Every aspiring author desires to be famous like their role models. There is a burning desire deep within you to smash the barriers and emerge successful with your newfound endeavors. I’m also willing to bet, that you have all these colorful ideas about how to sail your ship, navigate the storm before you, and get productive results from writing and publishing your first book.
Well, you aren’t wrong. It’s okay and very practical
to have a plan about how to begin your career as an author, yet, there are a
few gray areas I’ll love to point out to you, which in the long run might
become a great stumbling block to your motivation to keep pushing forward
because you’ve made it out to be what it isn’t.
The worst thing that can happen to you as you make
progress with your career is realizing barely halfway through, that you were
very wrong about a lot of things and made terrible mistakes along the way believing what you assumed.
These expectations that you have as an aspiring author
are valid, but oftentimes, they are mere expectations and assumptions which are
a far cry from the reality of things as a published author.
In this article, I’ll be sharing 10 unrealistic
writing expectations aspiring authors have Vs the practical reality of things.
What are Writing Expectations?
Writing expectations are those strong beliefs,
assumptions, predictions, and hopeful projections that aspiring authors conjure
in their minds about the entire writing process and journey before venturing
into writing, learning about the process, or beginning their journey as an
author.
These beliefs are usually based on what the author
wants, what they’ve seen others become, the stories they’ve been told or heard,
the need to be like their role models, and the zeal to be different and make
the best out of their passion.
As valid as these expectations are, oftentimes, they
do not turn out exactly as you may have predicted. The fact is that your grand
plan may fall apart within the first few months of testing the waters and leave
you in utter dismay, because the path to success for one author may never work
for you.
What is the validity of writing expectations?
While sticking strictly to your writing expectations
as an aspiring author can be very harmful to your growth, it is best if you
consider using these projections as a base to build upon as you evolve with
your craft. This way, it serves as a guide and motivation for you instead of a
yardstick to measure up to.
There is a need to revamp your mindset about writing
expectations, dissect these harmful thoughts and accept that things aren’t
always going to go as planned.
Writing Expectations Vs Reality
Here are a few out of many writing expectations
aspiring authors tend to conjure up in their minds Vs the actual reality of how
might turn out to be.
Writing Expectation #1: Writing a bestseller on your
first try
You expect to hit the goldmine with your story on the
first try. You passionately have this desire to write a bestseller and
award-winning badass story that will make the world halt on its spinning axis.
That is an amazing and beautiful plan but,
In Reality:
Your first story may or may not get you very far. It could take your second,
fifth, or tenth story to get you close enough to actualize that goal.
It doesn’t mean, your first story was whack or unappealing. No, it simply means you’ve got to keep going until you get there.
Writing Expectation #2: Selling out millions of copies
with your first book
There is a general mindset that as soon as your story
is done, it automatically becomes a money-making machine. There is this staunch
drive to pour everything you’ve got into your first book and ensure it delivers
on the money-making front.
While in Reality:
Your first book may not sell millions of copies or thousands or hundreds. It
may barely make you enough to count six zeroes.
View your first book as a fishing bait to lure in the fish
to your hook. Treat it as a marketing tool for your author brand and use it to
draw in your target readers for future projects.
Your first book may or may not sell out in millions,
but you can take advantage of it in several ways to mark your stand as a
published author.
Writing Expectations #3: Gaining recognition as soon
as you publish your book
Authors entertain this belief about gaining fame as soon
as their first book is officially released. There is this anticipation around
publishing your book that induces the mind into believing your book is a
straight gateway to fame.
While in Reality: Your
book is a ticket that gains you access into the world of published authors, it
demands you do the work to gain recognition. Publishing your book alone doesn’t
guarantee you recognition if you do not put yourself and your author brand out
there.
Writing Expectations #4: Growing your reader base with
ease
Authors expect to attract and grow a large reader base
once their book is published. It is believed that readers should be clamoring
to read your books as soon as you announce their release or introduce yourself
as authors, which creates a sinking feeling when such doesn’t happen as expected.
Because in Reality: Readers
have a preference for the types of books they read, and will choose to read stories
from a trusted and recognized author rather than a newbie author, unless, you prove
to your target audience that your story is worth their time and it delivers
exactly the thrill it promises.
To gain this ground and avoid feelings of disappointment, ensure you have a robust plan for pre-launch, launch, and post-launch campaigns to help you bridge the gap between your expectations and what’s obtainable in reality.
