What are your chances of success? Well, I cannot predict the future, but I can certainly pick out authors that are putting themselves in a position to succeed. Take this quiz to learn more about yourself and what you are willing to do as an author.
NOTE: There are no wrong answers. Also, some questions have the same letters repeated. This was done on purpose. Write down your answers on a scratch piece of paper.
Enjoy!
Question One: Do you write fiction or non-fiction?
~ A: Fiction
~ A: Non-Fiction
~ B: Willing to do both in the near future
~ C: Writing both fiction and non-fiction
Question Two: How many different genres do you write in?
~ A: 1
~ B: 2-3
~ C: 4 or more
Question Three: How many different age groups do you write for?
~ A: 1
~ B: 2-3
~ C: 4 or more
Question Four: What kind of publishing are you willing to try?
~ A: Traditional Publishing
~ A: Self-Publishing
~ A: Untraditional Publishing (Being published by a non-publisher. For example, you are published by a marketing agency and split the royalties with them.)
~ B: Willing to try a combination of two
~ C: Willing to try all three
Question Five: How much time do you spend on social media promoting/selling books per day?
~ A: 60 minutes or more
~ B: 30-55 minutes
~ C: 25 minutes or less
Question Six: What best describes your blogs?
~ A: “I do not blog.”
~ A: “I write updates about what is going on in my author career, with a dash of personal updates.”
~ B: “I write a mix of helpful information for my target audience, along with my author updates.”
~ C: “The blog is dedicated to my target audience and not to me.”
Question Seven: How often do you promote other authors?
~ A: Never
~ B: At least once every several months
~ C: At least once a week, or more
Question Eight: How long is your book trailer?
~ A: I do not have a book trailer
~ B: 2 minutes or longer
~ C: Under 2 minutes
Question Nine: How often do you read?
~ A: Hardly ever
~ B: A few hours a week
~ C: Everyday
Question Ten: What is the purpose of market research for authors?
~ A: To validate an authors book
~ B: To learn about an authors target audience
~ C: To discover new opportunities
Question Eleven: What is the fastest way to build a target audience?
~ A: Social Media
~ B: Sell books for .99 cents.
~ C: Provide some books for free
Question Twelve: How many redrafts are needed for a novel?
~ A: 5 or less
~ B: 6-10
~ C: 11 or more
Question Thirteen: What do you know about literary agents, editors, and publishers?
~ A: Very little
~ B: Quite a bit
~ C: I could do their job if needed
Question Fourteen: What are bookstores good for besides buying books?
~ A: Coffee
~ B: Browsing
~ C: Author research
Question Fifteen: Choose the most important tool of being an author:
~ A: Selling books
~ A: Marketing
~ B:Reading
~ C: Storytelling
~ C: Writing Mechanics
Question Sixteen: How many years does it take to succeed as an author?
~ A: Year or less
~ B: 2-5 years
~ C: 6 years or more
Question Seventeen: How often do you research the publishing industry?
~ A: Why would I do that?
~ B: At least once a month
~ C: At least once a week
Question Eighteen: What are you doing in the waiting room of a doctors office?
~ A: Staring at other people
~ A: Using my electronic device/phone
~ B: Reading a magazine
~ C: Reading a book
Question Nineteen: How long have you been trying to succeed as an author?
~ A: Less than a year
~ B: 2-5 years
~ C: Over 5 years
Question Twenty: How much time do you spend writing?
~ A: At least once a week
~ B: At least once every few days
~ C: At least once a day
Total up your answers by giving yourself a 1 for each A, 3 for each B, and a 4 for each C. Of course, this isn’t an exact science and could stir a bit of controversy, but you will learn something about yourself and your author career.
Scores
49 or Lower: There is nothing wrong with being a niche author and doing things your own way. Just remember that you may be limiting your opportunities. Go back over the quiz and look at the questions you answered “A”. Read the question again and strive to answer it with a “C”.
50-69: You are certainly on your way UP! Tweak a few things and you will see even more results.
70-80: You are doing all the right things and willing to make daily sacrifices to succeed. I like your chances.
Ron Knight
Untraditional Publishing Definition: “An author teaming up with a non-publishing company to publish books.”
If you haven’t already, you should check out the UP Authors Erotic/Romance Contest! http://www.upauthors.com/?page_id=6
Ideas for writers, visit the UP Authors Fan Page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/UPAuthors/212348054912
I ended up with a 73. I’m not sure I didn’t cheat though, because some of the questions required my marking more than one answer. LOL!