Having a mentor is a relatively established practice in many organizations these days, especially for new arrivals that need to learn the ropes. But it dawned on me some time ago that, as a self-publishing author, this was something that I could also benefit from. If you’ve never considered the possibility before, here are just a few of the reasons why you should start to explore it. I have found from personal experience that having a mentor can:
- Teach you a lot
- Save you time
- Save you money
- Reduce stress
- Give you confidence
- Keep your feet on the ground
- Result in a better product
I’ll unpack each of those benefits a little further for you:
- Teach you a lot – I came to the conclusion that I had a lot to learn about self-publishing! As a self-publisher, everything is down to you – book content, cover design, interior design, printing, marketing, and not to mention financial planning (which is often overlooked). Virtually no-one is an expert in all areas – me included – so my mentor helped me to fill some gaps in my skillset.
- Save you time – most self-publishers also have a regular day job; time is at a premium. It made no sense to invest time in activities that could have been accomplished more efficiently by a quick chat with my mentor, perhaps learning from mistakes that they have made themselves in the past, or by them providing me with resources that it would have taken me days to find myself.
- Save you money – not only do the activities I have highlighted take time, they can also be eye-wateringly expensive when purchasing third party services such as editing or proofreading work. If, like me, that is beyond your budget, a mentor may be willing to perform some of those services for you, either for a reduced rate or at no charge. If you don’t ask, you don’t get!
- Reduce stress – self-publishing can be very high-stress, whether something goes awry with the printing or you suddenly find yourself with writers block! I found that a mentor can act as a great sounding-board and be someone who will simply listen to you as you vent your frustrations – and then, perhaps, provide a word of wisdom that will kick-start things again or encourage you to persevere. You can’t put a price on that.
- Give you confidence – if you grapple with self-confidence issues, you’re not alone. I found that putting my manuscript out for public consumption was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience. How do I know when I am really ready to publish? How do I respond when you get negative or just plain nasty feedback? Your mentor can advise on things like this.
- Keep your feet on the ground – on the other hand, your mentor can act as the voice of reality! If you only ever get feedback from friends and family on your output, you might not be getting the true picture. Trust me – that definitely does you no favours. A mentor can give you the objectivity, even thought it might not be what you want to hear at first! If you tend to struggle to hit your own deadlines, a mentor can also provide some valuable accountability and make sure you are following through on commitments.
Result in a better product – at the end of the day, this is the key. Any self-respecting self-publisher should be aiming to produce the very best work that they possibly can. To achieve that, taking constructive criticism on board, or investing time learning from someone else’s experience is, as I look back, something I certainly found to be well worth doing.
