I know so many talented writers. After almost 30 years in the publishing industry, I can easily remember the thousands upon thousands of talented writers that I have met in my travels and work. These writers have a way with the written word that I will never have. They can turn a phrase and shape a sentence with such deftness than I stand in awe. But they are not authors. Even though many of them have written books, they are, by my definition, writers.

Authors are writers who have made the decision and taken the actions necessary to join the publishing industry in a very specific role. Now, there is nothing wrong with being a writer. It is a terrific way to make a nice living and a great way to spend one’s time. Writers write. Professional writers write and get paid. Authors write and then work as a champion for the books that they have written. (THEN they get paid.)

Making the jump from writer to author means more than just deciding to publish a book or have it published. It means more than paying someone to turn your words into a book-shaped object. So much more. In 2003 I had my first book published by a professional publisher. In the first year, we sold a little over 13,000 copies. It was a minor success.

But in truth, I was not an author. I was a writer. Yes, I had written the book. But I was too self-conscious and nervous about promoting myself and my book; so I didn’t. I depended on the publisher to do all the work and my book never took off the way it could have if I had become an author when my book was published.

What I know now is that an author joins the corporate, business, financial, and marketing sides of the publishing industry and participates fully. And author promotes their work and connects with readers. An author leans into the process no matter how uncomfortable they are and reaches out to readers into the community to become part of the book’s success. With my first book, I was not an author. I stayed safely behind the line of “writer”.

With my second book, I decided that I was willing to step over that line and become an author. And what a huge difference it made. I was just as uncomfortable with the second book as I was with my first with self-promotion. I still felt nervous and afraid of what people would think. The difference? I did it anyway. And that has become the motto of my entire career: “Do it Anyway“.

Once you decide to become an author you will still dread seeing the reviews on Amazon that have fewer than five stars. Send out review copies anyway. You will still get nervous about what your hometown will think of you if you host a book launch party. Launch the party anyway. You will still worry about the money and how to afford to promote your book and advertise your book. Promote and advertise your book anyway. You will still dread sending out requests to journalists and bloggers to ask if they would like to interview you or review your book. Send out the requests anyway.

I do understand how hard these activities are for us. Our work and our words are our children. And I am suggesting that if we want to be successful, we have to take huge risks with our children. But let me ask you this: What authors can you name who did not take those risks? How many authors can you name that hide behind closed doors? The myth and yes, it is a myth, of “recluse writer” has been around for centuries. They don’t exist. Emily Dickinson wrote letters and had a very active time connecting with readers and the public with letters and correspondence. A collection of her letters at the Morgan Museum and recent studies cracks away at the myth that she was a recluse. Yes, she retired to her home and even her room in her late 30s. but even from there, experts have proven that her room was a hub of promotional and correspondence activity. Harper Lee? She was given a great deal of money by her friends to take a year off and do nothing but write her book. Her editor submitted her book to the Pulitzer Committee and Hollywood and the rest fell into place from there. But Harper Lee DID do interviews and DID have the money to pay a team to promote her book. She did not do it herself, but the money from friends and the book’s early success paid for its later success.

Being an author means that you have joined the business of publishing. And running a business takes time, focus, dedication, and money. You will notice that writing requires most of those things too. The difference between writer and author is that one happens in the privacy of one’s writing space and the other one happens out in the world in front of everyone.

I have a saying that I hate, but that does not make it less true: “Time. Money. Talent. Pick any two.” I am afraid that if you want to depend just on your talent to drive the sales and success of your book, you will be waiting a long time. Emily had the gift of time and Harper was given the gift of money. They both had talent. So do you. The question now is: which other element are you going to use to drive your success?

I choose to use my time. So every day, I dedicate a small block of time to promote my self as an author. I hate every minute of it. But I do it anyway. Nobody wishes that it was possible to become a successful author without having to “putting it out there” more than I. But I have had to learn how to promote my words and my writing despite how I feel. I’ve had to learn to do it anyway.

When people ask me what the best decision I ever made was I would have to say that it was the decision to do things that made me uncomfortable.

The truth is, I am naturally a terribly lazy person. I would rather watch TV and play with my dogs while planning a motorcycle trip than spend time online or on the phone promoting my books. I don’t want to write the emails to bookstores and libraries. I don’t want to ask for reviews. I don’t want to book trips in hot climates during the summer months to stand in a room with seven people and talk about myself. But I do these things anyway. Because I don’t want to be an author, I want to be a successful author.

Which brings me to the other line in the sand I’ve had to recognize and step over. There is a difference between a talented author and a successful author.

If I’m going to be honest, I’m not even a particularly talented author. I do not have the natural writing ability and the way with words that I so admire and others. Writing does not come naturally to me and it is not a talent that I possess in spades. At best, the gods have been meager-handed when handing out my writing abilities. I am a good storyteller and I have advice to give that would change lives. But I am not a great writer. So a lot of what I advise and a number of my stories are imparted through video and in person at events. But some people want and need a book. So I continue to put my stories and advice into books as well as other venues.

In spite of my limited talent as an author, I am somewhat successful because I have adopted the practices and habits of successful authors. I wish I had taken on these habits and practices earlier in my career, but it is my hope that they will help you. Here is a list of some of the things that I have learned separate the authors from successful authors:

Successful authors spend time every day writing

Successful author spend time every day promoting what they have already written

Successful authors ask for people’s opinions

Successful authors take those opinions and honestly consider them, setting aside their own ego and desires.

Successful authors spend time learning everything they can about the publishing industry.

Successful authors immerse themselves in that industry and in the publishing community.

Successful authors don’t give up when things get unpleasant, boring, or difficult.

Successful authors read books in their genre

Successful authors know who the big books and authors are in their categories at all times.