Writers need to be tough. It’s not an easy arena to be in. Did you know that writers get so many rejections that there have actually been studies done on it? According to a Huffington Post article, “96% of authors seeking agents are rejected.” (1)
That’s pretty severe.
Another article at Writer’s Digest says, “don’t even think about giving up until you’ve queried at least one hundred agents.” (2).
But what if Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen had given up after 100 rejections? They were rejected 144 times before landing a publishing contract.
So, how does a writer become successful?
Well, there are at least 3 characteristics that go a long way in giving a writer a fighting chance.
1. Perseverance.
Perseverance is probably the single most important factor. You can learn to write. You can improve your writing. You can submit your work more often. But if you get discouraged when successes don’t come as fast as you’d like or expected, you may start writing less, or you may give up.
This is where you need to persevere. Know that it’s not the best writers who succeed, but those who persevere.
From personal experience, I can attest to this. I work in two niches. I did it for years with not much success. Then, suddenly, clients began finding me and hiring me in one of those niches.
More often than not, success is just around the corner. You’ve got to persevere.
2. You MUST set goals.
While perseverance is an essential factor in writing success, without setting goals, what are you persevering toward? You need to be a goal setter.
Your goals need to be specific. What do you really want to succeed at?
- Getting ongoing publishing contracts.
- Getting freelance writing projects on a regular basis.
- Supplementing your income.
- Earning $50,000 per year. Earning $100,000 per year. Earning $500,000 per year. Being a millionaire.
- Becoming a New York Times Best Seller.
- Becoming famous.
I found it more tangible to create monthly income goals rather than yearly ones.
You need to identify your goals and the strategy needed to achieve them. And, you need to make those goals visible. Create a vision board or write them down and read them every day.
3. Focus
One big pitfall in writing is a lack of focus.
I mentioned that after years of struggling, I began getting clients regularly. And I’ve gotten lots of return and series clients.
One crucial factor in how this came about was that I began focusing on a single writing niche. I devoted the majority of my time and energy to that area, and it paid off.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have more than one writing niche, but if you want to succeed in something, you need to prioritize. You need to focus.
As my writing coach would say, focus on what’s making you money.
Get to work building these three characteristics and see if it doesn’t make a difference. And please let us know how you make out.
References:
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-hummel/why-agents-reject-96-of-a_b_4247045.html
(2) http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/dont-give-up-until-youve-queried-80-agents-or-more
MORE ON WRITING FOR CHILDREN
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