What is Your Definition of Success?

The question of what defines success for an author is an intriguing question, and I’ve discovered that the answer varies significantly among authors.

Success is usually defined in three ways: freedom of time and creativity, making enough money to live from a writing income, and wanting recognition through their work.

In a 2024 survey, released by Written Word Media then published on the Alliance of Independent Authors, the results were mixed.

When asked about their primary motivation for publishing a book, authors offered a range of responses, with less than half focused on financial goals:

At the beginning of 2024, I had ambitious plans, especially since 2023 was The Year of Setbacks.

My goal was to create a lot of content and finally see myself in a comfortable position financially with my business.

By April, however, I became distracted by a shiny new project that ultimately fizzled out by September. The project wasn’t a complete failure; it simply wasn’t the right time for its pursuit.

Reflecting on my motivations, and the timing of it all, led me to reassess my business objectives. I needed to see just how off track I’d become and why that bright, shiny new project was so enticing.

Turns out, I wasn’t thinking of my own success goal at all.

I was more concerned about helping others achieve their goals, and was surprised to discover that there was a much deeper reason for me choosing that bright, shiny project (more on that later). The outcome of this consideration was me determining I was not pursuing the right goal in the first place. While starting this bright, shiny new project was with good intention, it didn’t help me with what I finally discovered is the goal I find more valuable than anything else: freedom.

This is the view, fifteen minutes from my house. I could spend days here, looking at that view.

Each person has their own success goal that is important to them, shaped by what they want and what they’ve been through.

But without that clear understanding of what their goal actually is, a lot of small business owners, authors in this case, may pursue goals that aren’t their own. (Me included.) When we see others achieving a certain goal, we may think, ‘ooh, I want that’. So we pivot and go after that thing. It may be awards, a certain level of income, or that ever-illusive ‘4 day workweek’.

Problem is, while that path may make sense to pursue, it may not be in line with your own business goal. And that’s when you find yourself on the wrong path, wondering how you got there, why things aren’t going as you’d hoped, and why you’re disappointed with how things have turned out. (*raising my hand here!*)

I’ve been thinking a lot about business goals lately. After listening to a recent The Creative Penn podcast episode, I reminded myself to check in with my own business goals and ask: what is important to me as a business owner?

I realised that freedom is the goal I hold most valuable.

There are a small number of authors who are, like me, feel that having flexibility and balance in their life is more important than making the big bucks or receiving awards or public praise they might get.

Freedom is something I’ve worked hard to achieve.

After leaving a 70-hour week corporate job, being tied to my job in so many ways, I hold on to that freedom tightly. I once had a boss ask me if I was taking my laptop with me on my vacation, so I could continue working on a large project. (I said no, by the way.) Two other managers I knew continued working while they were in labour – one had to have the laptop taken from her when it was time to push. Another attempted to interview me between contractions. That’s the work environment I was once in, so you can probably appreciate why I hold on to the freedom I have now.

Being able to set my schedule, choose my own projects, decide who I want to work with and when, that’s a goal I’m happy to have accomplished already in my career. Keeping that goal is the trick.

I often take on too much, which affects my freedom and puts me in an awful place mentally, physically, and spiritually. (I circle you back to that bright shiny new project. That ate up a lot of my time and focus.)

For me, taking time off when I need to, without worry, is the type of flexibility I want. I also want the freedom to create what I want – on my timeline. If I want to spend the day playing with graphics in CANVA, or need a day off to run errands or do something fun with friends or my family, I can do that. If I’m just not feeling the creative flow and need to refuel my creative bucket by reading books or doodling, I can do that.

But that flexible schedule can also backfire on me.

I’m a giver. I believe everyone has a story to tell and I want to help other writers succeed in telling their story (whether fictional or biographical), without getting bogged down in all the minutiae of this job. This writing/author gig can be hard to navigate at times. and it can be extremely overwhelming in the beginning.

I’m always happy to answer questions and offer some advice. But here lies the problem: I have historically offered my services at no charge.

When I asked myself why I was giving away my experience and knowledge for free, I realised it was guilt driving me.

I feel guilty having all this freedom. Freedom with my time. Freedom from money woes. Freedom from the pressures of a boss telling me what I need to do better, or what I could do better in order to get a promotion. I feel especially guilty that I have this freedom while others struggle with their monthly bills, especially as I sit in my beautiful new writing studio in Southern Tasmania, writing a blog post in the middle of the day. (Yes, it’s a business task, but I can take the rest of the day off if I want to – I won’t, but it’s not to say I can’t).

Realising guilt was a factor was a huge, huge, HUGE reality check for me.

Now that I know what is driving my need to give, enough to make me stop my own projects and help others, it is something I need to figure out. Because while freedom is my primary goal, I still need to make sure I’m not losing money in my business. So I have to figure out how to manage that moving forward.

I guess this begs the question: How can I afford to be a full-time author?

People have asked me this question before. To be completely transparent, I’m in a situation where I don’t have to make a lot of money from my writing. Remember that corporate job? Well… I invested well. But I’m not stupid with my business either. I still have a financial goal to make a sustainable, consistent income. But if I make more than that goal? Woo-hoo! But the financial goal is not what’s driving me (much to the dismay of my financially-driven husband).

Why don’t I want to be a famous author?

Someone recently asked me what awards I’ve submitted my books to. I’ve only submitted to a handful of competitions in the last five years. Most were early in my author career. When I think about literary awards and becoming famous, it’s probably the least important goal to me.

I actually get embarrassed when people gush about my books, or tell me how much they love them. Don’t get me wrong, I love, love, LOVE getting emails or messages from readers, telling me how much they enjoyed my books or how they have affected them. But because I receive that feedback online, I don’t feel that awkwardness when I get emotional. Truth is, I cry every time people send me emails or messages telling me something they loved about my books. It’s just such a magic moment to receive those kinds of emails.

In fact, my favourite email was from an Australian woman who contracted long COVID, so her dream of walking the Camino became a distant memory. She said CAMINO WANDERING took her on the journey, albeit virtually, and how much that meant to her at such an emotional time. I was a sobbing mess after reading that email!

But becoming famous is not a goal I’m interested in.

If I win an award or receive commendation for something, that’s more of a marketing tool that gives some credibility with certain readers. I don’t see it as anything more than that. I sometimes think to myself “I should apply for more awards” or “I should submit my book for this competition or that competition’… (I hate the word ‘should’). But submitting to competitions is not important to me. I don’t crave that type of notoriety.

I prefer for people to discover me through recommendations or reviews.

When this happens, I know the right people are reading my books.

What’s your definition of success?

Initially, I thought my goal was financial. But I’d rather have freedom than money at this point in my life (and yes, I know this is a privileged thing to say – there’s the guilt thing again). Whatever the goal is, it is a choice everyone should define for themselves. If you don’t, you’ll spin your wheels, going after things that may not bring you satisfaction. And it may take you down the path of burnout, chasing that imaginary carrot. (Trust me on this. It’s been a lifetime of learning this lesson!)

I think it’s important for every small business owner to take some time to sit back and look at their definition of success.

Is it to have freedom? Is it a financial goal? Or is it to become famous in your field?

None of these are bad goals. And it’s okay to want all three.

The question is: What is the most important goal to you?

Set your sights on that goal and maybe the others will follow.

In the end, it’s crucial for authors to figure out what success looks like for them based on their own goals and values. This way, they can avoid burnout and dissatisfaction along the way. Embracing a personal vision not only boosts creativity but also makes the writing experience much more rewarding overall.

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