Do you ever look around and think, “Only famous people get their books published?” or “No one is going to buy my books. Why bother?”

Or maybe you’ve been thinking about stepping outside of your comfort zone to tell your personal story or share your expertise. But then you recall that another expert might put you in your place. What if your ideas are wrong?

Every writer has thoughts like these from time to time. But are they completely true?

Fear of failure can keep people from writing their books. No one likes to look stupid, so we hesitate when confronted with thoughts about being unable to publish, unable to sell, or unable to compete with others in our industry.

So what’s the truth?

Replace the fear with effort.

If you’re afraid that you won’t be able to publish, consider what you need to make that step successful. Maybe you should hire a coach or book editor. Maybe you could join a local writer’s group (or start one) to find the support you need. Maybe you could research how to find an agent or reach out to a local author who has been there before. If you never ask, you never know if they will help, and you might just find an encouraging mentor in the process.

You can even set a certain end date for your agent hunting, and if you don’t find an agent you connect with, look into self-publishing.

What if you’re afraid of not selling any books once you publish? This can be tougher than the publishing question because it relies directly on others taking action and can feel like something we have no control over. However, be confident in your work and figure out how to pitch it to potential buyers at book fairs and festivals, and you’re halfway there. Live sales are the best way to connect because people can ask the author questions about the book and then get it signed. Once someone meets an author, the author has an automatic point in her favor. So show up and talk, and you’re bound to make some sales.

Ads on social media are another way to make sales. Look into how other authors are doing this once you have your manuscript ready to sell. Don’t let fear of lack of sales (or how to sell) stand in the way of finishing the book.

What can you do to stop being afraid of competing? Fiction and non-fiction authors have different fears in this area. Fiction authors may feel like others are better writers, more clever, tell more unique stories, etc. We may also be afraid that someone will accuse us of writing a story too similar to another one, which can happen. There is no way that you can read every book in your genre and make sure it isn’t like any of the others. But if you haven’t read it and have never heard of it, you’re off the hook for plagiarism.

Non-fiction authors may be afraid of others writing books in their industry and having more experience or qualifications. They may feel like a fraud or like the more experienced experts will show them up, make them look stupid, and possibly rub it in their faces or badmouth them.

Though those things can all happen, it’s pretty unlikely. And you have to consider that no one is the expert. You are each an expert. One of many. A source of ideas that is part of the conversation. No one knows everything.

I completely understand all the different fears, and I’ve felt them to varying degrees at different points in my career. Recently, I recalled something from my childhood that really made me think about how I react to others in the same field as me, and I knew I needed to confront some of my fears around writing, writers, and expertise.

I remembered that the kids in my second grade class would ask me what I scored on a test, and if they scored a point higher than me, they would run off yelling, “I did better than Cori!” It really made me feel like I had failed or wasn’t good enough (even though I usually had a high A anyway), and I have since thought of other instances when someone else tried to show me up, and I just backed down and felt like I clearly had no reason to try to compete.

Have you ever felt like that? This fear can flat out keep you from writing. Who wants to feel like someone wrote a better book than them? It can make you feel awful.

A friend of mine reminded me about being “an expert” vs. “the expert,” though. There is room for more than one. I felt relieved, even though I probably already knew that there isn’t really one expert in writing. With an event coming up, I was feeling the fear of other authors judging me for my editing knowledge. But if they are coming to my event, aren’t they looking for more education on the subject?

What fear is holding you back?

Tell me about it in the comments, and I’ll reassure you! Let’s work through this together and keep each other writing.

*Download was removed.