Make Your Own Luck in 2015

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.

Expat Author Book Gift Guide

Finally, a gift guide that includes new books written by expats (or former expats). Below is a short list of books published within the last year by writers who have previously been featured on this website. The list is organized by the country the writers used to live in (or still currently live in). 

China

Since Big in China, which was optioned for film, Alan Paul has written a new book, One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. Read his previous interview with Writer Abroad.

Kristin Bair O’Keefe has a new novel, The Art of Floating, which follows her debut novel, Thirsty. Read her previous interview with Writer Abroad.

France

Dirty Bertie: An English King Made in France is Stephen Clark’s newest book. Among his many others include A Year in the Merde. Read his interview here.

Portugal

Philip Graham’s latest book is How to Read an Unwritten Language. He is also the author of The Moon, Come to Earth, which is a collection of stories about his time in Portugal. Read his interview here.

Switzerland

Diccon Bewes’ most recent book is Train to Switzerland: One Tour, Two Trips, 150 Years and a World of Change Apart. It follows the success of Swiss Watching. Read more here.