Happy Old Year.
Writer
Abroad would like to take a moment to celebrate 2014. It was a big year in many
ways. She published her first book, which has sold almost 1200 copies since
May. She secured a distribution deal with one of the publishers that
originally rejected the manuscript. She wrote for several new publications,
including Brian Child, CNN Travel, and Fodor’s. And oh yeah, she changed continents. At least for the time being.
In any
case, 2014 taught Writer Abroad a lot. Mainly, that success as a writer is up
to you. You can wait for others to decide to offer you something. Or you can create your own luck in 2015 and make your dreams come true yourself.
For Writer Abroad, it took ten years of
writing, ten years of making contacts, ten years of learning about promotion
and advertising, and ten years of learning about the publishing industry before
she felt ready for Book Number One. And that’s the other lesson: in a world
where publishing is more accessible than ever, patience is key. Publishing when
you’re not ready can do more harm than good. But if you are ready, Writer
Abroad says this: 2015 is waiting for you to take success into your own hands. Won’t
you join her in pursuing it?
Happy New Year.
