Challenges First-Time Authors Face and How to Overcome Them

Nike Sholarin knew her life story must be told. She wanted many girls to understand the dangers of low self-esteem and doubt, and to hear her unique story of how she overcame them. The story burned deep in her soul—the many times she had allowed close people to bruise and trample on her pride, all in the name of not wanting to make enemies. It nearly destroyed her life, but she was thankful to God for His mercy.

It had been twenty years now since she started writing the manuscript. She withheld writing it while she was in university because she thought she still had more steps to take in life. Then she got married, got a job at the Ministry of Finance, and became the first financial advisor to the governor ever to emerge from her hometown.

Now, she was staring at 45, and her manuscript only had a few words in it. She had succumbed to writing a few words every morning and night due to her busy schedule, but the words just wouldn’t flow. They were in her brain, but she didn’t know how to structure them on the laptop. The scenarios danced around in her mind: Was it her near-rape incident, or when she had been badly hurt by her cousins? She had gotten emotional too many times for her words to be coherent.

Nike stared at her computer screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. The words she had just typed felt lifeless, uninspired. She sighed and hit the backspace key again. It had been years since she started writing her first book, and instead of feeling proud, she felt like she was failing the young girls out there by still keeping her story inside. Was she even a real writer? Would anyone want to read her work with how messy she wrote?

A first-time author can feel the anxiety, the eagerness, and, of course, the writer’s block—the lack of structure and all sorts of hurdles. If you are a first-time author, you can probably relate to Nike’s struggles.

Nike had the dream and desire to act, but she had to learn during the journey that writing was more than just a dream, and she needed to master the craft to have a tangible result.

A first-time author can feel the anxiety, the eagerness, and, of course, the writer’s block—the lack of structure and all sorts of hurdles. If you are a first-time author, you can probably relate to Nike’s struggles. Writing a book is more than just a dream; the author has to put in the work to actualize this dream. Let’s explore some of the biggest hurdles new authors face and how to tackle them.

1. Skill Development: Mastering the Craft

Many authors come with the innate talent to write, but they must realize that there’s always room to continually hone their skills. Writing goes beyond talent; it involves developing the craft. First-time writers often face struggles such as structuring their stories, developing characters, and making their narratives compelling.

Here is how to Overcome It:

Take writing courses or workshops to improve your skills. Register for as many as possible based on your schedule. Practice what you are taught daily. A day should not go without you writing, rewriting, revising, and refining your work. Every writer needs the 3 R’s (Read, Revise, and Rewrite) to become a good writer.

Read books on storytelling. Every writer should be a reader. Read voraciously, and from reading the works of other writers, you will learn the techniques, writing style, and structural guides these authors use. From there, you will develop your voice.

Practice daily, even if it’s just a few hundred words. Writing consistently helps you refine your style over time. Most writers complain about their busy schedules, which is why it is advisable to write early in the morning, right after you wake up. Do not write while under duress or when you are tired. Write a to-do list and fit your writing into your schedule. Become better at your craft and be that bestseller. The world awaits your story.

2. Rejection by Publishers

Authors over time have faced rejection by publishers, and this is not only with traditional publishers—digital publishing platforms can also be tough on new writers. However, what is the solution? The writer should not be dampened. Even renowned authors like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie faced multiple rejections before getting published. Although receiving a rejection letter can be devastating, rejection is part of the process. You shouldn’t let it break you. Here’s how to overcome it.

How to Overcome It:

Don’t take rejection personally—it’s often about market trends, not just the quality of your work. Most publishers are looking for popular authors and storylines that have broad appeal. Therefore, talented first-time authors may be overlooked. Publishers often feel they are taking a risk with new writers, so they may want to stick to the norm. This is why most first-time authors take the digital publishing route, although some of these platforms also reject books based on market trends.

Revise your manuscript based on constructive feedback. Nothing gets a book rejected faster than a badly edited work of art. Both publishers and readers abhor books with significant editing problems. Authors are advised to write, edit, and proofread their work properly before approaching a publisher.

Explore self-publishing if traditional publishing proves difficult. Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark offer great opportunities for new authors.

The end… Just kidding! Stay tuned for the second part of this topic. The challenges that first-time authors face are too vast to be fully covered in just one blog post. If you’ve successfully navigated the journey as a first-time author, we’d love to hear about your experience—feel free to share in the comments section below. First-time authors need all the encouragement and guidance they can get, and BAC is here to provide just that.