Author Planning Forward by Looking Back…6 Wisdom Tips

Author Planning Forward by Looking Back … 6 Points of Wisdom

I’ve said for years that authors must embraced the 2Ps and 1 C: Persistency, Patience, and Constituency. I still firmly believe it and practice it.

One of the visionaries I follow is Thomas Frey, a futurist who has been a prominent speaker for over 30 years. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him several times and in May, I will be doing a podcast with him on The Authoring Future. His recent column that focused on action … and wisdom of years now … advising his younger self caught my attention and startling me noodling. One of the things he led with was: it starts with your passion. That works for me.

His first advice to “self” was:

1. Stop Competing Where Machines Already Win—

This is such a “yes” with me—stop trying to be best at any task that a $20-a-month subscription can now do adequately. The return on that investment collapses and the opportunity cost is enormous—many tasks they are a waste of your time, energy, and skills. Instead, ask yourself: Is what you are consider learning done by a tool that exists and easily obtained … or do you did a person with judgment to complete the task?

2. Pick an Industry With a Physical Reality—

He suggests that longtime careers are a combo of advanced knowledge and physical presence. Not just one … both.

As an author, are your stories and advice incomplete with just a search with a browser of choice? Think healthcare. Infrastructure. Energy. Advanced Manufacturing. Agriculture. All have real problems that are circulating around us. Changing and ongoing problems. Humans and judgment are needed to show up and solve. Understand both the physical reality of the market you are writing for, the field around it, and the technological tools reshaping it.

You can’t ignore technology or what AI is introducing. It’s used to amplify, not generate. Learn your field and target market for the WHO you are writing for in depth.

3. Become Fluent in AI the Way Your Generation Became Fluent in the Internet—

Think back when the internet first popped up … it was the mid-90s. Some viewed it like a toy. I was an early embracer. My introduction was early to the world and the power of word processing when I screwed up and lost an entire book manuscript not knowing what I was doing—quickly I learned the power of copy/paste/save/store, etc., on a word processor I leased to speed up the writing pulled from my memory. My fingers had never moved so fast! As the internet flowed, I jumped on, owning my own name domains immediately, having a pro build a website exclusively for speaking that built a million dollar calendar.

Gulp, this is what the speed of AI has introduced. Finding the parts that will work for you, is what you are looking for. Remember “assist” vs “generated.” No matter your age or experience level, technology is not disappearing. Be curious. Be smart. Know what AI can do … what it can’t do … and what it shouldn’t do.

4. Build a Specific Reputation, Not a General One—

We’ve all seen or heard about it … the teen or 20 something that has become a sensational influencer with a gazillion followers on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. When I started publishing, there was no email, the internet and social media hadn’t breathed. Snail mail and the phone—as in landlines, were our marketing tools. And for the 80s, 90s, 2000s, it was basically the norm and good enough. That changed as emails, smart phones, and social media made their debuts.

Oh, there were “overnight” sensations, but oh so few. Usually what was deemed overnight could take many years to seed, fertilize, and grow. Now, it can happen quickly—very quickly. I had done well with my first 20 books. But oh my, the next one and seven years later, I landed on People magazine as a cover story on one of my books with four pages on my work and me in the interior. And yes, I was publishing two to three books a year.

I’m a firm believer in niche marketing and building your niche is one area—definitely not being a generalist. Those of you who know the span of my work over 45 years has covered several niches—first, only women and money that cover 15 years. Next up was women in the workplace, specifically female dominated workplaces that dealt with toxicity—another 15 years. That evolved into publishing—book coaching and book shepherd—20 years and still at it. My published books were all nonfiction—43 of them. Then a memoir bubbled up and in the last 5 years, 3 fictional fiction and a cookbook have added to my book stew. Currently I’m working on book four of the fictional series and another cookbook.

My advice today is to become myopic and excel at your topic, your genre, your expertise. One that you have a passion for and have dug into meaning writing, speaking, and making videos—Hello YouTube. Your goal should be to become easily findable by the right people, meaning those who are seeking your area of expertise … and your genre.

P.S. And I still use the phone, send postcards and snail mail notes. But the digital world is the norm and I use it throughout the day. Being a generalist in all this is out. Specificity matters. It’s the niche thing.

Embrace this: your reputation starts from the get-go … meaning it’s building now and forward. Networking is a buzz word for most. Identify who the influencers are, ones that you respect their work, their words—who are they? Follow the ones who are interesting, who intrigue you. Don’t be a taker which too many are. Share info. Give information. It’s a karma thing. Your goal should be to become a trusted resource. It doesn’t come overnight. It’s earned and when you need it, it may be too late.

Whatever your skills are and expertise are in rarely lasts forever. There is usually an expiration date. Adapt, but know that what you know now will open the door, to what is next. That’s exciting.

5. Treat Your Career as a Portfolio, Not a Path—

The model the Boomers used from their parents was the one where each rung of the workplace ladder was the next to be climbed to get to the top: entry-level, junior, mid-level, senior, leadership. Apprenticing at each level and your knowledge and skills carried forward.

No more. That was yesteryear. Sure, some skills are retained, even expanded. Others become dinosaurs. What is needed today is a commitment to learning forward. Not staying put in a comfort zone that won’t see an avalanche coming.

6. The One Thing Underneath All of This—

Be curious. Keep your eyes and ears open. Keep learning. Thriving today requires navigating with new skills. In my podcast next week, author Dom Testa joins me as we work around the author’s mind and ideas for rejuicing it. Did you know that boredom leads to curiosity? It puts your imagination to work. No plan is needed. Be curious—it’s a lifeline. I like it.

To read Tom’s full column that seeded this one and that I had permission to pull from, it is here: If I Were 25 Today, Here’s Exactly What I’d Do

Finally, no matter your age, or where you are in your author and publishing walk, you need to pay attention—close attention. It’s no longer a mosey pace—things move faster and timing counts. Buckle your seat belts … the walk … ride is exhilarating. Remember, it’s the year of the Fire Horse. Lots of changes mixed with some chaos.

Dr. Judith Briles is the award-winning and bestselling author of 48 books and calls Colorado home. When she’s not in the kitchen or in the garden, she’s working with clients as The Book Shepherd, a book and publishing consulting and project management firm that works with authors at all stages of their book to create and publish a book they never regret! She’s the founder of the first Authors’ Hall of Fame exclusively dedicated to ensuring the legacy of authors connected in some way with Colorado.

Judith’s books have been translated into 17 countries with over 1,000,000 copies sold! They have been featured in over 2,000 radio and TV shows including repeat appearances on CNN, CNBC, and Oprah. She has worked with over 1,500 authors and created 500 plus bestsellers. Print publications include Newsweek, People, Time, The Wall Street Journal and … The National Enquirer! Her popular podcast, AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing is dedicated to authors and writers and their success and is ranked in the top ten in four categories on GoodPods.