The Five P's of Being A Successful Author

This is just me speaking at the Oklahoma City Chritian Writers Meeting on Saturday, February 8th, 2025

​This was the title of my presentation I   recently gave at the Oklahoma City Christian Writers Conference. I was excited to be presenting with some impressive authors as well as one author discussing Writing Tips and Business Tips. So, I was a little nervous but not too bad as I got to make my first presentation as a presenter. I had been on various literacy festivals on self- publishing panels and other venues but not as a direct presenter like I did this past weekend.

​ As I was thinking about what I was going to speak about, I produced the topic on the Five P’s of a Successful Author. The five P’s are purpose, passion, persistence, patience, and possibilities. I had an outline that kept me on task since I can talk forever so I felt like I was on target.

First, let us discuss purpose. You must know your “why,” the reason you want to become an author. What is your purpose? Is it for fame, money, personal growth, career, success, or achievement? Then, you must decide whether it is a business or is it a hobby? Is this something you will dabble in occasionally, or will you focus more on your journey?
 
The second “P” is your passion. Does your face light up when you talk about your books? Can you feel that new sensation when you get your first book in the mail with your name on it? Do you want to tell everyone about it that you meet? Because of my passion in writing as a children’s book author, I produced a mantra called, “Literacy, Learning, and Legacy.” In addition, I wanted to “make a difference in the lives of children.” Sure, everyone wants to sell your books but what motivates you in your mission at hand.
 
 Many jobs that I have had were just to survive but others I was very enthusiastic about were the most important to me. This does not mean that I did not care about them. If you are enthusiastic about a job, you are more willing to succeed in that job. This should be evident as an author too. Your dedication will be evident through this journey, which will in turn reflect in your writing.
 
It is also important to find your “niche.” What is the group, market, idea, or mission, will you go on to find your place in the writing world? Many of my books are based on “niches.” Niches are important to avoid a lack of direction and to provide clarity on how to proceed as a writer.

I am discussing my writing journey with other authors at the Oklahoma City Christian Writers Meeting on Saturday, February 8, 2025.

The third P is persistence. You must be persistent in your daily routines as an author. Each day, it is important to work on your writing journey, coordinating author visits, working on relationships, venue scheduling, marketing, and responding to others. Being persistent in the short term can help in the long term.
 
Patience is the fourth P that I will discuss. Patience is something that is difficult because our society is built on “instantaneous gratitude” needing the item right now or the process to be complete faster than you wanted it to.
 
It takes time for authors to go through the stages of pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, formatting, publishing, and marketing. Cities typically are not built overnight. Spend your time wisely. It has been said that “Patience is a virtue.”  This is not an easy task at times.
 
Patience is sometimes hard for us. We want our product to be on the market right away, but we should take the time to follow the steps to make your book more successful.
 
 The other part of being patient is to be patient with yourself, your customers (both young and older), and learning to accept criticism without having a “melt down.” I realize that this is often difficult to be patient when you want all your goals to succeed but you must learn to be flexible.

This is my book table that was set up at the back of the restaurant where I was a guest speaker at the Oklahoma City Christian Writers Meeting on Saturday, February 8, 2025. I am signing a book for a customer.

The fifth P is possibilities. Finally, it is important to realize that authors have lots of possibilities in learning which include attending webinars online, in-person training, conferences, and mentors.
 
The other possibilities entail lots of available venues to investigate, getting your books in the library, bookstores, and other unique locations you can possibly think of.
 
You can even do Audibles, Kindles, Nooks, and other types of mediums. There are also many Facebook groups and social media sites to promote as well as joining communities online.
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Authors can also investigate e-book distribution sites, professional author organization sites,  other reading websites, and join other author’s websites.
 
Collaborations with other authors at events as well as authoring a book together can be a possibility.  I have had the chance to meet over 70 authors in the last four years.
 
 Possibilities are unlimited to only what your imagination can think up. Try it and see what happens!

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​From the audience feedback, I was told that the authors really enjoyed my presentation getting an A + and Extra Credit. You would have to understand that for many years, it was hard for me to get praise and knowing how to accept it since I am not the kind of person that flaunts or brags. However, it did feel good that I did get this feedback. You never know unless maybe people are sleeping during your presentation or just bored. I did not sense this.     I was able to sell some books at the event too, which is always good for the exposure.

Speaking of exposure, I just got my book in the mail created by the wonderful Diana Kathryn Penn called, “Marketing Matters for Indie Authors: The Passionate Plotter Guidebook Series .“    I have already begun to read this wonderful tool.

Click Cover To Order!