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You have to put writing first

9 July 2012

‘The writing itself has always felt like a bit of a compulsion. It’s what I do, why I exist. My motivation in general is I can do this and I want to be able to take care of myself, my friends and family. That keeps me going - the idea that I can have career stability and I can look after people I care about…


You have to put writing first. A lot of people want to write, but they don’t put it into action. You need to treat it as a career. Put the time in, write every day – or it’s just not going to happen. If you self-publish, you are a publisher as well. Some writers are good at the promotion and the interaction, others don’t enjoy it. It’s something to be aware of if you’re going into it; perhaps you can get a friend to help you with the publishing side.’


Amanda Hocking, bestselling self-published author of the Trylle Trilogy and the upcoming Watersong series