perpetual buzz, and his name is Camden Holbrook, the boy she’s pined for for nearly a decade.

Camden credits Blessing’s father for saving him when he was a child, giving him a place to stay when his mother abandoned him and setting him back on the right track. So when Pastor Savage asked a promise of Camden before dying – to look out for Blessing – he made a vow and meant it. Protecting Blessing has always come easily. Loving her has not. Not for someone who’s learned time and time again that love and loss are intricately interwoven.

After years of Camden keeping her at arm’s length, the last thing Blessing wants is him barging into her life. But new Blessing refuses to let Cam play knight-in-shining-armor, not when she knows – from one starry summer’s night slip-up – how he really feels about her. This time around, Blessing’s intent on pushing Camden’s limits, and she’s got some sexy new tricks up her sleeve to take him past them. Then maybe he’ll admit the truth of his feelings. Maybe the person who’s always known her best can help her find a way back to herself. Maybe she can prove to Camden that love doesn’t always destroy a person. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that can start putting them back together.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Bio:

Spend more time with Anna Campbell and her stories on Instagram: @annacampbellstories

Anna Campbell has traditionally published several stories for teens over the years under a different pen name. Anna Campbell stories are mature YA/NA angsty stories about beatiful broken people who love hard and still believe in happy endings.

Goodreads / Instagram

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