Dear Author, in 2026, Do What's Obvious

Let’s face it:
-while everyone is talking about New Year’s resolutions
-and experts are working hard to turn out new epic plans for your success
-and people are doing a ton of reflection
-sometimes you just kind’ve realize that life is a hot mess, especially if you’re in the publishing industry

I know, I know, it’s easy to ignore this hot-mess truth when you’re flying high on a great launch or an award or a fantabulous review. And conversely, after a tough year, you could be like, “why am I in such a crazy industry? Why aren’t I in a safer field, like accounting?”

(BTW, I know very little about the accounting world, but from what I know of jobs in general, things with finances and numbers and detailed spreadsheet tend to do better, if for no other reason than taxes and business situations are complex and will always need someone to organize data and decode overwhelmingly complex information that makes the final puzzles at the end of a DND campaign seem chill and easy).

So, let’s face the facts.

Publishing is an unstable industry. This is doubly true of fiction book publishing. Once you get to scifi and fantasy, you’re off the deep end of many people going, “oh, you write that? That’s…nice…”

BUT ALSO, if you’re still with me this far into this post, then you are still head-over-heels into the writing gig and you’d like some guidance that goes beyond the “make a list of accomplishments and setbacks” sort of things and gets into the meat of what author life is really all about (and how we get into our own heads all. The. TIME.).

So here is your oddly specific, possibly insane, but ultimately relevant list of options and/or ideas for 2026:

1.) Check your milestones.

Yes, I know I just said “no list of accomplishments and setbacks.” A milestone is just anything major that stuck out, positive or negative, and impacted your life.

So take a minute, acknowledge those milestones, and then start figuring out what you can learn from them.

Maybe you totally won at a launch, and it was great! You learned you loved launching books! Or maybe you realized that in winning at the launch, you absolutely hated your life, and you need to do things differently next time.

Maybe you failed at a project and the story went nowhere. Lean in and think about why it didn’t go anywhere. Was the concept less fun than you hoped? Were there issues with your life season? Did you burn out of enthusiasm and might need an accountability group? Or maybe you just like different kinds of stories?

Whether you succeeded or failed, there’s always something to learn.

2.) Do the obvious thing.

Y’know, the thing you’ve been putting off forever because something in your brain goes, “seriously? No one does that.” Or maybe a side of “well, that works for everyone else, but not for me.”

Or that thing on your list that everyone says, “why not do this?” and it makes you uncomfortable for reasons you’re not sure about. Dig deep, figure out why the obvious thing somehow hasn’t been on your radar, and then make a plan to do the obvious thing.

This is doubly true if the obvious thing is a clear takeaway from data and/or feedback from readers (which is basically data).

3.) Dare to dream beyond the predictions.

Many people are making predictions right about now. Maybe if there’s interest from y’all, I’ll give it predictions a try. But no one can see the future. No one. I don’t care how much they know of history or culture (culture nerd here). People and places and things are unpredictable - and this is doubly true in publishing.

So sure, read the articles about predictions in 2026. Take each speculation with a grain of salt (or a few dozen barrels of salt). And then dream and plan based on what is working for you, the obvious choices for you, and what you’re learning from your personal milestones.

I’m not saying experts don’t know things. We do. And man, studying things in depth takes work. Still, it’s all generalizations and educated guesses, so don’t let someone’s random prediction be the final say in your author story.

4.) If you have no reason to change something, then leave it alone.

Yup, I mean it. Really, really. I see you over there, going “ooooh, shiny!” Sometimes, I am you.

And yet, sometimes what you need in the new year isn’t a whole new plan and new focus and new you. Sometimes you need to focus on what you’re already doing and see it through to the finish line.

Projects can overlap the new year, because they don’t care that it’s now 2026 (it is, after all, just a conceptual idea of time and date based on cultural notions).

For those of you who are in the right place and just need to stick it out, this is me saying: friend, stick it out. It’s worth it.

5.) Refresh your incentives.

Unless you’re writing as a joyful, do-whatever-I-want hobby, then chances are you’re having to figure out self-motivation. You need ways to get yourself into the right vibe to write consistently. You need new tracking methods or accountability methods or just a different candy bar to get you over the finish line.

Look, I love to write. It’s one of my favorite things ever. I still have incentives for myself because sometimes, you might just not be feeling it. Feelings can be indicators of something deeper - but they can also just be your brain being lazy or uninspired and thinking, “oh look, Netflix/YouTube/nerdy sciencey book/random craft that I’m going to buy things for but not actually do.” Give yourself the gift of reviewing your incentives and set out some new rewards in 2026.

Also if you’re someone who knows you’re in a special/hard life season or that you have specific life challenges, take this time to figure out how you’re going to care for yourself and set reasonable goals (don’t wait until you’re already crispy fried - been there, it’s not pretty).

BONUS

6.) Remind yourself all over again why you’re doing this.

This is a crazy industry. There are many, many other things you can do other than writing.

Take the time to reignite your passion and own your why in the new year. Pray, talk with friends, journal, take a walk, do whatever you need to in order to get clear on that. That “why” makes it all worth it.

Also, I’m going to be offering a monthly live Q&A video call to paid subscribers where I can answer your specific questions about writing/publishing and we have a great time.

Just subscribe for $5 a month and get access to my brain for your questions (and I’ll send out a recording if you can’t make it live). Plus, your subscription supports all I do to help authors like you get clarity, confidence, achieve epic goals, and have some fandom fun along the way.

If this sounds good, just hit the subscribe button below and become a paid subscriber. I’d love to help you get on the right track for you in 2026!

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