How to Become an Author Without Feeling Overwhelmed: 20 Small Steps You Can Take Today
- Chelsea Tornetto
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
When you decide you want to become a published author, it can be overwhelming at first. (That’s probably why it takes us so long to say that goal out loud in the first place!)
The path forward is unclear with many different routes up the publication mountain, there are a dozen “professional” guides shouting at you that their way to the top is the “right” way, and you feel like you’re already so far behind, you might as well give up before you start. There’s so much to do! And because you’re so eager to reach that summit, you feel like you should be doing it all at once.
Research agents.
Write a perfect query letter.
Keep careful records of submissions.
Wait…Do you even NEED an agent?
Research small publishers.
Realize your story isn’t ready yet anyway.
Read more craft books.
Attend workshops and webinars.
Wait…Maybe you should self-publish?
Panic.
Freeze.
RETREAT!
Add to the mix kids, partners, “real” jobs, and life outside of writing, and many would-be-authors find themselves still standing at the base of that mountain months or even years later gnawing on a protein bar and staring off into the distance.
Every journey has to start somewhere.
I’ve been there! When I finally decided I wanted to pursue publication, I had just attended a weekend retreat at Highlights Foundation (now Boyds Mill) in Pennsylvania. And the sheer mountain of information (pun intended) I learned that weekend was both inspiring…and terrifying.
(It was like watching that movie, “Free Solo,” and thinking… “Yeah! I can do anything!” and then turning around to face an actual mountain and whispering, “Oh sh*t.”)
But, as a teacher, I knew that the biggest factor in achieving a goal is often not talent or hard work, or even luck, but simply taking action consistently.
How many times had I put a stack of missing work in front of a student and watched their shoulders fall?
Or watched a kid check the number of pages in a novel, sigh, and toss it back into their backpack?
I knew my students could handle the task at hand…but the overwhelm was keeping them stuck. They didn’t even know where to start, so….they didn’t.
So, I decided to approach my journey to publication the same way I would encourage a student to tackle an overwhelming project, or a pile of absent work - one small step at a time. The phrase I personally used over and over in my own head was…Just one step. I made it my goal to take just one small step each day that moved me just a little bit closer to publication.
It didn’t have to be perfect. It just had to be progress.
How I Became an Author
I didn’t map out a plan with action steps. I didn’t mark deadlines on a calendar. I didn't want or need that kind of pressure. I just tried my best each day to take one small step in the right direction. A step that matched my energy level and the time I had available that day.
And guess what? It worked! Here I am, seven years after that Highlights retreat, with an agent, 5 traditionally published books out in the world, and more on the way.
Did I do it the fastest way possible? No.
Did I do it the “best” way? Who the heck knows?
Does anyone who reads my books today know or care how quickly I succeeded? How big the steps I took were?
Not in the slightest.
You CAN do it!
This article is not for the confident, I've-got-a-plan writers who post their publication goals on social media for all to see. This is for the doubters. The uncertain, but hopeful creatives who dream of one day seeing their name on a cover on the shelves of Barnes & Noble, and often find themselves wondering… “Is it even possible?”
The answer is yes!
I promise, that mountain you’re facing CAN be climbed. This isn’t a race. It’s a journey. And like they say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
How To Become An Author Without Feeling Overwhelmed
What small step can you take TODAY to move yourself a little further up that mountain?
Whether you’re just starting out putting pen to paper, or you have a polished manuscript ready to submit…these are all small steps I’ve taken to move myself forward on my publishing journey.
Read an article about writing or publishing. (Like this one!)
Subscribe to a writing or publishing newsletter, blog, or YouTube channel.
Read a recently published book in the genre you want to write.
Join a professional organization. (Like SCBWI!)
Research one agent, one editor, or one small press.
Attend a local author event. Learn and network!
Peruse the catalog of a publisher you’d like to work with someday.
Follow 5 of your favorite authors on social media.
Write a pitch for your story. (Even if it’s not finished!)
Create a blank spreadsheet to track future submissions.
Outline one chapter of your story.
Think of one question you have about publishing and ask ChatGPT to answer it for you.
Offer to beta read or critique for another author.
Attend a webinar. (Here's what we have coming up!)
Go to the library or bookstore and read the back covers of 5 books in your genre.
Free write for 10 minutes.
Write or revise one paragraph.
Read your manuscript out loud. (As much as you have time for!)
Write an author bio.
Have coffee with another author and talk about writing.
What else would you add to this list?
And remember, if you want someone to guide you up that mountain - to cheer you on and help you find the path that's right FOR YOU - that's what we're here for! Our Profitable Picture Books Program is an affordable, monthly membership, and it comes with monthly opportunities to ask questions and get personalized support. The authors below did it...and you can too!
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