Best-Selling Author Veronica Roth Tells What Writing Books Is Really Like Writers seems the original and ultimate solopreneurs but publishing a best seller requires a team.

By Ximena N. Larkin Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Reinaldo Coddou
Veronica Roth

More than 200 million Americans want to publish a book in their lifetime but most do no more than dream. Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series, is among the few who worked to achieve her dream.

At an event promoting her new book Carve the Mark, Roth shies away from congratulating herself on her early accomplishments. She takes advantage of the spotlight to breakdown the process and in a follow-up email, Roth shares more insight into her experience.

Below is Roth's blueprint for anyone up for the challenge of turning an idea into a book.

Overnight success takes a long time.

When Roth's story gets shared, it usually begins with the fact that she wrote Divergent during winter break of her senior year of college. The first installment in the trilogy became a New York Times best-seller and 30 million copies of the series were sold by 2015.

Without more context, it would seem as if Roth sat at her computer, wrote a story that the entertainment industry fell in love with and instantly cemented her place in literature.

However, Roth's interest and dedication for writing began at 12 years old.

"I was always very focused on the craft," says Roth. "In high school I took physics in summer school so that I could take both creative writing and my regular English class my junior year."

What appears to be instant achievement, is really a culmination of preparation and practice. For Roth, that meant 10 years of work before a fully fleshed idea worth publication, took form.

Even then, obstacles appeared. Her first manuscript was initially rejected and even after receiving a book deal, rewriting was required.

Related: A Simple 4-Step Process for Writing Your First Book in 100 Days

Fall in love with the process, not the outcome.

During her talk at Soho House, Roth cautions the audience on pursuing writing for anything other than the sheer desire for storytelling - suggesting that to do otherwise, leads to defeat.

"As my situation has changed, my goals have changed," says Roth in a follow-up email. "I am less focused on "can this get published?' and more on "is this better or more interesting than what I did before?'"

Roth uses competition with herself as internal motivation. She says "writing is about growth, challenge and change. Without those things, there's no joy in it."

She doesn't romanticize the procedure. Roth readily admits to the difficulty of criticism and dismissal of one's ideas. But says that it is vital for development because it presents a writer with the opportunity to mature. With that, she circles back to the idea that the best way to work through failure and rejection is by looking past external validation.

"If I failed -- and I did, repeatedly! -- I loved writing enough that I would just keep working," Roth explains.

Related: Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write a Book

Embrace the chaos of creativity.

Where creative thinking and ideas come from is a mystery. We ask the question of innovative thinkers in the hope of uncovering a secret answer, that unlocks a fountain of inspiration inside of us.

Roth reveals her technique to be largely influenced by a desire to indulge her curiosity.

"I let myself get lost in Wikipedia," she says in an email. "When I read something in the newspaper or a magazine that piques my interest, I take notes."

By taking stock of her ideas and writing them down, she says it allows her the time to process what they can become. The ideas sometimes evolve into book concepts, short stories and sometimes - she's not sure.

The next step is getting thoughts to paper. To accomplish the lofty goal Roth "does whatever is necessary to get the story done." This includes outlining, free writing, writing out of order, cutting huge sections if they aren't working, writing at night and in the morning. She jokes about "desperation' being her only true technique.

Related: 5 Truths to Contempla

The writer is one of many moving parts producing a book.

"My job is to write the best book I can," says Roth. "But all those people work extremely hard to put that book into the world and to ensure that it gets its best shot at success."

Who are "all those people?' Roth describes:

The agent: generally helps to shape the manuscript before it ever gets into a publisher's hands.

The editor: along with the agent, an editor further helps the author develop the story. An editor also acts as a liaison between author and other people at the publisher.

Copy editors and proofreaders: make sure grammar and punctuation are correct. They also watch for consistency, both between chapters (if a character has a gun in one scene, and it disappears in the next, that's something a copyeditor catches), and between books in a series. They create a kind of "series bible" to keep track of all the world-building rules.

Production: formats the book and inputs changes every time they're made.

Design: creates the cover, the look of the pages and chapter headings. This most certainly shapes a person's reading experience and their willingness to pick up the book in the first place.

Sales: pitches the book to retailers so they'll actually carry it in-store.

Publicity and marketing: make sure people have heard about the book and consumer interest is piqued.

Roth points to additional teams in finance, audio, foreign rights and school and library marketing. While the writer might be the spark that sets up a bonfire, additional factors are necessary in order to sustain it.

The internet has answers.

Publishing a book is unfamiliar for most people and navigating the unknown, can be a daunting experience. And yet, Roth says not to worry. Help is just a few clicks away.

"Google is an amazing resource for any questions about publishing a person might have," she says in an email. Her advice is simple, and perhaps intuitive, but it acts to squash any doubt that a more complex or expensive approach is required to understand the mechanics of book publishing.

Roth extols the amount of in-depth information found on blogs, message boards and articles. From "why do I need an agent?" to "how do I get an agent?" to "where can I submit my work?" most everything can be found online.

Research is part of the journey. A practice Roth invests in to give herself the best chance of succeeding.

Ximena N. Larkin

Writer, Publicist and Founder of C1 Revolution

Ximena N. Larkin is a digital strategist who specializes in using social media for public relations campaigns to create offline engagement. Based in Chicago, she is the founder of C1 Revolution and has worked on public relations, social media and marketing campaigns for companies. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

Zillow Predicts These 10 Places Will Have the Hottest Housing Markets in 2025

Zillow predicted that the hottest housing market of 2025 will be Buffalo, New York. Here's why.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

5 AI Books Top Entrepreneurs Are Reading in a Rush for 2025

Entrepreneurs must embrace AI or risk falling behind. Discover 2025's top 5 AI books to gain a competitive edge, featuring insights from "The Wolf is at the Door" and a free AI Success Kit.

Growing a Business

AI Adoption Doesn't Have to Be Daunting Anymore — Here's How to Choose the Right AI Tools For Your Small Business

As 2025 begins, AI adoption may still feel daunting for many business owners — but it doesn't have to be. Here's how to pick the best AI tools for your needs and integrate them wisely into your existing systems.

Growing a Business

Want to Build a Digital Business? Here's the Framework You Need to Succeed.

The article emphasizes how ISO 20000-1 serves as a strategic tool for entrepreneurs to structure entirely digital businesses.

Marketing

Why 2025 Will Be the Year AI Redefines Content Creation and Search Strategies

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming the SEO landscape, requiring professionals to adapt their keyword strategies, content creation and user engagement techniques in response to revolutionary tools like ChatGPT.