New year, new directions

Well, hello readers and hope you are enjoying your New Year so far. So far, we have a lot of interesting new developments in store that will be revealed soon. That’s what has kept us busy for the first few weeks of this New Year but we are back with a mission to engage and entertain.

Last year, we talked about how important it is to make a plan for the New Year and then stick to it. Now Kia would like to share her experience of how she got her publishing dream on track in just one short year. So here are the secrets to her success:

-          Always know that there is no limit to bettering yourself

From the start, Kia knew that bettering her young life experiences could help her on her journey.

So she decided to become a young marketing expert and got her first managerial role in a leadership company after learning and practicing several marketing techniques herself. Her skills were furthered as she landed new opportunities in education and fashion.

Always be realistic and believe in the importance of transferable skills. She is now a force to be reckoned with and is much more than a traditional young author!

-          Know your market and take your craft seriously

Kia has always loved writing and has sold several short stories to publishers before landing her dream opportunity to publish her book. In addition, she does various marketing jobs during the day to earn money so that she can sustain her publishing dream during the evenings and weekends.

-          Have a Plan

A plan helps you to stay on track with your goals that enables you to set milestones in order to track your success and failures so that you can become better at what you do.

-          Look in various areas for inspiration

Kia goes to a lot of events and meets a lot of interesting people through her day job meaning that she does not lead a traditional author life. The benefit is that she can then advertise herself in new, unseen arenas and can source new opportunities to work with people that she would normally not come into contact with in the publishing industry. As I have said before, creativity really does pay off and will help you get noticed.

-          Take Risks

Do not be afraid to take risks. Like the saying goes, feel the fear and do it anyway!

-          Be Patient

Success and achievement always takes time to materialise therefore it’s important to understand that patience and resilience is the key to getting from the bottom to the top.

-          Raise your Standards

Always aim to be the best you can be and keep striving for excellence.

-          Last of all, never give up hope!

I know that from shadowing Kia that she has been rejected by editors and publishing companies on more than one occasion telling her that her idea will never work. However, she has continued to believe in herself and her writing dream is now a reality.

She continues to ensure that her writing will be known by everyone and soon enough she will be recognised for her initiative to help the world fall in love with literature again!

So don’t any of you ever give up on your dream.... As the saying goes, try and try until you succeed.