How to become a published author: Women writers speak on skills, process, costs and challenges
Want to become a published author? The digital scope today has made the self publishing process a lot easier. We got talking to four women writers from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to understand more about the process, skills, costs and challenges.
Want to become a published author? The digital scope today has made the self publishing process a lot easier. We got talking to four women writers from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to understand more about the process, skills, costs and challenges. Millions of people all over the world love writing and are pretty good at it as well. But writing in your journal or a diary secretively every day is definitely not the same as becoming a published author with a good audience reach.
Breaking into the publishing industry may seem intimidating at first. You need to generate a good book idea, stick to a daily writings schedule, and find a literary agent to pitch your idea to a publishing house.
All of these may give you a headache if you try to tackle them all at once. But if you set down a concrete, step-by-step plan and approach it methodically, becoming a published author is certainly possible!
We got talking to four women authors from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to understand more about the process, the skills required, the costs involved and the challenges to become a published author. Skills you need to become a published author
“ A vivid imagination and a way with words is a must!” says Alisha Kay, author of ‘The Maharaja’s Fake Fiancee’ and a few thriller novels.
Being a storyteller and being good at it and the language you write in are definite prerequisites to become a published author. But there are several other skills that go into making sure you have a well-received published copy of your book in your hand.
“A published author must have a sense of discipline. Writing consistently as a habit and staying focused on the story can help avoid writer’s block and produce a finished manuscript,” says Manvya V Kasi, IT professional-turned author, who has over 30 romance novels to her name.
“ Once the story is ready, the author can hire an editor and a cover maker before self-publishing her book. Presenting a well-polished book is of paramount importance as it sets the tone for the author’s reputation,” says Sundari Venkataraman, author of 58 books including ‘Tinder Loving Care’, and ‘The Princess’ series.
And if you don’t want to share your story, you are not going anywhere. You need to put yourself out there and grab eyeballs.
“One must be willing to share their work with the world and get it published; you need to work on book promotions and marketing,” says Deepti Mittal, author of ‘Aao, Master ke Laundey’ and several other books.
“To spread the word about their work, an author must communicate and build relationships with readers, bloggers, fellow authors and marketing teams,” says Manvya V Kasi.
“Last but not the least, […]
