Lean Publishing Tip of the Day: Motivation and Self-Publishing
One way to stay motivated as a self-published book author is to set aside fifteen minutes to work on your book every day.
Starting work on a book can be euphoric.
But working on it, and especially getting it over the finish line, can feel like an insurmountable challenge sometimes.
The Fifteen Minutes Per Day Rule
One way to stay motivated as a self-published book author is to set aside fifteen minutes to work on your book every day.
That may seem easy, or like nothing, but actually letting a day go by without working on your book is what's actually easy.
If you do set aside fifteen minutes per day, you will keep up a sense of progress and keep away "writer's guilt".
And even if you don't get much done in a given day, fifteen minutes actually really adds up over time.
Publish Early
One very important feature of the "Lean Publishing" philosophy is to publish the first version of your book when you have finished just the first chapter, then a second version when you've completed your second chapter, and so on.
Publishing early and often like this allows you to build an audience of readers while you're working on your book, before it's finished.
Having people out there reading your book already, and waiting expectantly for the next chapter - as well as the income you may already be earning from your book - is a great motivator.
Talk About It
Talking about your book with people is a great way to keep your interest - and other people's interest - active, in what may be a long-term project.
Don't just talk about it with your friends and family though - post about it on social media asking people what they think about your latest ideas; reach out to other authors or influencers in your area or genre; go on podcasts; do online AMAs.
Set A "Words Per Day" Target
One of the most important ways to keep motivated is to set yourself a "words per day" target, like "I'm going to write 500 words per day" or "I'm going to write 1,000 words per day".
The secret to this motivation strategy is that they don't all have to be great words, or words you're going to keep.
It's just to keep the habit up, keep writer's guilt away, and keep up a sense of forward progress.
There will also be days when you just take off with inspiration and write way more than your target!
What Are Your Strategies For Staying Motivated?
If you're a self-published author, please share your own motivational strategies with our community - @mention us on social media with hashtags #leanpublishing and #writermotivation and let us know!
