An author’s journey is a lonely one. Nobody will know what you are doing, they just know that you lock yourself away with your laptop and are being antisocial. They will not know why it is more important for you to be writing rather than doing the washing up. Be prepared for some misunderstandings and negotiations in your life. It comes with the territory!

Having worked with all sorts of authors for over 25 years, I have nothing but admiration for their willingness to put in long hours of effort in order to share their knowledge and creativity for the benefit of others.  This world would be a poorer place without books – in all the different formats they can be found in today.  The fastest growing of these is audio books.

In this world, where Artificial Intelligence seems to be chomping at the heels of authors and trying to nudge them out of the way. There is only one form of AI that I subscribe to, and that is Author Intelligence! There is nothing else like it! There is no machine on earth that could ever draw from the lifetime of thoughts, experiences, creativity, inspiration and common-sense that every author has inside their heads. This is why it is authors who win the prizes, not algorithms.

The world is full of facts, data and information. If you go to Wackypedia, you will find it by the bucketful. However, what it lacks is knowledge that has been developed through practical experience. Every author has their own philosophy that has taken them a lifetime to develop and is based on what they have learned on their personal journey.

It is that which readers of books are looking for.  Where did the author get their ideas? How did they deal with obstacles and challenges? What nuggets of gold did they discover on the way? That is what you get in a book. And nowhere else.

So take heart! What you bring into the world is unique and special. It will open people’s eyes; surprise, amaze and delight them. You will be recognised for your knowledge and creativity and for the impact you have on other people. They will recognise and reward you as a result.

There are very many steps between having an idea, and seeing it realised in physical form. It will take longer than you think. There will be times of frustration with yourself and with others. There will be moments when you are ready to give up and you doubt whether you can see it through.

If it is any consolation, think about Christopher Sparkes. He is a scholar and has both Hebrew, Latin and Greek.  He was becoming frustrated with the fact that every version of the Bible that he looked at, had translation errors. Some were repeated in other translations.  He was moved to do something about it and spent some twenty-five years meticulously going through the original Hebrew and Greek manuscript, word by word.

The result of his labours became the Keys of the Kingdom Holy Bible (www.keysofthekingdonbible.com) which was published by Filament Publishing, three years ago.   Hopefully, your book won’t take you quite as much time! However, every book takes as long as it needs. You cannot artificially hurry the process. Beware of those who say you can do it in a month. Quality takes time, and it is time well spent.

So why bother?

Why put yourself through all of this effort? In my experience, you will only do so, and last the course if your Purpose is big enough.  You don’t write a book to pass the time; you don’t do so to feed your ego. You will only submit yourself to this journey if you have a deep-rooted desire to help other people. If that is your clear objective, you will find that your words will flow, and clarity will be yours!

If you have enthusiasm for your subject, it will shine through your words. People will hear you smile as they read them. Conversely,  if you don’t have enthusiasm, this will be a really difficult journey, and you might not reach the end.

If you are proud of what you know, your creativity and your ability to communicate to others,  then this is going to be a lot of fun!

At this point, you may well not know what to do next. You may not understand what your Author journey consists of or what lies ahead.

Just think that you are driving from London to Glasgow at night. All you can see is the 30 feet in front of your car, which is illuminated by the headlights.  You don’t know the whole journey, but you don’t need to. The motorway signs will tell you everything you need to know, when you need it.

It is the same with your publishing journey. You don’t know all of the tasks ahead of you, but all you need to do is to work with somebody who has been on the same path, probably hundreds of times.

You must be prepared to listen, to learn and to act. Everything will then fall into place and you will become the respected author and achieve your destiny!

Chris Day, Founder of Filament Publishing Ltd