I published my book at age 17 — and here’s how you can too — Assembly

19-year-old author Raathi Chota shares her advice for growing your readership and publishing your story.

When I was 14, I immigrated to Australia from South Africa with my family. Things took a while to settle in. The only time I was at ease was when I read books. Reading made me feel comfortable and at home in a foreign place. My obsession with books grew, I read anything I could get my hands on. That’s when I found Wattpad, a popular online reading and writing platform. My favorite genres were teen fiction, young adult and romance; I loved that they explored the possibilities of teenage life.

After a year of reading Wattpad, I decided I wanted to write on Wattpad. I was tired of cliché plotlines and wanted to explore a different kind of story. My first piece, “Caught by the Bad Boys,” was about teenagers trying to make it through their final year of high school while dealing with a murder. Writing started out as a hobby — I never thought my work would get much attention. I was just a teenager and still in high school myself. But soon, tens of thousands of people had read my story on Wattpad. I was completely gobsmacked by the amount of support I gained from total strangers, who eventually became readers and friends.

As my writing gained more and more readers, I realized I needed to see the story through to its end by turning it into a book series. My first book in the “Caught by the Bad Boys” series was so popular on Wattpad that my readers encouraged me to publish it. I had no experience with or knowledge of the publishing world, but I used the internet to do as much research and gather as much advice as I could from other writers. Since then, I’ve published two more books, “Flawed” and “Fury.”

Although I’m grateful to have published before I turned 18, not everything was rainbows and sunshine. There’s so much I wish I’d known when I started on my journey to becoming an author. So, I’m here to share what I’ve learned with you.

Finding inspiration.

Inspiration for a story or an idea isn’t easy to come by, and everyone finds it in their own way. Here are some ways I find inspiration for my writing:

Reading… a lot! Whether it’s the simplest books about plants or fairy godmothers, you never know where or when inspiration might strike. Some of my favorites are “Project Nemesis” by Brendan Reichs, the “Truly Devious” trilogy by Maureen Johnson and the “Warcross” duology by Marie Lu.
Personal experiences — whether they’re your own or someone else’s — are my favorite source of inspiration. Think back to a time where you felt a strong connection to a person or an idea, or experienced something truly memorable. These are usually great starting points for stories. You can also source ideas from other people by asking them about their experiences in a certain situation, how they felt, the challenges they went through and what they learned from it.

Doing research.

Once you’ve decided on a story, you’ll want to conduct research from as many sources as possible on topics such as setting, clothing preferences and local dialect. The internet can be the simplest way to do this, but it doesn’t always deliver reliable facts. That’s why it’s good to branch out to your local library, read articles, watch videos, listen to podcasts and join writing communities, whether they’re in-person, Facebook groups or on Reddit. To make sure you’re getting your information from a reliable source, always flip to the back of a book or to the bottom of a webpage for references. Keep them, because your editor may ask you where you’ve gotten your information from.

Promoting from the start.

The more someone knows about you, the more they’ll want to read your story. That’s why it’s a good idea to start growing your audience and engaging future readers before you publish your writing. One way you can do this is by chronicling your writing process online so other people can follow along. The best part about online platforms like Facebook or Pinterest is that they’re all about you, so you can decide what, when and where to post. Here are some ideas:

Post about what you’re researching for your story.
Ask readers for character name ideas.
Post what you’re reading.
Share an “About me” post.
Post your word count for the day, week or month.

Deciding which publishing route to take.

All right, you’ve built a following and written your first draft. Now, where to publish your story?

Posting your work online. A good way to get discovered as a writer is to take a chance and post your work online. Try Wattpad or Inkitt if you’re looking for a driven community of readers. Note, however, that if you’d like to one day publish your work traditionally, posting it online may hinder you. Publishing houses consider work posted online as “published,” so if they’re interested in your work they might ask you to remove it from that platform.

Self-publishing. Self-publishing is a great way to start your writing career if you are certain this is the path you’d like to go down. It’s costly — your expenses will include: hiring an editor, hiring a cover designer and marketing your book. Amazon Publishing has made it easier for writers to self-publish by providing a platform for them. All you have to do is follow the steps on the website, upload a book cover and boom: You’re a published author! If you self-publish, you have more freedom and voice in what the final product will be. But it’s long, hard work to commit to.

Traditional publishing. Traditional publishing has its trials. You don’t have much say in your work once you’ve signed it over to a publishing house. They might cut your story to meet a certain word count. But they will create a beautiful book cover with their designers and, depending on your publisher, the marketing might be epic! Plus, the publisher might love your work and sign you on to write another book for them. They might also send you on book tours and author talks to promote your work which will help you sell more copies. Note that you may receive a smaller percentage of the profits than you would if you self-published, but it’s worth it if you really want to make a living out of writing.

Remember, self-care!

It’s important to remind ourselves throughout the writing process that we’re young and need to look after ourselves mentally and physically. When you start writing, be sure to confide in a few people you trust who will motivate and support you. If you don’t get your desired publisher, it isn’t the end of the world. Failure is just another step toward success. I wish someone had told me that in the past, because a minor setback would occur and I’d think my career was over. Nope. It’s just the beginning. So, look after yourself, do things that bring you comfort and mix with people who boost your confidence as a young writer.

Raathi Chota

is a writer and content creator in Perth, Australia. She loves connecting with the online world through her Instagram and blog where she talks about books, TV shows, writing tips and more. In her spare time she writes book reviews for The Nerd Daily. Her fictional work can be found on Wattpad and Inkitt.