Before writers can determine their goals, they need to define what success means to them. With a variety of directions to take, each writer should spend some time reflecting on their particular definition of success. The possibilities include:
Literary Success. To achieve literary success as a writer, it is imperative to work with an agent who knows how to pitch a book idea to publishers. Building a relationship with an agent and then a publisher has to fit the writer’s personality and value system.
Part of the requirement for literary success involves entering contests, researching trade publishers, building a platform, and working on a productive social media presence. Basically, the writer has to be able to prove s/he can make money for the publisher.
Commercial Success. In order to achieve commercial success, writers again need to procure an agent and a trade publisher. Setting up a newsletter and/or a blog that attracts readers is a must. And gaining popularity with posts that lead to internet popularity. If a blog post goes viral, that attention attracts more commercial success and more publishers.
Writers who strive for commercial success need to be willing to write within popular genres such as romance, fantasy, graphic fiction, and western stories. Of course, the popular genres can change, so writers focused on commercial success need to be creative in a variety of genres. No writing from the heart of what you feel ‘called’ to write. The bottom line is making money and becoming well-known.
Financial Success. Goals for financial success vary with writers. Some writers want to sell at least 50,000 books at the going rate and be able to write full-time. Other writers are happy freelancing and bringing in a decent secondary income. For writers who have been rejected over and over, they are happy with one published article and a $50 check.
Most writers begin as part-time wordsmiths. They work a full-time job at a dependable type of work so they can spend a few hours on the weekend doing their creative crafting. Other writers use multiple streams of income to pay their bills and keep chasing their dream of being a full-time writer.
I worked full-time for many years, sometimes with a couple of jobs. While working these jobs, I also started freelancing, sending out articles once/week to build my writing credits. That plan also resulted in multiple rejections, but that was par for the course. Now, I’m a certified writing coach, an editor, and an author — adding all the income together to survive and pay my bills. Most people would not call me a financial success, but I like what I do and hope to continue for the rest of my life.
Brand Success. Writers who want to be a brand success work on building up their public persona so that readers know their name. They build a platform, often developing a speaking platform or ministry where they can sell books at the back of the room (the BOR plan).
These writers need a healthy website, a professional logo, a social media presence, a media page, a PowerPoint presentation, and plenty of public relations. They need to learn how to advertise their services and their books and how to pitch to increase the number of speaking events and public sitings. They are focused on becoming a celebrity within their genre.
Academic Success. For writers with advanced degrees in a particular field, academic success is possible. They need to be ready for a peer review, for major endorsements from experts in their field, and for the additional work that academia requires. A university press is a must, usually not covered by agents.
This type of success means careful and prolific research as well as accurate end notes. A professional editor will need to fact check everything before the book goes to the university’s editor. For writers who want to go the academic route, the first pitch goes to their alma mater and whichever universities where they have earned advanced degrees. This is a long process, so these writers need to be willing to wait but also how to market their work and pitch to a variety of schools.
Creative Success. The writer who wants to be a creative success works within the more creative genres: poetry, memoir, legacy writing, journaling, etc. These writers just enjoy the journey, because they are focused on writing from the heart and the love of words.
The writer who is interested most in creativity does not always care about financial success or worry about how to pay the bills with their words. They just write for the love of writing. They find therapy in the scroll of the pen across the page. And if they become commercially successful, they are often surprised and humbled.
Spiritual Success. Many writers are faith-based, because they know the truth of the Apostle John’s first chapter, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).
These writers want to use their words for something good. They strive to make an impact in their readers’ lives or they write for a cause — to change society, to speak the truth about oppression, to expand on the philosophy of loving others. The writer focused on spiritual success often accepts low pay or even no pay. They just want their words to get on the internet and make a difference.
Writers can actually work from several different definitions of success and match their goals around those definitions. It’s a helpful exercise to reflect on the definition(s) you choose for your writing, then fashion some quarterly goals around your choice(s).
It’s also important to not get stuck in a rut. You never know what direction your words might take. CS Lewis began as a spiritual writer, then became a commercial success. His books are now considered classics, taught in schools around the world, and still causing readers to think.
So check out these possibilities and choose your definition(s). But above all, keep writing. Your words matter.
©2026 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
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My definition(s) include creative writing and spiritual writing. But I never complain if my words bring in some finances. Hoping for that goal with my newest book, Seeking the Land of Grace. Check it out.