The ultimate goal of any new writer has to be to get published. But what is the reality of being published?

To those outside the world of the author, writing holds glamour: the freedom of your own life writing, the potential of the next great novel, the glory of topping the best seller lists. The life of a writer is very much in contrast, consisting of hard graft, endless door knocking, and likely years without apparent success. But getting published, when it does eventually happen, is only a step in becoming a successful author.

Yvonne Perry at Writers in the Sky, discusses the reality of being published and how a whole new world of effort opens up once your words are finally in print. Publishing is a business, she reminds us, and authors have to keep a straight head and maintain a realistic head on what they might be able to achieve if they want to create a long term success.

In particular, she warns of the pitfalls of being preoccupied with such huge public exposure as being noticed and by Oprah:

I’ve known authors lured into inappropriate marketing plans by big, flashy names and promises of stardom, wasting thousands of valuable marketing dollars and heading in a direction that wasn’t right for them.

Get your author reality check over at Writers in the Sky.