Remember, if publishing a book were easy, everyone would publish a book.

 

          There are personal traits that every writer must possess and constantly improve. If an author doesn’t master certain essential personal traits, I doubt the author will ever publish a book.  

          I possess more “natural (raw)” writing talent than “earned” talent. Regardless of what level of talent I possess, I would have zero published books if I did not adhere to the following personal traits.

 

Resilience

If you are seeking agent representation, be prepared to read numerous rejections, if the agents bother to reply. If you provide a properly edited and formatted manuscript, quality agents will provide information as to why they rejected your manuscript. Use the advice you receive to improve your manuscript and grow stronger as an author. You have to grow tough skin as an author. If someone slaps you across the face, smile, turn your face, and show that person your other side is still unblemished. It’s fine if words sting, even make you stumble, but if you let words defeat you, then you lack the resilience to achieve success as an author.

 

Determination

You must always remain persistent, and never quit. People that quit never accomplish anything. There are times as an author you will feel you are alone in a desert begging a mirage for a sip of water and a slice of compassion. Only your determination will carry you to success. If you don’t have what it takes to publish a book, it is often a result of lack of determination.

 

Experience

Experience is a major component of success. It is best for an author to start with publishing articles. An author is best prepared to begin writing a successful book after mastering the skills required to publish articles. Don’t be afraid to try something new. If it doesn’t work, you will still gain boundless experience. Most of all, try something new because someone has to be the first - might as well be you.  

 

Patience

In the world of publishing books, the authors that rush are the authors that make errors. It is a horrible feeling to find blatant errors in your own published book. Everything about publishing a book takes a long time. It takes time to write the book, edit the book repeatedly, find an agent, and publish the book for the public. You must remain patient during the entire book publishing process.