If you find success as a writer, there will come a time when you have to shift your mindset from that of a hobbyist to that of a professional. Here’s how to plan for the change.
You may have been toiling for years, writing short stories and novels, when, finally, you start selling your work. You may have sold a few stories to magazines or literary journals, or you may have found an agent for your novel or memoir. At this point, you need to take some time and think about how you can develop your writing career if that’s your goal.
There are several aspects to this change. Some of them are financial, such as preparing for the accounting and tax implications of the additional income. You also need to produce consistent work to meet deadlines imposed by agents and editors. But the biggest change you need to make is one of mindset, to treat writing like a job and not a hobby.
Getting over the first hurdle
I had a chat with David Goodman, author of A Reluctant Spy. This was his first novel, published in September 2024, and released in paperback in June 2025, shortly before we spoke. I interviewed David on the Write Now with Scrivener podcast in January 2025, and his book had just been out a few months, but was already selling well and had been optioned for TV. I asked him what had been the first big change in his writing life. He said that "getting an agent is the one that feels like the biggest achievement because you’re over that first hurdle."
Getting an agent makes first-time authors shift gears. Even if they’ve been writing for years, they suddenly confront questions about their writing, demands for edits and revisions, and tight schedules. David said that fellow authors told him that "this is the happiest you will be, because everything that comes after this has got some sort of stress linked to it," and "everything that comes after that is different because it’s attached to contracts."
If the agent manages to sell the book, the writer becomes a sort of small business. There’s a client to satisfy (the publisher), deliverables to provide on schedule (manuscripts, edits, etc.), and financial elements to deal with (contracts, royalty payments, and other potential income). Writers need to develop the mindset to function as a small business, at least for part of their work.
Setting up a consistent writing routine
Most if not all first-time authors will have full-time jobs, and, while they had been able to find slots to write around their work, becoming a professional means that their writing routine has to become consistent. There are a number of milestones in the publishing process, involving one or multiple rounds of edits, some of which may be substantial, as well as reviewing final page proofs.
But the writer needs to keep writing through all this. When buying a first novel, publishers frequently offer two-book contracts, hoping that, if the first book is successful, they can build on that. This means that the writer has a long-term schedule to deal with. While they may have already started or made substantial progress on a second book, becoming a professional often makes the writer rethink what they want this sophomore work to be. They haven’t just realized the dream of publishing a novel; now they’re on a path to a career, and their goals may change.
At this point, writers can’t just wait for inspiration to hit but need to show up every day (or every planned writing session) and make progress on their book. Writer’s block may hit, but, as author Peter James said in Howdunit, a book about writing mysteries and thrillers, "Over the years I’ve met a number of people who told me they have writers’ block. But I cannot remember a single author who writes for a living ever telling me that."
The professional mindset
David Goodman told me that he now sees himself doing two types of tasks, as a writer and an author. "The writer is the person who does the creative work. And the author is the person who sells that work." This approach allows him to plan his time according to his needs. "But the biggest challenge I’ve had is to not allow the author to take over in a way that reduces the time and the energy for the writing."
Many writers who publish their first book have been freelancers before getting a publishing contract, so they are better equipped to deal with this dichotomy. But those writers who have been working around full-time jobs, such as writing in the morning before heading to work or taking time on the weekends to write, have to make time for both roles.
The writer hits their word count every writing session, and the author carves out time to look for new opportunities, network with other writers, and promote themselves. The author also pays attention to publishing trends and focuses on thinking about the future; not just the book they’re writing, but the ones they’ll write in the years to come if they want to make writing a career.
It’s important to remember that a writing career does not exclude continuing in a full-time or part-time job. Many writers publish a book every year or two while still working in a day job. This involves a bit more time juggling, but can provide financial security.
Most writers dream of being published but don’t realize that when they attain that goal, their writing life changes. It’s important to be aware of how publication affects the way a writer approaches their work, so, when they do get an agent or sell a book, they are prepared for the task ahead and don’t get overwhelmed.
Kirk McElhearn is a writer, podcaster, and photographer. He is the author of Take Control of Scrivener, and host of the podcast Write Now with Scrivener.