Want to become an author? Here are the Top 10 Tips for successfully writing a book
Make a New Year’s Resolution: Become an author in 2026!
TELL YOUR STORY.
It’s as simple as that—and as challenging, as well.
Your story might be a memoir—or perhaps you have a lifetime of experience and insight in a field such as business, health care, education, or community leadership. Perhaps you’ve got an inspirational story to tell that your friends have been begging you to write it down and share it with others. Maybe you love cozy mysteries and have always wanted to try your hand at creating a quirky detective who will become a beloved companion to readers through a whole series of adventures.
Whatever “your story” may be—
Here are the Top 10 Tips to becoming an author in 2026:
1.) Write. Writers write. Veteran writers write everyday. Other writers schedule times each week, perhaps early in the morning or late at night. Some write on paper. Some write on laptops or tablets. But the No. 1 truth about successful authors is—they write. Your No. 1 New Year’s Resolution is: Start writing or typing up words, sentences, lists, anecdotes, memories, and entire scenes that could wind up in your book.
2.) Read. Writers read. In fact, what you enjoy reading is likely what you’ll be successful writing. If you’re a community leader and you’ve relied on a handful of well-thumbed books to guide your career—then maybe you want to add to that shelf a new book that fits a niche you haven’t seen anyone fill so far. If you love curling up with a cozy mystery, then you could be the next creator of your own cozy series. If you’ve helped friends, family members or perhaps your entire congregation to cope with life challenges—and you’ve relied on a few key books over the years—maybe there’s room for a new one based on your own unique experiences.
3.) Listen. Writers listen carefully. Think about books you’ve loved over the years. One reason you probably cherish certain books is the way the authors perfectly capture voices and authentic life-stories of various characters. The full enjoyment of your book depends on how well you know the whole community around you. Want to learn much more about why listening is as important as sharing our own stories? Get a copy of Jeffrey Munroe’s Telling Stories in the Dark. You’re likely to recognize yourself—or someone you know in Jeff’s story.
4.) Look. This one may surprise you! And, it’s just as important as the first three tips—so let me explain more about this one: Writers select “telling details” as they craft their books. Since our founding as a publishing house nearly two decades ago, we have been telling writers: “A successful book really is a community between two covers—that is published and then connects with real communities in the world.” If you think about it, an entire community won’t fit between two covers, so writers have to curate those bits and pieces—dialogue, visual details, smells and tastes and sounds and sensations—that will vividly bring that community to life in readers’ minds. A true master of this craft is Christy Berghoef, a multi-talented author and photographer whose latest memoir is Rooted: A Memoir of Homecoming. To understand Christy’s craft as a writer, get a copy of that memoir. But there’s also a free and immediate way to “meet her.” Check out her Wheat & Willow columns on Substack (she provides all of her columns for free on Substack). Her December 28 column is Ordinary December Days.
5.) Learn. There’s not a better guide to learning about our friends, neighbors, co-workers and other people we will meet in our communities than the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters series of two dozen books! They’re reasonably priced and could be an ideal boost to help you begin writing that book you’ve been dreaming of getting down on paper. Authenticity of detail is key to a successful book and the MSU guides can help you to better understand your neighbors.
6.) Travel. Whether you are traveling into your own backyard like Christy Berghoef—or you’re traveling far and wide like Jeffrey Munroe—purposeful travel is a key resource in great writing. If you need to jump start your own reflections on the meaning and purpose and preparations for travel, get a copy of Douglas J. Brouwer’s The Traveler’s Path. Doug’s book is an eye-and-heart-opening adventure that can transform your awareness of the world!
7.) Pause. Most successful authors rely on a spiritual discipline to open their creative awareness. These disciplines can range from a series of small daily rituals that spark reflections on the wonderment of life—to more formal religious reflections and prayers at some point throughout the day. In this case, we’re going to recommend two transformative spiritual guides: Torah Wrestling by Rabbi Roy Furman and The Word Made Fresh by George Mason. From our nearly two decades in publishing, we could recommend dozens of other books—but these are two starting points for readers who want to direct their daily spiritual “pause” into the pages of scripture.
8.) Envision scenes. One workshop exercise we’ve shared with writers over the years is imagining that their book is a feature film and then envisioning which “scenes” must be included in the “final cut.” A true master at this is Dave Larsen, who considered writing a memoir about growing up in a Chicago neighborhood that went through traumatic change in the 1960s—but decided instead to write a historical novel about these experiences: Green Street in Black and White. Warning: If you start reading this bestseller, you won’t be able to stop until you reach the end. Why? Because Dave masterfully envisions scenes that propel us through the entire adventure.
9.) Invite. Our worldwide community of authors shares a belief that writing itself is a community adventure. Throughout our history, we have been known nationwide for our practice of “summoning allies and angels” around new books—starting at the stage of the initial manuscript. Here’s a link that goes way back to a 2018 issue of the IBPA’s publishing journal about our emphasis on inviting allies and angels to be part of the process. (If you visit that page, click on the magazine cover to download the whole article in PDF format.)
10.) Ask us. If you’re serious about becoming an author in 2026, contact us. We’d love to chat.