Apr 5, 20237 min read

How Do You Become An Author?

Want to know how to become an author? You have come to the right place. In this article, we will go over the steps that can help you on your journey toward becoming an author.

Step 1: Find your Niche.

There are a lot of different ways to become an author, but there's one thing that all authors have in common: they write about something they're passionate about. So, before you start writing, it's important to determine what your niche is and how you can make it stand out from the crowd.

Define your target audience. What kind of people will be drawn to your book? Is it for parents who have teenagers with ADHD? Or teachers looking for new methods of classroom management? Do you want to appeal more broadly or narrowly?
Research existing titles in the market. Look at other books on the same topic as yours—or similar topics—and see what they're doing right (and wrong). If there aren't any books like yours already available, think about why someone might buy one based on its promise alone!

Step 2: Research and write the book.

Research the topic. You may be a scintillating writer, but that won't matter much if your research is weak or nonexistent. This applies to fiction and nonfiction alike. For example, if you're writing about a character who was in the military and you haven't served yourself, spend time talking with veterans or getting advice from someone who has. You might also want to do some reading on the point of view (third-person omniscient versus first-person limited) so that your narrative voice makes sense for your subject matter.
Write the book! This sounds obvious, but many aspiring authors are surprised by how much time it takes them to actually put pen to paper—or fingers to keyboard, as it were—and start writing their manuscript(s). If you're not ready yet, then don't worry: The best way for an author is whatever allows them to get words down on paper (or screen). After all, no one ever said they had written a perfect novel on their first draft...or even their fifth!

Step 3: Create an outline and create a plan.

Next, it's time to create an outline and plan of action. Writing the book can be overwhelming, so you should first break down your book into small chunks that are easy to manage. First, create a list of all of the chapters you want to include in your book. List out each chapter with its title, subheadings, and main points. Write this information down on paper or type it into Microsoft Word as a word document; this will help keep you organized and on track as you write each chapter (and make writing faster).

Next comes the fun part! It's time for actual writing! Depending on how long your book is going to be, there may be some rewrites needed along the way but don't worry about that until after everything is done—you should focus now just on getting words written down onto paper or typed into a Word document format!

Step 4: Get support and help.

Get help from friends and family. If you're lucky enough to have a friend, family member, or two who are really good at writing, ask them for advice. They can also proofread your work if you'd like them to.
Get help from a professional editor or proofreader. These professionals will be able to give you feedback on your manuscript and point out errors that may need fixing before publishing it as an ebook or print book online through Amazon's KDP Select program (more details below).
Get help from a professional book designer at least once before releasing it into the wild—if not more than once! Your first book will probably look very amateurish compared with what other authors put out there because they've gone through this process many times before, but don't let that discourage you! It'll get better each time around as long as you keep practicing and learning about formatting best practices for ebooks and print books alike over time until one day when someone discovers how amazing your work really is :)

Step 5: Proofread, edit and embrace feedback.

The most important part of being an author is making sure you’re writing well. It’s a tough job, so don’t be afraid to ask for help! Be sure to have someone proofread your work before you send it off into the world. If they find any errors or have suggestions on how to make it better, listen carefully. You can also hire an editor if money is tight (but remember that what they pay will come out of the sales profits). Then take their advice into consideration when crafting future works!

Step 6: Publish and sell your book.

You’re almost there! As you can see, the hard part is over, and what remains is actually quite simple. Publishing your book is just a matter of putting all the pieces together. In order to publish, you will want to:

Make sure that your cover looks professional and eye-catching. This should be done by hiring a graphic artist or using software such as Photoshop or Canva. If you are not skilled in designing covers, do not worry—you don’t need to be! Just find something that looks good enough for now and focus on publishing later; if and when you decide to republish your book with a different cover design later on down the road, then by all means, go for it!
Make sure that your title sounds catchy enough so that people will notice it in their search results when they look up books similar to yours (e.g., “How To Become An Author And Publish Your Own Book In 7 Days Or Less”). You could even ask friends what they think would make an interesting title based on the content of the book itself (or vice versa).

Develop your writing skills.

If you want to become an author, the first step is to develop your writing skills. You don't have to be a master of English grammar or an expert on words, but you should be able to write with clarity and precision.

Do this by:

Writing every day. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of life, but it's also important that you have time every day—even if it's just 15 minutes—to write something creative. If you can't find time during the day, try writing at night before going to bed or waking up early before work so that your mind is fresh and ready for new ideas and inspiration.
Writing in different genres. When I started out as a writer, all my short stories were romantic thrillers with happy endings (I know...). This was mainly because I had never done anything else besides writing those kinds of books! Once I started branching out into other genres like science fiction/fantasy and paranormal romance as well as nonfiction topics such as health & fitness coaching advice from my own experiences working with clients through online programs such as Couch 2 5k Training Program For Beginners or Weight Loss With Running On Treadmill At Home Without Going To Gym For Beginner Women Who Can Only Exercise At Home During Weekends Or Weeknights After Work Hours And Don’t Want To Join Gym Gyms Are Expensive And Have Long Wait Times That Make It Harder For Working Parents Like Myself So Instead Of Going The Traditional Route Of Joining A Gym Right Away Instead My Goal Is To Lose 40 Pounds By 2020 By Following These Simple Steps In Order To Reduce Stress Levels Raise Energy Levels Improve Overall Health And Wellness Until Then…

Research other authors and publishers.

There are many things you can do to prepare yourself for the industry and help your chances of success. The first thing is to research what other authors are doing and how they came about their success. Find out how they got their book published, what makes them popular, and why people like them so much. Researching other authors will give you a better understanding of what it takes to have success in this field.

Outline your book.

If you’re like most people, writing a novel sounds like a huge undertaking. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be as difficult or intimidating as it seems. Most writers work in stages and don’t start out with an entire book written in their head before they begin. They start by making a plan for what will go into the story and how it will all fit together when they are done—or at least make notes about the order of events and characters involved, so they know what needs to happen next when they sit down to write each day. This process is called “outlining” or “plotting” (the two terms are often used interchangeably).

To create an outline for your book, simply take some time alone with pen and paper (or computer) and write down everything that comes into your head about what happens in each chapter of your story: it's setting, characters, conflict(s); climaxes; subplots; twists & turns—even if those things change later on during editing! You can also use bullet points if that works better for you than writing full sentences—it doesn't matter which format best suits your style as long as whatever gets recorded stays relatively brief so there's room left over at the end of each session where ideas can continue flowing freely without interruption caused by worries about getting everything right first time around...

Prepare your manuscript for publication.

Prepare your manuscript for publication. You'll want to do this before submitting it, because you'll need to include all the information that's on the back cover of the book in a separate document. Most publishing companies will have specific requirements, so be sure to check theirs before sending anything in. This includes a Cover letter, table of contents (if applicable), author bio (including any past publications), acknowledgments page (if applicable), copyright page, and dedication page if relevant.

You have to have a passion for writing if you want to become an author.

If you want to become an author, you have to love writing. You need to be able to make people interested in what you have to say. When it comes down to it, we all have something interesting about us that would make for a great book. The difference between someone who writes and publishes a book and someone who doesn’t is passion. If you don’t love writing, then there are plenty of other jobs out there that will pay more than being an author (unless your first book becomes the next Harry Potter).

If you want to become an author and make a living out of your passion, you should have a love for writing. It’s important to choose a topic that you are passionate about and then put in the hard work required by creating an outline and writing the book itself. Once finished with this stage, it’s time to get professional help from editors or proofreaders before self-publishing or submitting for publication with publishers like Simon & Schuster (see Resources below).