How to make space for success
I love decluttering. There’s just something about getting rid of stuff—and yes, ideas and habits—that signals a fresh start. To make space for success in 2023, here are three things to consider letting go of:
1. Ruminating about the state of publishing. I recently heard author Olivia Hayle (who makes 7 figures from her fiction) say that the great thing about publishing is that it’s always changing. That's so true—and yet I can’t remember the last time I went to a publishing conference or event and didn’t hear writers bemoaning some new something (recent examples include Colleen Hoover’s success; publishers printing fewer or no advance review copies; and TikTok as an author platform).
Change is life's one true constant, so when it comes to publishing, I urge you to use it as a competitive advantage. After I was dropped by my first publisher, fellow authors told me I was bonkers to move to Amazon’s (relatively new) Lake Union imprint. If I’d taken their advice and tried to find a home with another Big 5 publisher, I would have missed out on more than a million dollars in book sales. A willingness to explore different opportunities and experiences will help you find the best path—by which I mean the best right now—for your career.
2. Comparing yourself to other writers. I’ve been in publishing for 22 years now, and during that time I’ve come to see that every writer's journey is just so incredibly different. Measuring your progress against anyone else's—even if you have the same background and write the same kinds of books—is a collossal waste of time and energy. Why not compare yourself to where youwere a year ago? Give yourself credit for how far you've already come—and imagine how far you'll go if you stay focused on yourself next year.
3. Winging it. Longtime readers know I’m a fan of plotting (vs. writing by the seat of your pants). By “winging it,” though, I’m really referring to your larger career. Many writers fail to plan—and as the saying goes, that's planning to fail.
Listen, I did this early in my career, too. Why? Because I believed I had no control over what happened to my books—and that belief became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The reality is, I had control ... and so do you. To seize it, you need to get crystal clear on what you’re trying to accomplish and why you want to accomplish it, then decide what you’re willing to try in order to reach your goals.
Will you know every step? Of course not. And as I mentioned in #1, flexibility is key. But instead of saying “I want to succeed,” get specific about what would constitute success for you in 2023 (and even in five to ten years from now). The human brain is amazingly adept at at finding a way—but first, you have to point it in the right direction.