by Ekta R. Garg

My heart folded in anxiety. I’ve spent the majority of my life dreaming of becoming a published author and saw that dream come true first in 2021 and then in 2023. Now I want my two books to spread further into the world. In essence, I’d like to be called “literary royalty” someday.

I opened the magazine, and in the second sentence of the article I learned that to date Danielle Steel has written 204 books.

Oh.

Well. I suppose if someone has written more than 200 books, they deserve to be called literary royalty. It’s also silly for me to claim any sort of crown when I’ve only written two.

As I continued to read, I experienced the same thing I do every time I find out about an author’s accomplishments: my perspective readjusted itself. Five years ago, getting published was still a dream. Today I can proudly claim the title of author and have, many times, with glee. If Danielle Steel is literary royalty with more than 200 books, maybe I can say I’ve begun my journey to the castle.

In our world of instant gratification with likes and hearts and shares and retweets, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in what someone else is accomplishing. We see the image, read the headline, and, as I did, feel dismay that we haven’t done the same as the person on the screen. But there’s a reason that a writing career is often compared to a marathon. It’s because even if we’ve traveled the first two or three miles, which is a great distance, the way ahead is still long.

John F. Kennedy said, “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” In January of 2021, after several rejections of my manuscript I made the decision to try hybrid publishing. That decision led to the release of my first book, “The Truth About Elves,” later that year. I’d accomplished a lifelong dream. I relished it and enjoyed it and realized there were bigger goals to accomplish, like getting a second book published.

Now that that’s happened, I’m trying to think in even grander terms. I read industry news daily, I follow dozens of authors on social media, and my brain has become attuned to asking two questions when I read about a new opportunity: 1) How can this further my reach as an author, and 2) Could someone else find this information useful?

I don’t know if the choices I make will push my work outward even more than before, although that’s certainly the goal. Indie publishing is one of the most freeing, empowering fields to be in today because there’s no roadmap. It’s also one of the most frustrating, frightening fields to be in today because there’s no roadmap. There’s no one right way to publish or achieve success; in fact, the definition of success is fluid.

There’s no one right way to publish or achieve success; in fact, the definition of success is fluid.

There is one constant, one enduring characteristic that all independent authors share: our willingness to give ourselves and our work a chance. Because when we give our work a chance — a real one — that’s when others give it a chance too. Every event we appear at where we can sell our books, every contest we enter for greater exposure, every guest post we write or podcast that airs with us as a guest — all of those methods and the countless others we employ is us giving our work a chance.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since becoming an indie author is that while I may have family and friends who cheer me on with every book release, I am my work’s greatest, most ardent champion. No one will work harder or longer to push my books into the world than I will. In other words, I am the protagonist in my own story and I have to make the choices that will take me to the next plot twist.

As I read the whole article on Danielle Steel, I stopped paying attention to what I hadn’t accomplished and started thinking — again — about what I could do. Stories like Ms. Steel’s are reminders of how far I haven’t gone, yes, but they’re also markers of how far I could go. Of how I could, in fact, write more than 200 books one day.

Of how it’s possible to win the marathon after all and find myself crowned as royalty with everyone else who’s made it to the finish line with me.

Since 2005, Ekta has written and edited pieces with topics ranging from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films. She’s an author, freelance editor, writing contest judge, book podcaster, and book reviewer. Ekta also manages The Write Edge, blogging short stories and haiku, book reviews, and all things writing and editing. Her holiday novella, “The Truth About Elves,” and her fairy tale for grownups, “In the Heart of the Linden Wood,” are both available now from Atmosphere Press.

Learn more about Ekta here. Author website: https://ektargarg.com

Follow her on Twitter and IG: @EktaRGarg

Find her on Facebook here.

If you’re an indie author and you’re interested in guest posting on this blog, email here.