Writing Expectations #5: Always have the motivation to
write
You may be tempted to believe or begin to assume that writing
is easy and there will always be stories waiting to be written when you want
them to be written. You assume ideas are infinite, your enthusiasm will always
be there and the creative ideas will remain robust as ever, whilst it isn’t
always the case.
In Reality: Writing is hard. It is demanding,
tasking, intrusive and time-consuming. You may not always have the motivation
to write or have any exciting idea to write about all the time. You may have to
create your motivations to write and develop habits to help you maintain consistency
and stay productive as an author.
Balancing your creative work life and personal life
may become tedious if you do not create a channel that works for you, so in
truth, the writing journey isn’t always rosy but it evolves as you mature and
grow.
Writing Expectations #6: Believing your book will sell
itself
The expectations to sell out millions of copies are
driven by the staunch belief that your book will sell itself and that a book market
is a friendly place for all authors.
Whilst in Reality:
The book market is a dogged and competitive place with thousands of books released
every day. You need to be more than a self-published author to sell your books.
Without proper marketing and advertising plan, your
book may only sell a handful of copies.
Writing Expectations #7: Assuming you can do it
One of the biggest mistakes you will ever make is
believing you will be able to pull off the jobs of the writer, graphic designer,
publisher, editor, proofreader, reviewer, marketer, and publicist in one go. It
is a big ask for a newbie author and a dangerous path to tread.
Because in Reality:
You cannot do it all. 90% of the time, you need to focus on writing your
stories rather than having to divide your time between activities that can be
outsourced to professionals.
It is very understandable that you are just starting as
an author and cannot bear the financial burden that comes with publishing a
book the right way; I suggest you don’t overwhelm yourself and do the best that
you can.
Do not rush your release, but rather, take your time
to check all the boxes before you hit the publish button.
Writing Expectations #8: Expecting only one book to do
the trick
Believing that only one book is enough to carry you
over the precipice of fame and recognition may be too far-fetched for a
self-published author as against a traditionally published author.
In Reality:
One book may or may not do the trick for you.
For traditional publishing, it takes away the burden of
doing major parts of publishing and marketing your book yourself and paving way
for the recognition of the author’s book because of the team behind the book.
It is not to say that this holds for every author and every book.
Self-publishing engages the author full time
and leaves major parts of marketing and publishing in your hands. Having a
strong strategy behind your first book will pave the way for your recognition
as an author, but it may take more than one book to hit the mark you desire.
Both traditional and self-published authors build
authority around their niche by publishing consistently and creating the buzz
around old and new projects.
Writing Expectations #9: Believing your first draft is
enough
As wrong as this thought might be, it is one of the
deadliest assumptions to make as a newbie author. Publishing your first draft
out of excitement to have a story is a recipe for bad reviews, loss of authenticity,
loss of readers, and reputational damage as an author.
Because in Reality: Your
first draft needs more work. Your first draft is supposed to be a collection of
raw, unfiltered words that brings your story to life.
Such a manuscript is not enough because it needs more
work. Your first draft is undoubtedly riddled with mistakes, plot holes, and grammatical
errors and requires structuring and development.
Take your time with your first draft, find an editor
within your budget to do the work for you, then ensure you’ve got all the bases
of your story covered before you proceed to prepare it for publishing and
marketing.
Writing Expectations #10: Expecting everyone to love
your story
Many authors fall into the fantasy of believing their
stories will be loved by everyone and expect to have stellar reviews all the
time. Having these kinds of thoughts doesn’t prepare your minds for the blowback
from negative reviews which will leave you devastated if you don’t anticipate
it.
Because in Reality: There
are trolls everywhere. Your story will be subjected to scrutiny and not
everyone will like your story or love your style of writing.
The best way to work through this is to expect the
unexpected, celebrate your reviews and take the constructive criticism from the
negative reviews to improve your skills or make amends for lacking areas of
your writing style.
Endnotes:
Having expectations as an author isn’t such a bad idea, but it works in tandem
when it is tailored to the actual reality obtainable in the writing world. The
best way to bridge the gap between your expectations and reality is to be
present and emerge yourself in the process before you decide to become a
published author.
Tailoring your expectations to obtainable reality will
help you avoid unnecessary setbacks and condition your mind to be prepared for anything.
Did you find this post useful? Leave a comment below this post, share with friends and pin it to your boards.