Since publishing is such a challenging industry to get traction in, with millions of authors each year trying to get their books chosen by a limited number of publishing houses, I think it's important to do everything you can to find ways to stand out for all the right reasons.

While obviously having a well-written and edited, timely, interesting manuscript is a must, I think there are also other things to do which can help you develop relationships with decision makers, and to make a good name for yourself in the industry. 

I was recently asked by Rate Your Story (a membership site where you can go to get fantastic critiques of your picture books) to write about some of the proactive things I've done over the last couple of years to boost my author career. I believe the action steps I've taken have helped me land my first two book contracts and, I hope, will aid me in securing more over time.

Here's the link to the blog to take a look. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you think it takes to become a published author. Did you find a particular course, conference, membership, manuscript assessment, or other step really helped you? Please feel free to share in the comments below!