If you want to make a living with your writing, you will need the right mindset, as well as the practical skills to write, publish and market your books. In this excerpt from How to Make a Living with Your Writing Third Edition: Turn Your Words into Multiple Streams of Income, I go into the first principles you need to address before you take the next step. You can find the audiobook on your favorite audio store, as well as in ebook, paperback, hardback, large print, and workbook editions. direct.com/collections/joanna-penn"> First Principles “If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve. Do what you love, and don’t stop until you get what you love. Work as hard as you can, imagine immensities, don’t compromise, and don’t waste time. Start now. Not 20 years from now, not two weeks from now. Now.” Debbie Millman, Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design There are some important first principles to consider before we get into the detail and some questions that will help you to frame the rest of the book. What is your definition of success? What will you do to achieve it? This book is about how to make a living with your writing, so financial success is a critical aspect. But before we get started, take a minute to step back and consider your true definition of success. What do you really want for your writing? For the book you’re working on? For your author career? For your life? If you don’t know what your definition of success is, how will you know if you achieve it and how will you know what direction to take to get there? There are a lot of ideas in this book, but you can’t implement them all. You have to choose what will work for your creative path ahead, for your personality, and for your lifestyle. Your definition of success will determine what you write, how you publish and market your books, and what kind of income streams you choose to create. For example, do you want to win a literary prize? Or do you want to make six figures in a single year from book sales? While a few rare authors can achieve these at the same time, most will have to choose between critical acclaim and significant commercial success. You can do everything, but not at the same time,