How to Become an Author Who Sells Books Frequently

You don’t have to have all the right connections or be the world’s best writer to learn how to become an author. Not anymore. But that doesn’t mean you can just slap a book on Amazon and call it a day.

Sure, technically you would be what’s considered an “author”. But what good is that title if you aren’t proud of the work behind it?

Let’s take a look at how you can become a long-term author who actually sells books, earns a living, and is proud of the art they produce. We’ll go through a few key necessities and take a look at examples of lucrative author careers.

Here’s what you’ll learn about how to become an author:

1. Do you need a degree?
2. How hard it is?
3. Author career examples
4. How to become an author

Do you need a degree to become an author?

The short answer is no—you don’t need a degree to become an author. There’s no requirement by any publishing house or self-publishing platform that requires it. Many successful writers have backgrounds unrelated to literature or creative writing, and some have no formal higher education at all.

What you do need is a commitment to honing your craft, understanding storytelling, and developing your voice. It also really helps if you have interests outside of writing—knowledge you can bring into your craft that gives your books the depth necessary to stand out.

Brian Staveley, for example, has taught literature, philosophy, history, and religion, which he infuses into his books in interesting ways. Many thriller or suspense writers have also come from having a background as a lawyer. The point being, having a depth of knowledge in a certain field is just as valuable as a degree.

While a degree in English or Creative Writing can provide helpful insights, taking workshops, self-study, signing up for coaching or courses, and practice can be equally beneficial.

In fact, many authors pursue their writing career alongside full-time jobs, only transitioning to writing full-time after building a strong portfolio or gaining commercial success. A degree doesn’t guarantee success, but continuous learning does—whether it’s formal or self-directed.

How hard is it to become an author?

It’s not going to be an overnight accomplishment, but it’s not necessarily hard, either. Everyone has their own bar of what difficult is and isn’t, so while some might find it easy to become an author (aka, publish their work), others might find it the hardest thing they’ve ever done.

Becoming an author isn’t easy, but it’s definitely achievable with dedication, persistence, and the right strategy. The difficulty lies in your ability to balance the creative process with the practicalities of marketing a book and publishing. Writing is a long game—success may not come overnight, and rejection is a part of the journey for most authors. That rejection can feel hard.

Putting yourself out there and being vulnerable can feel hard.

Honoring your creative ideas enough to finish that book can feel hard.

But living with the knowledge that you didn’t pursue something just because you thought it might be hard…will feel impossible to live with the older you get. That is hard.

Plus, the evolving publishing industry, including self-publishing and digital platforms, has made it easier for writers to get their work into readers’ hands. So, while it’s a challenging career path, today’s authors have more opportunities than ever to succeed.

Compared to being a female writer trying to publish 100 years ago, becoming an author is very easy.

How 3 writers became famous authors

Sometimes, being able to see the actual career path of others can help you learn how to become an author. Two of the examples below actually started as self-published authors. But more on that below.

Margaret Atwood

Atwood, known for works like The Handmaid’s Tale, didn’t rely solely on her literary education. She began writing in her teens, pursued literature in college, and published her first poetry collection while in university. Atwood consistently experimented with different genres and mediums, from novels to poetry and essays. Her success came not from a single moment but from building a diverse body of work over time, continually adapting and remaining relevant.

She knew she wanted to be a writer from early on. Hence the early effort and consistency in putting her work out there.

What you can learn about how to become an author from Atwood has to do with perseverance. She even self-published her own work before self-publishing was even popular.

Margaret Atwood’s first self-published book was a collection of poetry called Double Persephone, and she published it in 1961. She hand-set the type, printed the book herself, and sold around 200 copies. The collection explored themes of life, death, and mythology, and it marked the beginning of her prolific writing career. Double Persephone helped Atwood gain recognition in the Canadian literary scene, leading to her future success as a novelist and poet.

If she didn’t publish it herself, would she have become an author? Maybe. But she took things into her own hands.

