This year marks 10 years of me being a writer. As I look back on my writing journey, I want to focus on everything I’ve learned and accomplished.
In 2015, I wrote my first novel. I was 38 years old and had never written creative fiction outside of school. Before I started writing, I was scared. Could I do this when I’d never had a creative writing course? The answer was yes!
I had moved to Germany in 2012 with a PhD in Food Science. After 3 years of searching for a job, I gave up. I thought I could be happy just being a housewife and a mother. But when I started writing, a new career path unfolded before me.
At first, I thought I’d try to write a short story but the word count continued to grow into a novel. It was exciting to picture myself as a published author, making money from my books.
But the reality that awaited me was much different than what I’d envisioned. Ten years later, I’m a published author and a certified book coach, but I feel as if my author career is only just beginning.
Here are 3 lessons I’ve learned about myself, the writing craft, and the publishing industry in the last 10 years.
1. It’s not enough to have a good idea; your book needs to fit into the market.
It order to compete in today’s market, a novel needs to have a hook, something unique that makes it stand out. Sometimes the hook is enough, even if the writing is not perfect. For books that don’t have as strong a hook, the writing has to be flawless.
I had to learn this the hard way. When I wrote my first novel in 2015, I had no idea what I was doing. As I learned more about the writing craft and the publishing landscape, I thought my book had a good shot. But when I queried it one year later, I didn’t get any requests. After revising it and re-querying, I ended up putting that book aside in 2018.
Where did I go wrong? My book didn’t fit the genre. I was trying to fit a romance into women’s fiction. There was also nothing it it about my Puerto Rican culture, nothing that could be linked to myself.
For my next book, I was more strategic. I set it at a cookie company, which gave it something unique. I infused it with Puerto Rican characters and my knowledge and experience in food science and quality assurance.
Know your market and genre before you start writing. This will inform how you design and structure your book. A good idea is not enough if it’s not executed well. You also need to know how to market your book if you want to find an audience. This is important no matter what publishing path you follow.
2. Having a sustainable author career takes time. You need to think long-term.
When I finished writing my first novel, I had high hopes that I would be able to make a career out of it, that I’d be able to earn enough money to help support my family. But after 7 years of hard work, my book deal only earned me a small advance, which I had to use to market and promote it.
No matter what publishing path you take, either traditional or self-publishing, it takes time and multiple books to make a living. A person who self-publishes needs to invest in their business, spending money to hire editors and cover designers. They may be able to publish more quickly but they also need time to establish a brand and attract readers.
Those who take the traditional route, like me, have to wait until they have a good enough book to land them an agent, then wait for a book deal, and for the book to be published. In my case, it took 8 years from writing that first novel until my debut came out. During that time I spent money on writing craft books, workshops, critiques, memberships, and my website, without earning any money. Thank God, my husband earns enough to support me; I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without his help.
Being able to live off your writing takes time, effort, and luck. You need to publish multiple books. These books need to stand out in the market and be well-written. You also need to create and foster your online platform.
3. The more you write, the easier it gets, and the better you’ll become at it.
For my first novel, I wrote what came to mind, without a set plan. When I set it aside, in 2018, I knew it needed revising, but I had no idea how.
Fast forward to 2025, and I have 11 pages of revision notes. Everything I’ve learned in the last 10 years as I wrote more books, read in my genre, and mentored and coached other writers, has finally made me capable of knowing what my novel needs. I know my genre. I’ve learned how to build a story and structure it in a meaningful way. The novel will be much deeper and resonant. It will be better able to fit the market.
Ten years ago, I didn’t know any of this. It takes time to develop as a writer. Publishing my first book helped me realize how much I didn’t know and what strategies will work better in the future.
After 10 years, I’m finally confident I can give my story justice and turn it into the novel it was always meant to be.
Conclusion:
Ten years ago, I was naive in thinking that my first novel would be published and become a huge hit. Now, as I embark on the next ten years of my career, I know better, but I also believe I can have the type of career I’ve dreamed of. I’ve become more strategic about the types of books I want to write. I’m still learning how to market myself, but I’m slowly getting there.
If you’re a writer starting out, don’t get discouraged. Your dreams of becoming an author can come true. Don’t give up!
