Barbara Pietron On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer

Develop a thick skin. If you want to put your work out into the world, you need to accept criticism. First, you’ll have feedback from beta readers. Then, when you think your novel is good enough, you will send out queries to agents. You’ll be rejected over and over and over again. Eventually, your work may go into print.

Some writers and authors have a knack for using language that can really move people. Some writers and authors have been able to influence millions with their words alone. What does it take to become an effective and successful author or writer?

In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer” we are talking to successful authors and writers who can share lessons from their experiences.

As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Barbara Pietron. Barbara writes young adult urban fantasy and is the author of the Legacy in Legend series as well as the standalone novel, Soulshifter. Thunderstone, book one of the Legacy in Legend series was awarded Book of the Year Finalist by Foreward Reviews and was a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakout Novel contest, winning a review from Publishers Weekly. Barbara has also been a contributing writer for Family Fun Magazine and AAA Living.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

The beginning of my writing career was a result of the abrupt ending of my first career in engineering. The automotive company I worked for downsized and eliminated my department, leaving me stunned and feeling rather lost. As I came to terms with my new situation, I decided to look at it as an opportunity; a chance to remake myself. My greatest passion in life has always been books, so in that moment, when I asked myself what profession I most admired, what I would really love to be, my answer was an author. Having experience with…