Some Things You Need to Know as an Author

What does it actually take to write a book? Below is a list of 10 things (five short and five longer ones).

Join me in 2025 and finally write the book, as I am taking on 10 writers in the next 12-month mentorship. Or join a retreat in Greece or on the Camino.

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Lower your expectations for your first draft

2. Understand your word count goals

3. Plan the book (outline it or create your table of contents first)

4. Drive forward and build the words by simply writing

5. Set a deadline and meet it.

6. Let it build.

A book has to incubate in your head first. For some of us, it takes a decade of thinking about it, while others quickly jump into the writing part. All writers have to want to do it, then dream about and really consider why they want to write a book. Most authors who come to me have wanted to write for a long time. A book is a massive undertaking. It will take you a minimum of two years (most probably three years), so you need to be clear and understand where this book will lead you.

7. Do some research.

Don’t just leap into the pool without looking. I always advise you to look into the current trends. What is selling? What are people wanting to read? Which genres are rising? If you are writing a novel, I expect you to read hundreds of similar books to understand their workings and your genre and its conventions.

8. Understand genre and how books are sold.

You really need to understand what you are writing and how that particular genre (or category) of the book works. If it is a novel, you must be incredibly specific. Too many novels fall into the ‘coming of age’ or ‘general women’s fiction’ categories. These are too vague. Booksellers want to know where to stock your book, and readers want to see if it fits their book club choices. Don’t confuse a theme with your plot. In the non-fiction realm, a clear understanding of your readers and considering why they will buy your book is essential.

9. Rewrite. Fine-tune. Edit. Repeat.

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th drafts are better. I seldom see a book come together before all those drafts have been completed and that work has been put in. This is actually the easier part. Once the bulk of the words are down (your first draft), your job is to make it better. Please don’t show anyone your book before you are on draft four; it is halfway decent by then.

10. Success Takes Time.

We all want ‘overnight success’ in the literary world, but most book sales build slowly. Your first step is to get your book out there and then promote it over the next 10 years. Over time you will build sales. If you can keep your book on shelves, it will sell more. This is a long-term investment.A word on word count. Most books are over 80,000 words (different genres have different word-count conventions). If you're working on a 90-day time budget, you will have to hit roughly 780 words a day. At first glance, that's a lot of words. Words add up quickly. A setting paragraph may consist of a hundred words. A verbal exchange between two characters, maybe two hundred. The words accumulate if you take the time and remember that a first draft is a FIRST draft.

HOW ELSE CAN YOU WRITE WITH ME?

I am taking applications for the 2025 Year-Long Mentorship. Apply here

I have some novel and memoir workshops in Cape Town and Johannesburg. All 2025 events are here.

Join me in Spain to Walk the Camino and Write 28 May – 4 June

Or join our annual Writing Residency in Greece 11 June – 18 June

Book a publishing chat - 30 or 60 mins sessions here