I wrote a book and it failed, but the lessons carried me through my writing career

Nobuhle N Nyoni self-published a book in 2019 called (Photo courtesy of Nobuhle N Nyoni)

I was on the phone with a friend when I had a light bulb moment: What if I wrote a book? 

I had been blogging for at least two years about relationships, self-development and body positivity. Without a doubt, I believed a book on one of these topics would be a hit! My friend was supportive and even offered to help with the editing. It felt like the universe was backing my brilliant idea.

I hastily worked on the book I thought would change my life. It took me a few weeks to complete it before I handed it over for editing. I took pride in my 59-page book nonetheless. The book went live on Amazon in 2019. Five years later, I only sold five books. Yep — a book for every year. 

Nyoni’s book “The Kings That Didn’t Need This Queen.” (Image courtesy of Nobuhle N Nyoni)

I took time to feel sorry for myself before I accepted my reality: That was all I deserved for the time and effort I put into that book which, looking back, was overpriced, had little depth and riddled with typos. 

Nobody owed me anything more. In that moment of clarity and accountability, I asked myself why I was in such a rush. Why did I compromise the quality of my work? I found a few reasons, and today these stand as lessons.

No one is leaving you behind.

I watched other people go from being bloggers to authors or influencers. I felt like I deserved a slice of the pie. Feelings of stagnancy took over before I started feeling left behind.

But rushing the book did not put me on the same level as them. There was no way I could have caught up because these bloggers had more experience and worked hard to get to where they were. I was a blogger for only two years and barely defined my scope.

I learned that nobody can run a race they haven't prepared for. The people I looked up to were leaving all the clues of success for me; they weren't leaving me behind.

Have more than one person look at your book.

This may as well be my biggest takeaway from this entire experience: Your first draft is not the book. 

See your first draft as an outline for your book. When you complete it, save it and wait a few days or weeks before giving it another look. This allows you to come back with a fresh perspective and spotting the gaps will be a breeze! 

Before executing your newly noted ideas, introduce your people to the mix. Get editors and readers, because this will walk you into both worlds, helping you perfect your work. I apply this to my everyday writing, and it has helped me to put out very well-thought-out pieces.

Ask yourself: ‘Would you pay for this?’

I know today that I would be very disappointed to receive the draft that I put up on Amazon. As creatives, we tend to get caught up in our fantasies of fame and fortune, glossing over the fact that our work has to be valuable to our audience first. The reviews I received do show that I didn't give people value for their money.

If the answer to this question is a no, then step back and reevaluate. I learned that I was better off late with quality work than on time with a draft.

Practice before going big.

I highly recommend writing for publications outside of your blog. The experience of writing in different styles strengthens your skills. It also opens you up to a whole new world of creativity.

Most of my blogs were rants and had close to zero structure. I was a baby in the writing industry, and unfortunately, I learned this later in the year after publishing.

Meeting of Minds UK put a callout for pitches. I decided to try it out and submitted one. I did not hold onto it because I did not think I would make the cut. You can imagine my surprise when I received a positive email.

I worked on that piece with so much excitement. I submitted it and waited patiently. When I opened the Google doc from the editor, my heart sank! There were so many highlights I wanted to cry. After wallowing, I went through her notes, and it was such an eye-opening moment. I discovered what it meant to write with a purpose that day.

I decided I would apply what I learned to my blog as well, and that is when my writing style changed completely. I also committed to finding more platforms to pitch and write for so that I am continuously learning. And that is the best thing I ever did for my writing career.

If you are as lucky as I have been, every editor you work with will leave you with a valuable lesson to take with you on your writing journey.

Build your base before going all the way.

Who are you selling this book to? Every time I received this question, I said it was for young, high school girls to know their worth and what comes from within.  

My book was for high school girls, yet I overlooked the audience I built through my website. My content was attracting women between the ages of 25-40; my book was inappropriate for them. 

Even then, my website had 5,000 views a year at most. We don't like to hear it, but the truth is, this is a long game. Success is not easy to attain, so the trick is to play your game smartly. 

So build that website, start that podcast, build your fan base, and then write that book.