Growing Slow in a Fast Market
Is it possible to slow down and enjoy yourself when publishing is moving at lightning speed?
My answer may surprise you…
There is a lot of advice about publishing floating around on the internet. Once you start looking into the “how” of things, eventually you are going to start looking for the “right” way to do it. As a career author, should you pursue traditional or self-publishing avenues? Do you need an agent? Should you invest in ads? If so, which ones—Facebook/Instagram? Paid insets on blog pages? How does one go viral on TikTok, anyway?
By the time you’ve researched and written down myriad options, you wind up confused and possibly frustrated. Trust me. I’ve done it! And here’s what I’ve learned:
There is no right way.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking advice and testing methods that have worked for other authors. In fact, you should! Trying ads, different social media platforms, or dropping your book into Kindle Unlimited for three months will inform you on what you like and what you don’t. At the end of that trial period it’s going to come down to what you enjoy—how you like to run your business, and of course, whether or not it was profitable for you.
This can be scary if you’re in uncharted territory, and spending money on some of these options, but in the end there is but one metric that you can count on. And it’s not dollar bills or kudos from reviewers: it’s that internal gut feeling of YES. You can trust that feeling. That still, quiet voice will be subtle, and will fit you like a perfectly worn pair of jeans.
Here’s the rub. In order to be able to hear that small, honest voice, you’re going to have to slow down and listen.
In today’s blog, we’re going to talk about:
Slowing your roll
Building your business intentionally
Steady growth vs. speedy growth
SLOWING YOUR ROLL
This tip is less about slowing down and more about ease. You can do things very quickly—take my writing, editing, and publishing A Crane Family New Year for example—and be totally calm and relaxed.
When the idea to write A Crane Family New Year came to me, it was the beginning of November! Since it was a story happening on New Year’s Eve, that meant I would need to design a cover, write, edit, format, and market a quality self-published book in a very limited amount of time. And during the busiest season of the year! Did I hustle? You bet I did. But the action came from a truly inspired place, which means it felt good rather than frantic. My gut told me now was the time for this book. So, I listened.
Here are two things you can do today to slow your roll:
Ignore social media (sort of). Or at least set it and forget it. Being caught up in followers, likes, comments, and numbers can be draining at best and make you feel like you're failing at worst.
Pro tip: Schedule ahead. Some of the posts you see from me are scheduled weeks in advance. I do try to share current posts often, and interact with readers a few minutes a day. Connection is important to me.
Decide what you want. Rather than let other authors inform your decisions on what you should or shouldn’t do, instead ask yourself what you want. I write this blog because I love to share what I’m learning and want to help you live your best author life. A blog gives me the ability to instantaneously publish and share relevant issues with you in real time. But you aren’t me. Maybe you’re more drawn to video to share what you’ve learned, or maybe you love creating educational social media posts. It all depends on your personal writing goals.
If you need a goal reset, I have an amazing goal-setting PDF in my shop for this.You can even choose your word of the year. (It’s never too late in the year for a refresh!) Check it out here.
BUILD INTENTIONALLY
Now that we’re not throwing the entire pot of spaghetti at the wall, we can focus on our intentions.Let me ask you this: Why did you decide to write your first book?
If you’re here, it’s likely that you and I are kindred spirits, and my guess is that your original motivation wasn’t so that you could run yourself ragged trying to hack the system. Free books? Discounts? Bookbub sales? Social media ads? Box sets? Nothing is wrong with any of these tactics as long as you are using the right energy when putting them into action. If it sings to your soul to offer a free-forever first book in the series, then you should absolutely offer that! But, if somewhere deep in your belly, you feel ick about it, then don’t. It really is that simple.
✍️Exercise: Grab a notebook and a pen (or use the back of my R+R PDF printout), and write down why you first decided to write a book. For me, two of the big reasons I pursued publishing was so that I could work from home and inspire others. Which means I write to make a living and I also want to inspire others to tell their own stories.
Allow your personal reasons to inform your actions in this business. Remember, your “why” is your own, which is the reason someone else’s business plan might not work for you.
STEADY GROWTH VS. SPEEDY GROWTH
Here’s a little secret about me: I do not like to be the new girl. Whenever I began a new job, started going to a new school, or moved to a new community, I attempted to settle in as quickly as possible. I don’t like not knowing where I’m going, or how things work, or where the restroom is located.
When I signed my first publishing contract, I set a goal to have ten books in my backlist ASAP. As a result of that goal, I signed contract after contract and hit my coveted ten. It was a good strategy. I was no longer “new” and readers and reviewers could look up my name and find plenty of backlist books to read. As fast as those books were published, however, it still took three years to achieve that goal.
The way the fast-paced self-publishing market is today, you can publish ten books a lot faster than I did. The question is: should you? That depends on you, your goals, and that trusty ping in your belly. Over the last couple of years I have learned that being on back-to-back tight deadlines is a paved road leading to burnout. I was able to create a lot of amazing stories, but the process made me feel like a robot in a factory rather than a creative human.
While the pace of fast and furious was fun for me for a while, now I find myself in a different mode. It doesn’t mean I’ll take a year to write one book—I like a little hustle—but I am craving a more comfortable pace that allows time for friends, family, and art.
All that to say…
You do you.
Breakneck speed or slow and steady, your pace is your pace. If you work full time or have children (or both!) your pace could look different from someone who writes full time from home in the company of two dogs.
Bad news: No one one can tell you the right way to run your writing career.
Good news: You can 100% trust YOU.
I encourage you to write down your goals, remember why you started, and test out a few methods that have worked for others. At the end of the day, no one knows what will hit big, land you on a bestseller list, or make you the next household name. We are all guessing—publishers and authors alike—and often they don’t fully understand why some books go viral and others flounder.
The key factor in enjoying your writing career is YOU. What you like to do and what you find interesting, meaningful, and inspiring matters most.
Those are the cornerstones for a satisfying career as a writer.
Now you can follow the same prompts Jessica Lemmon has used for years to both set her goals and choose her word of the year! With encouraging prompts, fun visuals, and instructions, you can uncover the magic within. Keep the file and reprint year after year.
