Selling books is hard work, but there’s something that comes first and it’s even harder.

One of the most surprising things I’ve learned as a writer and as an author is that creating a team of writers is hard. And I mean, HARD.

But it shouldn’t be, and I’ll tell you why. This is important because if you want to sell thousands of books, you will need to team-up with your fellow writers, just like the best superheroes do when they want to accomplish big goals!

Everyone wants to get the word out about their books, articles, or blog posts, but when it comes to promoting someone else’s work, even our own, it’s a challenge to find the motivation, enthusiasm, and audacity, to do it.

Would you agree?

You might not think so, but even now when a lot of people are staying home and are looking for extra ways to create income to put food on the table, it’s still very hard to promote someone else’s work, even if they offer to pay you.

You can offer huge prizes, cash, gift cards, and even, magic pens, but it’s still very hard to get people to want to take part and join your team.

But why?

It’s an important question because one day you’ll have a book and you’ll want people to help you get the word out about it. And, for the most part, they won’t help. I don’t mean that to be derogatory, but it’s true.

It’s because we are writers in the 2000’s and we still haven’t realized times have changed and the only way to become “successful authors” today is to work together.

We are not enemies of the pen! Heck, we are not even competitors anymore. And we need to stop acting like we are.

The only way we can be successful today is if we unite.

Seriously.

We all need to build credit with our fellow authors because one day we are going to ask them to help us when we need it. One day we are going to have a book, or, a course, or something we need help getting the word out about and it’s going to depend on the credit we’ve built.

I LOVE working with other authors.

I have helped some, who would’ve in years past been my direct competitors, reach my audience and they’ve in turn helped me reach theirs. Just last month I worked with several bestselling authors in the writing genre where we ALL promoted each other’s books, together!

AND WE WERE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL!

We sold thousands of our books—together!

Believe it or not, there were several authors who were asked to join us but they didn’t want to promote someone else’s work. While every single person on the team saw their books reach #1 in several Amazon categories with incredible sales, there were those who preferred not to sell any books if it meant promoting others.

With that said, I’ll still invite them next time because I do not see them as rivals.

I have been part of several book launches, earning fun prizes for doing so, but not because I was especially great at it or that I loved the genre, or that I did anything special. No. Not really. All I did was read a book, decided if I liked it, and if I did (or didn’t), I shared what I thought about it on social media, even created a post or two, and a video or two for books I especially liked, and THAT was enough.

Why did I win prizes?

Because the reality is that only about 2% in entire book launch teams actually participate. So, I really didn’t have to do much, I practically won by default.

But I earned something much more valuable than money.

Those authors I’ve helped remember me when I need their help. They remember my name not because I’ve asked something of them but because I was there for them when they needed me. And not only was I there for them, I MADE A DIFFERENCE.

I. Made. A. Difference.

If you (yes YOU) are going to be a successful author today who sells lots of books, get readers for your blogs, or gets hired for your writing, you need to make a difference for others who could become YOUR allies and teammates.

Cold knocking on doors is practically impossible in today’s market, not when it is so easy for you to come in the side door, where the workers enter and make a difference immediately.

And it doesn’t make ANY difference if you’re self-published or traditionally published. You still need connections.

The secret in today’s market is becoming known.

And how do you become known? By being there and being part of teams, and if you do, people will remember you. I promise you this. This is so important. It could change your entire career as a writer.

Make a difference.

The reason I personally know people such as Jerry B. Jenkins, Jeff Goins, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, (interviewed most of them) and so many others, is not because of luck, but because when they put out the call for help, I entered their side doors, the worker’s door, and I helped them. I didn’t just help them. You guessed it…

I MADE A DIFFERENCE

Jeff Goins still talks about how when he first created Tribe Writers that I was the first person on the TW Facebook Group each and every day helping other members in any way I could. Ask him and he’ll tell you.

I bet you’re reading this and thinking, oh well, you’re Bryan Hutchinson and you have Positive Writer, of course these authors would know you. Actually, NOT TRUE, I did not have Positive Writer when I first joined Tribe Writers. I created Positive Writer thanks to encouragement to do so while on Jeff’s team.

It’s not an accident. And it’s certainly not luck!

And the secret is so darn easy, it’s amazing not everyone is doing it:

Answer the call for help, show up, and do what you can–when you can.

Many paid me with rewards, but honestly, I would have done it for free. I was mostly in it for the chance to rub elbows, talk shop, and learn from them.

Do I know your name?

Should I? Think it over for a moment.

I’d like to say I should.

I’ve worked with Jerry B. Jenkins on a few of his projects over the last few years. He’s the author of the “Left Behind Series,” which has sold, oh something like OVER 70 MILLION copies. Love the series or hate it, that’s a lot of books sold! Nicolas Cage recently starred in a movie based on the series.

And people have asked me how I got Jerry B. Jenkins to guest post on Positive Writer. Honestly, it was easy.

Jerry put out a call for help a few years ago and I stepped up and I helped him. That’s how I got on HIS radar and now he remembers me. He even chose to read one of my books, “Writer’s Doubt,” and he liked it so much that he chose to personally endorse it, too. (Thanks, Jerry!)

