The Author’s Mic™: You Don’t Have to Know Everything to Get Started
I’m building a magazine, and there are parts of the process I still don’t know how to do. I’ve researched, looked at other publications, and thought about what ours could become. But there comes a point where I have to start.
That’s what this episode of The Author’s Mic™ is about. I’m sharing something I’m going through myself: beginning work that matters to me without having every answer.
Watch the full episode:
Knowing the First Few Steps
When I say you don’t have to know everything to get started, I mean you need enough direction to begin. You need a road map, even if you only know the first few steps.
Think about writing a book. You might start with a few lines scribbled on a piece of paper. You may not know where the story is going yet, but you have enough of an idea to begin putting it together.
Some of the projects I’m working on are things I’ve never done before. I don’t have previous experience to fall back on. But I can identify the first steps, take them, and learn what comes next.
When Research Becomes Procrastination
Research is a double-edged sword for me.
I can watch videos, read articles, ask questions, and make lists until I’m overloaded with information. Meanwhile, the task I was researching still hasn’t been started.
I’ve gone down that rabbit hole myself. Eventually, I have to stop and recognize what I’m doing.
When I catch myself over-researching, it can be a sign that I’m putting something off because I think it will be hard or scary. Research lets me feel like I’m doing something while avoiding the part that makes me uncomfortable.
There is a point where I have enough information to begin. Another video isn’t always what I need.
Some Things Have to Be Learned by Doing
I read about publishing before I published my first book. But I didn’t really learn what publishing involved until I went through it.
The information helped me prepare. The experience taught me things I couldn’t fully understand beforehand.
That’s where I am with The Author’s Mic™: The Voice of Independent Authors, our magazine coming in spring 2027.
I’ve researched how to start a magazine. I’ve looked at other magazines. I could keep doing that for a long time, but eventually, we have to produce an issue.
I don’t know exactly what that first issue will look like. There are still unknowns, and that is uncomfortable. I like having sure footing when I do something. This project doesn’t give me that in every area.
Still, experience can teach me things research cannot. I have to give myself the opportunity to get that experience.
Does Being Uncomfortable Mean the Decision Is Wrong?
Something new can be scary without being wrong.
If I’ve never done a particular task before, I don’t have an experience to compare it with. My brain has plenty of room to fill in the unknowns.
In the indie author space, there is also the discomfort of putting your work where other people can have opinions about it. That can make a decision feel even bigger.
During the episode, I used spending money on marketing as an example. The decision to spend might make you uncomfortable. That feeling, by itself, doesn’t tell you whether the marketing will work.
I have to recognize the discomfort without treating it as an automatic answer about the decision.
Your First Version Is Your First Version
Your first podcast interview won’t look like your twentieth.
After you’ve done something repeatedly, you usually understand more about the process. You become more confident. You know what to expect and where you need to prepare.
The same applies to a first book, event, pitch, or magazine issue. I can’t expect my first attempt to carry all the experience I’ll have after doing it many times.
That doesn’t make the first version easy. It does give me a more reasonable way to look at it.
I want the work to improve as I do it. But I have to produce a first version before there can be a tenth.
Giving Yourself Permission to Adjust
Starting with a road map doesn’t mean you have to follow it unchanged.
If something isn’t working, or I realize the direction isn’t right for me, I can adjust. I can make a different decision.
Changing direction doesn’t automatically mean I failed. Sometimes I’ve learned something that changes what I need to do next.
I also have to be careful about giving other people’s opinions too much space in my head. I’m the one doing the work and making the decisions. I need to be able to stand behind the direction I choose.
Asking for Help When You Need It
There are plenty of things in publishing I do not know how to do, and I’m willing to ask for help.
Book formatting is one of them. I have driven myself crazy trying to make a book file fit a platform’s requirements. Formatting is not my forte.
Now I know when to bring in someone who has that expertise.
I use technology to make my work easier, but I don’t let it speak for me. I look for resources. I bring in experts when I need them. If I’m unsure, I ask questions.
Beginning a project doesn’t require me to pretend I know every part of the work. It requires me to recognize what I know, what I need to learn, and where I need help.
That’s what I’m doing with the magazine. It’s unfamiliar. I don’t have every answer. I’m getting started anyway.
Key Takeaways
Knowing the first few steps can give you enough direction to begin.
Research can become procrastination when it keeps replacing the task itself.
Publishing experience taught me things I couldn’t fully learn by reading beforehand.
Your first interview, book, event, or issue won’t reflect the experience of your twentieth.
Adjusting your plan and asking for expert help are part of doing unfamiliar work.
Publishing With Bright Headed Publishing
My experience with formatting is one reason I understand the value of having professional support during the publishing process.
Bright Headed Publishing works with selected authors who have completed or nearly completed manuscripts and need hands-on help moving into production and distribution.
Depending on the project, that support can include interior formatting, print-ready file preparation, ISBN assignment under the BHP imprint, proof review, and print and ebook distribution setup. We also consider the author materials, launch support, and introductions the book needs beyond publication day.
The work is built around the project. Authors retain their copyright, and BHP does not take a percentage of their author royalties.
If you’re serious about publishing your work and need help with the process, contact Bright Headed Publishing and tell us about your manuscript.
https://brightheadedpublishing.com
Finley’s Journey Spotlight
Finley’s Journey by Jeff Hepner is published under the Bright Headed Publishing imprint and is the first book in The Classroom Creatures Chronicles™.
Connected to authentic conservation experiences, the story follows a young trout from a classroom tank toward open water. It introduces readers to trout life cycles, watersheds, and river stewardship.
The Finley’s Journey Student Workbook extends the story into classroom learning. Its ten story-aligned chapters include observation activities, reflection prompts, and a closing stewardship promise.
This project is an example of the publishing and resource-development work BHP provides. We’re producing a book while also developing ways for educators, families, and students to continue working with its subject.
Explore Finley’s Journey, the student workbook, and the series:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com/new-releases
Bright Headed Publishing Resources
Explore the services, books, and communities across the Bright Headed Publishing ecosystem.
The Author’s Mic™ — Be a Guest
If you are an author, editor, publishing professional, or creative doing meaningful work in the literary space, apply to be a guest on The Author’s Mic™:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com/be-a-guest
TrustBridge™
TrustBridge™ connects indie authors with bookstores, book clubs, podcasts, and other literary platforms through curated introductions and real relationship-building. Every author package includes a professional media kit.
For authors — TrustBridge™ Author Services:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com/trustbridgetm-author-services
For bookstores, podcasts, book clubs, and other literary partners — TrustBridge™ Partner Network:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com/partner-with-us
The Indie Author Toolkit
Practical tools and strategy for making stronger decisions throughout the author journey:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com/products/digital-product-10197841
Books From Bright Headed Publishing
Discover and support books published by Bright Headed Publishing:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com/products
Indie Reader Society™
Join a reader community created to discover and discuss books by indie authors:
https://bookclubs.com/the-indie-reader-society/join/
Free Guide: So You Wanna Write a Book
If you have a book idea but need help understanding where to begin, download the free guide:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com
Watch, Comment, and Stay Connected
Watch the episode, and tell me in the comments: what project have you kept researching, and what part of starting it makes you uncomfortable?
Share this blog with an author or creative who is working through something unfamiliar. Follow Bright Headed Publishing for more conversations and updates as we build the magazine and continue our publishing work.
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