You’d think that writing a second book would be easy if you’ve already had success with your first. But writing a good first book doesn’t necessarily mean that your second will be easy to write or well-received by readers. There is a different type of pressure that comes with writing another book when your first did so well. That pressure can come internally, but can also come from external sources like your agent, publisher, or readers. When writing your second book, you might have to use some different strategies to increase your chances of finding success as a twice-published author.
- Be intentional with writing – Writing a second book takes time, possibly longer than it took to finish your first. Be intentional with your writing time and take it seriously. Carve out time specifically for working on your second book and use that time wisely by avoiding distractions.
- Don’t let the pressure affect you – When writing a second book, you may feel pressure from many different sources to write a certain type of book or meet expectations based on the success of your first book. Instead of focusing on your previous work, be mindful of doing your best work for your current project and avoid comparing it to your first during the writing process.
- Focus on the writing and not what comes after – When writing, don’t think about the editing, publishing, marketing, and selling of your work. As an author, your job is to write a good book. Put your effort into writing, and you can worry about the other steps once the writing is done.
- Keep your goals in mind – There’s no way to reliably predict how well a book will sell or how it will be received by readers. Instead of focusing on uncertainty, work toward tangible goals. Maybe you wish to have your book ready for editing by a certain point, or you have a vision for how you wish your new book cover to look. Focus on achievable goals instead of things you can’t control.
Working on your second book can feel intimidating if you’ve already found success with your first. Keep in mind that the success of a book is often unpredictable, and it depends on many factors, most of which you can’t control as the author. Focus on putting your best effort into writing and creating something that you can be proud of.
