Introduction
Writing a book can be challenging. It’s not just the writing challenges itself, but what comes after–the publishing process. You have to put yourself out there, and many authors don’t know how or where to begin. That’s why we’ve created this guide! In this post, I’ll go over some common challenges that writers face when they’re trying to get their books published by traditional publishers or self-publishing (which is becoming increasingly common). I’ll also share some helpful strategies for overcoming these obstacles so that you can easily get your book into the hands of readers everywhere!
Anxiety
- Anxiety is a normal part of the process.
- Anxiety can be caused by fear of failure, rejection, or success.
- It’s important to remember that anxiety doesn’t have to be something you’re afraid of; it’s just a normal reaction to being in front of an audience or writing on paper (or whatever).
Lack of confidence
You may have heard this before, but it bears repeating: confidence is a skill that can be developed. It’s not something you’re born with or has to be born with in order to become confident. And it’s definitely not something that comes naturally; rather, it takes work and practice—but the results are worth it!
We’ve all been there where we feel like we lack confidence in our editing writing abilities because we don’t feel like our words sound good on paper (or whatever else). The truth is that if someone else doesn’t like what they hear when you read aloud, then there must be something wrong with the way you wrote it!
So what do I mean by “confidence?” Confidence means knowing exactly where your story should go next instead of having no idea where things could go next—and knowing how much time each scene will take up so that nothing feels rushed or forced into place just because nobody has thought about putting things together yet!
The key to dealing with anxiety is to learn how to manage it in a healthy way. You might be able to avoid some of the symptoms of anxiety by doing things like getting enough sleep and eating well. But if you’re still experiencing symptoms, try these tips:
Writing block
Writing block is a common problem for writers. You may experience it when you’re trying to write or even while reading someone else’s work. The causes of writing block can be numerous and varied: anxiety, lack of confidence in your abilities, reader’s expectations (i.e., “I want the book back”), writing for publication in an age when social media has spoiled us all with instant gratification and cheap self-publishing options.
The symptoms of writing block are also varied. You might feel as if you’re missing a key piece of information, that your characters have stopped talking to each other, or that the world has suddenly turned flat and boring.
Reader’s expectations
You may have read that writers on writing have high expectations for their readers, but that’s not true. Writers indeed have high expectations for themselves and their work, but readers’ expectations are different from the writer’s and are often quite different from yours.
A good example of this might be if you were writing a book about a character named “me.” You’d probably want to write it in first person—that is, from the point of view of your main character (whoever he or she is). But what if your friend had written that book? Would you still expect him/her to use his/her name throughout? Or would he/she need another pseudonym so people wouldn’t think he was talking about himself all over again?
The point is that readers have expectations, too. And those expectations should not be ignored or dismissed as unimportant because they are not the same as yours. You may think that your story is perfect just the way it is, but if someone else reads it and doesn’t like it, then something needs to change.
Publishing in the age of social media and cheap publishing
Social media is a great way to get your book out there. But it can be hard to get people to read your book. Publishers are not immune to social media, and they have their own ways of trying to reach out and connect with readers through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat (yes! Snapchat).
And while cheap publishing may seem like an easy solution for writers who want their work published quickly but don’t have much money in their pocket…well… it’s not quite that simple. Cheap self-publishing services charge affordable rates but often come with unrealistic expectations about what kind of content should go into each project—and how long those projects should take from start to finish.
The result is that writers are left with books they aren’t proud of, and they’re out a lot of money. It’s important to remember that cheap self-publishing services have no obligation to make sure your book is any good or even readable by anyone else except you.
The need for practical advice for writers who want to publish their books
- A good publishing company
- A good cover
- A good title
- A good description of the book (the “back matter” or “preface”) and its important aspects. This should be written by you, but it is often left to someone else who does not know your book’s content to do so. Make sure that the format is clear and easy to read; if you don’t know what format best suits your book, ask someone who does! You can also include this information on your website or social media pages if they are available at all times during the production of your work as well as after the publication date has been reached so potential readers can find out more about what they’re getting into before buying anything off Amazon/Nook etcetera…
Takeaway:
- You need to have a good writing routine.
- You need to have a good writing environment.
- You need to have a good writing schedule.
- You should have a supportive partner or mentor who can give you feedback on your writing, whether it’s positive or negative (or both).
Conclusion
And that’s it! There are many challenges faced by writers, but we hope this list has given you some insight into their causes and how to overcome them. If you want to share your own experience with us or if you have any questions about the challenges we mentioned above, then please feel free to contact us at any time.