Heck, Jeff Goins is the one who came up with the subtitle for “Writer’s Doubt: The #1 Enemy of Writing (And What You CAN Do About It)” Jeff didn’t even charge me for it. (Thanks, Jeff!)

This stuff happens. I promise you. It does. And it can happen for you, too.

If you have a chance to join another artist’s team today and help them, would you? Be honest.

If so, good, because that’s how you get on radars. Once you’re on someone’s radar, doors begin to open for you, and the world you thought was only meant for “special” people, suddenly accepts you in it.

You’ll have the chance to help your fellow authors and artists. You will. Sometimes they’ll offer you prizes and other rewards and sometimes just a few minutes of their time.

My advice is:

Don’t miss your chance. Just don’t.

Even if you can’t see how the connection will benefit you right now, trust that you can never have too many connections and you never know what the future will bring.

It’s easier than you think, trust me.

Build. Your. Bridges.

In fact, I am currently offering the opportunity for people to join my own book launch, maybe you’d like to join? You can join (click) here if you like. It’s only for the month of October, so hurry up, if you’re interested.

Just remember, if you want to become a successful writer, author, or any type of artist, your fellow writers are not your competitors—they’re your teammates, so join them!

If you’ve ever wondered how all those artists at the top became friends with each other and sell thousands of books, now you know. It’s not accidental.

For the past few years, my desire to become a published author has become topmost in my mind. Because of that, many of my action plans have revolved around improving my writing.

These action plans have included taking online courses, and I learned a lot from them. In hindsight, I noticed that it’s not the one-time thing that actually helped me become a better writer: instead, it’s the little habits that I didn’t even pay much attention to during the time.

So what are some of these habits that helped me to become a better writer?

NOTE: This is a guest post by Yen Cabag, she is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She’s a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.

10 Habits to Improving Your Writing

Here are 10 habits that I’ve tested and proven to help anyone become a better writer:

1. Write even when you don’t feel like it.

We writers are quick to blame writer’s block when we are not in the mood to write. These past few months, I’ve tried pushing myself even when I don’t feel like writing, and to my surprise, after the first sentence or so, I can write!

I think this is one of the most important habits that any writer needs to develop, to push past the feeling of blah and just get writing.

2. Be OK with an unexciting first line—at first.

One of the greatest pressures that we writers face is the need to make that first line absolutely perfect. After all, doesn’t everyone tell us the first line has to hook your readers in, or else you’ve lost them forever?

Because of that, I find myself stuck whenever I can’t think of a great first line. One way that helped me move past this is to force myself to be OK with any old first line when I first writing. Then I just make a mental note to myself (or a literal note, typed in bold so I can quickly see it!) to edit that first line after I finish the entire piece, be it an article, a blog post, or a chapter in a novel.

3. Write first, edit later.

Another pitfall that many writers struggle with is the internal editor always forcing us to go back and fix things as we go along. This causes many delays, and sometimes even quenches the creative flow. I learned this important habit from several writing blogs, and I need to force myself to shut out the inner editor so I can just write my first draft and edit later.

4. Don’t be afraid to outline.

In the world of novels, two extreme writing styles are the plotter and the pantser. The plotter outlines everything, while the pantser just writes “by the seat of his pants.” I’m a fairly organized person, but I usually don’t have the patience to outline, and perhaps mistakenly think of myself as a pantser.

To test out this “theory,” in my current project of writing a nonfiction book, I tried outlining. To my surprise, it made writing the contents so much easier because I already know what I’m supposed to write about in every chapter!

5. Time yourself writing with undistracted attention.

I stumbled across this trick when I started writing for someone who asked me to use time-tracking software. Because I was timing myself, I was forced to focus on the task. Cal Newport, in his book Deep Work, explains how focusing on a task, instead of the constant multi-tasking that this information-rich generation does, actually helps us have more creative output.

I believe focused attention is one habit that writers really need to develop, and if it calls for a set time to do that, by all means, try it yourself!

6. Write different genres.

As writers, we may have specific genres that we enjoy writing about. But I’ve found that trying out different kinds of topics or styles can give a much-needed break, which helps recharge my writing all over again.

I suppose it’s strange, that having a writing career, I still write to relax!

7. Read, read, read.

Think of writing as exhaling, and reading as inhaling. Reading helps us writers feed on other people’s ideas and styles, and I believe it’s one habit that we need to keep cultivating.

For myself, I enjoy reading both nonfiction and fiction books, to relax after a long day of writing.

8. Practice touch-typing

I’m glad I already know how to touch-type, and relatively fast, so I can generally type out my thoughts as they come. If you don’t know how to touch-type, it may be a good time to learn how to do so, and keep practicing to improve your typing speed.

9. Keep learning.

Although I did say that the little habits I develop throughout the day gave me more results, as writers, we still need to keep learning. I’ve found that taking classes or finding a mentor to give direct feedback on my work is a great way to keep learning and improving.

10. Don’t despise small beginnings.

Lastly, one habit I need to keep cultivating is appreciating the little things. Are you “only” in Chapter 1? Don’t complain, instead celebrate it! The more I celebrate little victories, the more encouraged I am to keep going.

When you look back months, or years down the road, you will find that these 10 habits pay great dividends in helping you improve not just as a writer but even as a whole person.