I wish I’d known

‘I wish I had understood that from the first word of a first draft, an author is beginning an apprenticeship. This apprenticeship does not have a set time limit. It is fine to fail initially, receiving rejections along the way.

‘Learn, grow, and keep writing and submitting work until you become a published author. This is not the end of your apprenticeship, but now you have reached the base camp of the climb.

‘After riding the rejections, learn to cast negative reviews aside. You will never please everyone, so move on.

‘Everyone is unique, and so is their writing experience. What worked for one author will not necessarily work for another. Likewise, what worked in one format may not work for another.

‘The publishing industry has changed drastically since the advent of ebooks and the growth of professional services readily available for editing and cover-design. Creative writing tutors can help hone an author’s skills to produce a more professional finished product.

‘Social media has given authors access to marketing platforms and a way to reach out to the world. This has made it easier to selfpublish a quality product, but harder for a book to stand out among the vast number available on the market.

‘Initially, I was very shy of social media, but now I realise it needs to be embraced. Authors just need decide upon the image they want to convey to the outside world.

‘I would definitely tell my younger self to slow down, write, edit, edit again, and enjoy the whole process and experience. Being published is the first goal. Beyond that, how far your career develops is down to your dedication, determination, talent – and luck!’