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson’s journey is another one of dedication. He has been writing books for a very long time, and wrote many before even querying agents. He wrote 12 books before finally getting published. His success came when Elantris, his debut novel, caught the eye of a publisher. In many of his free online lectures for writing fantasy and science fiction, Sanderson talks about how he would go to writing conventions, comic conventions, and really anywhere he knew editors would be. His strategy came down to networking—getting in front of the right people who, because of actually speaking with him, might give his book a closer look.

Sanderson has since mastered the art of building expansive worlds in fantasy and science fiction, contributing to the Wheel of Time series and creating his own expansive Cosmere universe. His disciplined approach to writing—his ability to produce high-quality content consistently—has helped him build a loyal readership.

A lesson for learning how to become an author from him is making a plan and sticking to it. He has a writing routine that doesn’t change, and has treated it with importance since he first wanted to be an author.

Andy Wier

You probably know this author already, or at least recognize the name. Yes, he’s that author. The one who wrote The Martian, which became a massively successful sci-fi movie starring Matt Damon. But what took him from software engineer to world-famous author?

There’s a lot to learn about how to become an author from him. And it started the same as most stories: he began writing the book he wanted to read.

Andy Weir’s path to authorhood was still unconventional, but not out of reach. He began writing The Martian as a serial on his blog, offering chapters for free. So technically, he was self-publishing the work (as many are now doing on Substack). When readers asked for a complete version, he self-published it as an ebook for 99 cents.

It caught on so well that it was eventually picked up by a publisher and adapted into a major motion picture. Weir’s success story highlights the potential of self-publishing and leveraging community support. It’s also a great example of how self-publishing can lead to bigger opportunities.

Nowadays, even if you want to get traditionally published, it can pay to self-publish, grow an audience, and “prove” yourself as an author. So you learn how to become an author before you can be the specific vision of an author in your mind.

What they have in common

While these authors didn’t go about it in the same way, they all had a few things in common:

1. They wanted to write the book, so they wrote the book
2. They believed they could become an author
3. They kept going and took the steps necessary to get there

It might sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many authors get in their own way with these three things. Learning how to become an author is also largely about self-belief and feeling like you’re worthy of chasing what you want.

How to become an author & actually make an income from your books

You don’t just want to upload a book and hit publish. If that’s all you wanted, you’d have figured out how to publish a book on Amazon by now.

No. You want to sell books. You want to be a successful author. You might even have dreams of getting on the New York Times bestseller list. Whatever your reasons for learning how to become an author, your vision of it is one who sells copies.

1. Take it seriously

The first thing you have to do to learn how to become an author is to respect the desire. Take it seriously. This isn’t just a little whim. It’s not a dream that’s out of reach. It’s a very realistic goal that just requires understanding the steps to get there.

Writing books is not just a hobby if you want to make a living from it. Approach it like a job. Set clear goals, structure your time, and commit to improving both your writing and your understanding of the publishing industry. Steven Pressfield’s book Turning Pro is a great reminder of how this is done.

2. Decide your genre or niche

You might be the type who figures this out along the way. But most of the time, those who want to learn how to become an author already have an idea of what they want to write.

But to succeed, it’s essential to know who you’re writing for. Different genres attract different audiences, and you’ll want to write in a space where you can build a readership. Genre expectations are also really important. Those who read a certain genre will want to see certain elements appear. Knowing what you want to write will help you figure out what to study, and therefore it can shape how well you write the book.

Whether you’re into science fiction, romance, or self-help, deciding on your niche will guide your marketing efforts and writing style.

3. Make a plan

Expecting to just become an author without any forethought won’t get you where you need to go.

Success doesn’t happen by chance. A plan includes knowing when and where you’ll write, how many words per day you’ll aim for, and what your timeline looks like for finishing a book, editing, and publishing. Treat this like a roadmap for your author career.

