Foolproof Ways to Embrace Change

By DiAnn Mills

I’ve been publishing since 1998, and one thing I’ve learned is to embrace change in the publishing world. The logic is all around us: new ideas are a fact of life. We either stubbornly refuse to learn and grow from what’s happening in the world of writing, or we stand up and open our arms to study, examine, and put into practice the adjustments that will make us better writers and dynamic marketers.

Ignoring the push to educate ourselves means a death sentence to our writing careers. I admit the daily updates with technique and social media can be overwhelming. Add balance and the time factor, and we can find ourselves hiding under our desks afraid to venture out.

But writing in today’s world doesn’t have to be a train roaring down the tracks, threatening to run over us. In fact, with one freight car full of optimism and another with determination, to-day’s writer can keep pace with change.

Here are seven tips to help you breathe easier and wiser while pursuing your publication goals:

1. Why are you writing? Do you have a mission statement that you’ve prayerfully considered and put into practice? Do you read it often, have it memorized? If not, schedule a time to get yours thoughtfully written.

2. What are your writing goals? Do you know where you’d like to be in one year, five years, or ten? Do you have a written strategic plan in which you can chart progress and evaluate potential successes and challenges?

3. Do you know who your readers are, how to reach them, and how you can be an asset to their lives? Take the time to record what is unique about those wonderful people who enjoy your books.

4. Determine how much time you can allot each day for educating yourself about the craft, social media, and new trends. By taking care of this on a regularly scheduled basis, a habit forms. Stick to the amount of time you’ve set aside. This isn’t a contest, but a part of your professional life.

5. Budget funds to attend conferences where you’ll learn about a writer’s responsibilities. The larger conferences ensure we writers have a variety of workshops and continuing classes available for what we need. Seek out various podcasts for the same reason.

6. Explore the blogs that challenge and provide you information. Need help with dialogue? Search out the blogs that teach. Social media drive you nuts? Discover the blogs that make communication with readers and potential readers easy. Looking for genre help? Those blogs are out there to give you guidance.

7. Is your current method of publication the best option for you? Are you traditionally, indie, or hybrid published? Digital or hard cover? There are always new ways to reach readers.

Change can be defined as an adaptation, adjustment, exchange, reshaping, variation, modification, or even a transformation. All sound great to me if it furthers my writing career with quality stories and reaching more readers. Where is the world of publishing taking you?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.