The most successful authors in the 21st century follow key habits that contribute to their productivity, creativity, and ability to achieve business goals. Here are five essential habits they share:
1. Consistent Writing Routine
Successful authors treat writing like a job, setting daily or weekly word count goals.
Example: Stephen King writes 2,000 words per day, even on holidays.
2. Strategic Time Management
They prioritize deep work by eliminating distractions and using focused writing sprints.
Example: Cal Newport (author of Deep Work) advocates for distraction-free blocks of time for creative work.
3. Ruthless Editing and Rewriting
First drafts are rarely perfect; top authors dedicate time to revision.
Example: Margaret Atwood revises extensively, believing “revision is where the real writing happens.”
4. Effective Marketing and Branding
Authors actively engage with readers through social media, newsletters, and personal branding.
Example: Colleen Hoover leveraged TikTok to become one of the best-selling authors of the decade.
5. Lifelong Learning and Reading
The best writers are avid readers, constantly learning from others.
Example: Haruki Murakami reads across genres and cultures to expand his storytelling skills.
What are some of your routines that seem to help you keep on track with your writing goals? Let us know in the comments below or share the post on your social media with comments.
It has been a rough season for most of us and it seems it may not get better. To that end we do suggest that you establish some routines that work for you and stick to them. We are still gathering some great ideas for a newsletter that is only for subscribers. We hope you will take a few minutes and subscribe, confirm your subscription and be patient for the next newsletter to go out. There are so many projects coming due at the same time but I am whittling them down so I can get to my own readers. Of course, you can always send me an email if you have any questions by using my CONTACT form. Finally, for those who have not visited my publishing services company website yet I hope you will check it out: https://SouthernDragonPublighing.com – We do not publish your book but we do help you get it published.
