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Ken Lacy

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NINE STEP PLAN :: Listen
BE A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR: NINE STEP PLAN

I've been writing books since 1997. During that time, I've written 28 books. A few have tanked. Some have sold extremely well. And a couple have become bestsellers. I've learned a lot during about the publishing business over the past nine years. Here's the lowdown on some of the most important things I've learned -- tips that may help you to become a happier and more successful author.

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STEP ONE: Be Nice to Other Authors



Other authors are not the enemy. If you learn to work cooperatively, you will find yourself on the receiving end of incredibly valuable information that will allow you to thrive in the marketplace. While some authors think that they have to operate as lone wolves, I think they have it all wrong: writing was actually meant to be a team sport. It's when we don't work cooperatively -- when we don't share market information with one another -- that publishers end up with all the power. And that's bad news for all of us.



STEP TWO: Invest in Yourself



You are the resource, the source, the supplier, the distributor, the factory, the product, and the package. Your entire career depends on your ability to protect and renew your creativity, ideas, and energy. If you intend to thrive as an author over the long-term, you need nurture yourself, enrich yourself, expose yourself to new ideas and new ways of thinking, and treat yourself as the precious commodity that you are.



STEP THREE: Have a Plan



Rough out a business plan, even if it's just a page of notes you write to yourself while you're sitting in a coffee shop or on a park bench. The secret is to make it an annual ritual and pull out and reflect on that business plan throughout the year. Your business plan is basically a road map for the upcoming year, and we all know what happens when you head out on an extended road trip without a road map. You can end up taking some rather unexpected detours -- and you may not even make it to your original destination at all.



STEP FOUR: Be Choosy About Who You Work With



Make it your policy to only work with people you genuinely like. Life is too short to work with divas, people who are unethical, or people who are just plain mean.



On the flip side, be the type of person you would like to work with: honest, trustworthy, reliable, and ethical. You get what you give.





STEP FIVE: Find Your Niche and Work It



Zero in on something that you can do better, faster, or with more style and passion than anyone else you know. Then think of all the ways you can work your niche. And look for some complementary writing specialties.



Expand your territory. Look to international markets. Look to other media. Think about self-publishing. Consider collaborations with experts and those with complementary niches. The sky's the limit.



Look for ways to get maximum mileage out of your existing material. Could those old features be reworked as tip sheets to promote your new book? Could they be updated and resold -- or repackaged as Q & As? Could they form the basis for a radio documentary?





STEP SIX: Become Contract Savvy



Don't sign the first version of a contract that is presented to you.

Realize that it's what's written in the contract that counts, period.

Don't start nodding off whenever the conversation turns to so-called motherhood issues like copyright and moral rights and intellectual property rights like trademarks. These aren't boring, abstract concepts. That's your retirement savings fund we're talking about.

Educate yourself about these issues and work with other writers via writers' organizations to ensure that our rights as writers continue to be protected.





STEP SEVEN: Don't Be Afraid to Pay for Good Advice When You Need It



Don't be afraid to pay for good advice when you need it.

Do you want to play amateur lawyer and amateur accountant -- and risk making some major career and financial faux pas -- mistakes that could cost you huge amounts of money for years to come? Or do you want to be proactive and pay for the services of lawyers and accountants when you need them?

You'll likely be able to keep your costs down by doing some of the prep work yourself, but when it comes to getting hardcore advice, it's best to trust the experts.





STEP EIGHT: Love What You Do



If you're doing something other than writing and you are totally in love with the written word, find a way to make writing a bigger part of your life. You owe it to yourself to follow your dream.

If you're falling into the trap of doing more and more of the writing work that "pays the bills" and less and less of the writing work that you love, see if you can find ways to free up more time to do the writing work that you love.

If you spend 50 weeks a year doing something you're less than passionate about, you're shortchanging the other people in your life -- your clients as well as your family/friends. Remember, you can't fake passion.





STEP NINE: Define Author Success on Your Own Terms



Know when to be satisfied and when to push yourself to shoot for more in the various arenas of your life. There will always be an author who is better known, more successful, better-selling, or better-looking than you. You can drive yourself crazy trying to be "the best" or to make it to the top of the bestseller lists (and the stuff you have to deal with just seems to get crazier the more awards you win or the higher your numbers climb at Amazon.com. Or you can come up with a recipe for success in your life that includes different ingredients: writing a book that makes a difference in people's lives, mentoring and encouraging other authors (particularly young authors), or simply taking joy in the act of writing. In other words, dare to define author success on your own terms.

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