When I started taking writing seriously I studied. What I researched was other writers. How did they achieve success? I admit, my definition of success is lofty. I aim high and always have. So what I set about learning was beyond “everything will be rainbows and unicorns once I get an agent.” First, because that’s just not true. Second, I mean this to be a career. There are plenty of career authors in the world, especially in crime fiction. I wanted to know how they got there.
What I learned is an “overnight success” takes roughly 3 books in an average of 6 years. Readers generally discover authors around the 3rd book and then go back to the first 2. Authors with loyal fans keep that loyalty by continuing to produce. Some authors are machines who write 2 books a year. Most genre authors put out a book every 12-18 months. So, what I learned is, like anything personally rewarding, it’s a marathon not a sprint.
