The Eight Hidden Skills of Career Authors

I was having coffee with a debut author last week, and I was telling her about the importance of finding the right fit with a publisher. It got me thinking about how knowing the fit, in itself, is a skill. But it’s not the only skill that career authors possess. There are hidden skills or talents that most career authors have that help them find success. So without further ado, here are the eight hidden skills:

1.     The ability to create a marketable concept

While studying the market can help, it’s the capability of the author to build a concept that both fits the market yet is fresh and new, as well as unique to the author and his/her style that sets them apart from other authors. And they are able to do this again and again.

2.     The gift of writing with a unique voice

The career author has an undeniable voice that is specific to that author. Think about your favorite authors. If you were blindfolded and someone read from each of their books, after a while, most likely, you would be able to tell which book belonged to which author by the way the author tells a story.

3.     The ability to formulate a cohesive draft

Once the author has devised a concept and they have the voice needed to stand out, the author must then formulate a cohesive first draft, worthy of agents and/or publishers’ incredibly busy time. A general idea of story structure has to be present for us to be able to springboard from it to work with the author to craft the final published work.

4.     The savvy to sell that concept

Once the author has a great concept and writes the book, they then have to know how to get the agent and/or publisher to take a look at it. How they write the treatment or pitch is incredibly important in sparking the agent/publisher’s interest, when their inbox is overflowing with more options.

5.     The knowhow to find their creative fit with a publishing team

While, as a debut, an author is just trying to get his/her foot in the door, decisions regarding the agent and/or team chosen are incredibly important to success. And that goes both ways for the publisher as well. Finding a team who shares the same creative values and expectations is important to help both the author and publisher through when they’re managing the most difficult parts of the process.

6.     The ability to take direction and navigate edits well

Believe it or not, writing and selling the book is the easy part. Getting it ready for publication is a long, tedious process of deep developmental edits, line edits, copyedits, proofreads, revisions, and typeset file reviews. The success of an author’s career and their novel depends on how well they manage these and convey what is being asked of them. Being in the right mindset is essential to collaboration, since this makes up the largest part of the process.

7.     The proficiency in marketing themselves on social media, websites, and in public appearances

As much as we hate to say it, long gone are the days when an author can sit back and just write. (And I’m telling you this as an author, myself!) The reason for this is that the marketing methods and culture have changed. We live in a society of social media consumption, of looking for answers, information, and more about what we want to buy online. We’ve moved from a pay phone and phone book society to a pocket cell phone society. The truth of the matter is that most people would rather hear from the book’s author than its publisher, so it’s up to the author to be available and approachable in the spaces their readers frequent both online and in person. While the publisher will market the book (SEO, keywords, ads, email lists), the author is in charge of getting the word out because no one can do it better. It’s about being personable and building relationships with positivity, professionalism, and excitement, and career authors have it down to a science.

8.     Career authors possess the stamina to turn right back around and do the whole thing again and again

Readers will consume, in a matter of days, those books that authors have taken six months to a year or more to write. And they’re going to be looking for the next one. A career author is ready and waiting with that next book. Attention spans are short, so getting books out one after another is incredibly helpful in creating a career out of it. To have a second book ready to go, the author has mastered skills 1-7.

Now you know the secrets! Go conquer the world!  

Jenny