Like many self-published authors (and indeed published ones too!) I have a day job. Being an author has to take second place to my current job at the moment. Hopefully that will change but, for now, that’s the way it is.
Finding time, with a young family as well, has never been harder. When my feet hit the doormat after a day’s work, that’s when author mode kicks in and I’ve got to start thinking about writing, editing or promoting.
The best part, for me, about being an author is the writing. I love it. Absolutely love it. If I could sit and just write, every single day, I would do. However, there is so much more to self-publishing than writing. I can’t stress that enough. I was surprised.
For example, I finished writing my second novel in seven months. 117,000 words in seven months. It’s three months later and I’m still editing. I think the difference for that is because I can stop and start with writing. I rarely get a good long flow of editing. Stop/start editing isn’t very productive, I’ve found.
I’ve also been reading my first novel again to check my storylines work and the second book makes sense. The number of small issues I’ve spotted, though, has been intensely frustrating. I spent months editing that one before it went to print but that still wasn’t enough. I’m going to be releasing a new version alongside the second book too.
So, what is life like as an author? It’s great. Anything that happens in real life is food for a storyline. It could be a character’s memory or a plotline in itself. Sitting on public transport or in a coffee shop – anywhere where there are people. Leaving the house in the morning has never been so much fun.
How do you manage to fit being an author in? It is difficult. It’s about making time to fit it in and that needs understanding and organisation. Luckily my family are very understanding. Being organised is about having lists for me. I try planning my tasks and squeezing them in when I can. I’ll be on Twitter over breakfast, try writing straight when I get home and then have a look in the evenings at the broader picture; updating the website, further writing, proper editing and so on.
Do you earn lots of cash? If only. I want to someday. Right now, I’m laying the foundations. I’ve not even received a royalty cheque yet. Some authors make it big straight away but there are thousands and thousands of writers out there. I’m just a little fish in a very big pond but I enjoy this. I have a lot to learn and I need to understand how it works. I would love to earn some money from this. But I’m writing for my own enjoyment right now. I’m lucky that I can afford a cover designer and my first aim was to earn that money back. Still got a way to go before I can do that.
So, at this moment time in 2016, this is what my life as a self-published author is like. Real life comes first but being an author is like a light I can’t switch off.
Keep smiling 
Scott