 From the myths they once believed, to the quiet habits that sustained them, these authors remind us that mastery isn’t a straight line, rejection isn’t failure, and the path to "making it" is rarely what we imagine.  If you could go back to your early writing days, what one piece of advice would you give your beginner self? Without a doubt, I'd start an author newsletter, something I failed to do till I'd been in the industry a decade. Your newsletter doesn't depend on algorithms and is your captive audience, so to speak. Your subscriber list is made up of your most devoted readers, the ones who will pre-order your books and enable you to keep publishing. Equally important is your website. Invest in something that feels like your online home & is welcoming & informative to your readership. Priceless! Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author? Endurance. Your mindset needs to be that you're in this for the long haul. A long obedience in the same direction as has been said. Quality. Never turn out a half-baked book. -- Laura Frantz, Christy Award Winner and the ECPA Bestselling Author   Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author? One thing that has served me well is a determination that I wanted to write books that would stand the test of time—quality work that can sit on a bookshelf anywhere. This decision informed the standard of publishing I placed on my indie books. Thankfully, my indie books have finaled for and won awards (RWA Daphne Award for Mystery/Suspense). But even if they hadn't received those accolades, I'm confident within myself that none of my books are subpar. Another choice I made was to walk away from things that didn't feel right. This included publisher interest that didn't mesh with my vision for my stories. This included leaving agents when I knew I needed to pursue indie publishing instead of traditional publishing. This includes skipping social media/marketing trends I feel won't work with my publication schedule (I'm looking at you, TikTok!). Finally, I don't really know how to back off. I might've thought about giving up multiple times, when I didn't get the publisher I wanted or when I got a particularly hateful review on Amazon. But in the end, I'm writing books because I know that's what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'll do it until God shows me I need to stop. I went into my writing career with the commitment that my family would always come first, so when/if family needs usurp my career, I'll drop my career in a heartbeat. But I'm thankful I've been allowed all these years to write, and I hope I have many more to come. -- Heather Gilbert, Daphne du MaurierAward-Winning Author  If you could go back to your early writing days, what one piece of advice you would give your beginner self? Never replace the love of writing with the pursuit of publication, and never EVER think that someone else’s success somehow diminishes yours. Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author? Never lose the love of writing. Give up chasing publication if you must, but let that love of twisting a plot and creating characters remain. Never say you have to write. Say you get to write. Writing is a decision. -- Kathleen Y-Barbo, multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and bestselling author with more than two million copies in print  If you could go back to your early writing days, what one piece of advice would you give your beginner self? Don’t rush things. I was ready to publish my first novel long before I was ready. (But yeah, I sure thought I was.) Here’s an analogy that might help: I play guitar and sing. I could entertain you for 20 – 30 minutes and you’d come away saying, “I liked that, I enjoyed Jim’s playing and singing.” But you sure wouldn’t plunk down any money to buy my album. I’m just not that skilled. Pretty good isn’t going to get you published and if you go inide with a pretty good novel, no one is going to read it. Malcom Gladwell’s well-known book, Outliers says we need 10,000 hours to get good enough. I think he’s right. If you could leave one word of advice for future writers, what would it be? Remember why you started writing. Probably to play. To experience the joy of word pouring out on the page, the joy of taking reader to new worlds. Write like you’re still eight years old and the world is full of adventures still waiting to be discovered. That’s the real treasure of being a novelist. -- James Rubart, 5-Time Christy Winner and Hall of Famer  This post was complied by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and a Story Consultant for Writing Day Workshops. Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest. WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.  Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
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