The plan also includes career planning. How many books will you write? Will it be in a series? Will you write spinoffs that can be in a collection, but not a full series, in order to keep readers coming back?

The latter is a technique romance author Kerk Murray employed, and it worked so well that he’s made 6 figures in his first year publishing fiction. This wasn’t happenstance. If you want to learn how to become an author in this way, take a page from his book.

Here, you can see that he’s not only set the book in the same town, but each book is in the same genre and subgenre: romance, sweet romance, later in life. But he also goes as far as to make the covers in the same format, including the titles. This makes the books recognizable. And of course, Murray knew that romance authors want more of the same. They love what they love, and so while the characters differ for each novel, the formation of the story is very similar.

Plus, he has 6 books planned out and visible online, despite only 2 being written and published.

The plan goes a long way to learning how to become an author.

4. Create some deadlines

Deadlines help create urgency and focus. Even if you’re self-publishing, set deadlines for yourself to keep your momentum. In the example above, Kerk Murray has a schedule of when each of his next books will come out. This allows him to understand how far in advance he needs to outline, write, and give time to edit before publication.

If you want to learn how to become an author, become a professional. Professional authors treat deadlines seriously; if you want to sell books, you’ll need the same discipline.

5. Learn the craft

The best writers are constantly learning. Take workshops, read books on writing, listen to podcasts, and study successful authors in your genre. Understanding story structure, character development, pacing, and voice will give your books the professional polish that readers expect.

You will only get better. The more time goes by, the more you’ll learn about how to become an author who sells books, and the better chance you’ll give yourself to make it happen.

6. Write

Authors write. They write a lot. They finish books!

You can’t sell a book you haven’t written. Make time for regular writing sessions, even when it feels difficult. First drafts don’t have to be perfect—they just have to be written.

It might be easy to sit and read blog post upon blog post about how to become an author, but you simply will never get there unless you actually write something. That’s kind of the whole definition. Finish your book. Give yourself the flexibility of writing a bad draft. Just write it! You can’t edit what’s not written.

You can’t do justice to an idea that’s not fulfilled yet.

7. Revise

Once the writing is done, it’s time to revise. Your first draft is the skeleton of the story, but revision adds the flesh. Consider hiring an editor or joining a critique group to help you spot weak points and improve your manuscript. Beta readers are also really helpful when it comes to helping you see your book through a new writer’s eyes.

Here are some quick tips to help with the revision process:

• Read aloud to catch awkward phrasing or unnatural dialogue.
• Focus on structure first—check for plot holes, pacing, and character arcs.
• Cut unnecessary words to tighten sentences and improve flow.
• Eliminate passive voice for stronger, more engaging writing.
• Show, don’t tell—add vivid details and sensory descriptions.
• Check for consistency in character behavior, setting, and timeline.
• Get feedback from beta readers or critique partners.
• Use editing tools to catch grammar and spelling errors.
• Revise in stages and tackle big picture issues first, then smaller details.

Don’t forget to hire a great editor! Not only will your book be higher quality, but you’ll also learn a ton in the process.

8. Produce your books or query

Decide whether you want to self-publish or pursue traditional publishing. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll need to handle things like cover design, formatting, and marketing.

If you want to go the traditional route, you’ll need to write a compelling query letter to literary agents and publishers.

Either way, yes, you do have to write the book first. You can’t get an agent without them having read your book. The way it works is that an agent will agree to represent you in the process of selling your book. That can’t be done without the book completely written. So no matter the route you decide for learning how to become an author, the steps above are sound.

9. Publish!

Once your book is ready, it’s time to launch. This step is crucial—ensure you have a marketing plan in place. Whether it’s through a launch team, social media campaigns, or book tours, getting the word out is key to selling books and growing your audience.

If you have a publisher, they’ll take care of the actual publishing part. But you still have to market the book. Learning how to become an author is also learning how to market a book. So either way, make sure that’s on your list.

Becoming an author is not without effort. These tips will get you started. You have to get yourself there.