The #1 Author Habit That Builds Confidence and Momentum
The KidLit Creator’s Chronicle – Issue #25
With our Children’s Book Mastery Summit coming up in two weeks, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into the final question I ask all speakers (and myself!): “What is your top tip to help children’s book authors succeed?” After much deliberation, I settled on “Don’t just learn. Apply.”
Over the years at Children’s Book Mastery, I’ve worked with thousands of aspiring authors and authors in some capacity, from those who take part in a one-off training, to those I work with closely in CBM Bootcamps or CBM Author Coaching.
One pattern has stood out more than any other…
Some writers are avid learners. They take notes, they show up to summits, and they enthusiastically share their takeaways. Every year, I’ll see familiar names in the chat or my inbox and they’d mention how inspired they were by a talk or an article. And, of course, I love seeing their enthusiasm and realisations.
Now, being interested in the results of those in my community, I will sometimes undertake little spy missions on Amazon and Google. This is how I got to notice that, despite the learning and engagement, some of these aspiring authors still haven’t published a book.
That’s what made me stop and think about what really makes the difference between an author who stays in the dreaming stage and one who goes into action.
Learning is important, but learning alone isn’t what creates success.
The real shift happens when you move from collecting information to using it.
Of course, applying what you learn is crucial for getting results. BUT, it’s also one of the best ways to learn.
You gain clarity, skill, and confidence through action.
So today, we’re going to explore:
- Why applying what you learn matters more than you might think.
- And how to start doing it, even when you don’t feel ready.
Learning Alone Doesn’t Lead to Progress
Learning is valuable. It fuels your dream, builds your understanding, and gives you the tools you need to move forward.
But by itself, it doesn’t create a book, it doesn’t build an audience, and it doesn’t lead to becoming a published author.
Success doesn’t come from knowing everything.
It comes from what you do with what you know.
That’s where many aspiring authors get stuck. They stay in learning mode, watching webinars, reading articles, filling notebooks. Yes, they’re gaining insight. But without action, that insight has nowhere to go. It just… sits there.
I’ve seen this often enough to know it’s not about laziness or lack of passion. It’s usually because they feel they’re not quite ready. That they need to learn just a little more before they write the draft, build the email list, or hit publish.
But the more you wait until you “know enough,” the more that finish line keeps moving.
And in the meantime you miss out on one of the most valuable ways to learn: experience.
You don’t become confident by gathering more tips.
You become confident by trying something, adjusting, and trying again.
Learning without action is like reading about how to ride a bike. You might understand the physics of balance, but until you wobble down the road a few times, it’s all theory.
So, if you’ve been stuck in that cycle, learning, but not doing, you’re not alone. But it’s time to break the cycle.
Your story matters, and it can’t reach the hands of a child if it never leaves your drafts folder.
4 Simple Strategies to Turn Learning Into Progress
So, how do you applying what you learn, even if you don’t feel fully ready?
Here are four practical ways you can start balancing learning and action straight away:
1. Cultivate an “Apply Now” Habit
The next time you watch a training, finish a chapter in a book about writing or book marketing, or listen to a summit interview, don’t close your notebook and move on. Ask yourself:
“What can I do with this today?”
Don’t try to implement everything. Pick one technique, one small change, one insight that feels relevant and put it into action right away.
Maybe it’s adjusting the opening line of your manuscript based on what you just learned about story hooks. Maybe it’s updating your bio to better reflect your author brand.
Whatever it is, do something small and concrete.
2. Keep a Learning Log
Most of us have scraps of notes scattered across multiple devices and notepads. The problem is we don’t go back to them and we don’t track how we’ve applied them.
Try this instead:
Set up a simple two-column log (in a notebook, Google Sheet, or anywhere!):
- Column 1: What I learned
- Column 2: How I used it
This compiles your notes in a handy way, and it reinforces the habit of translating knowledge into action. Over time, it becomes incredibly motivating to see how much you’ve implemented.
3. Mastery Comes From Studying and Applying
It’s easy to believe you need to feel more ready before you begin. But confidence isn’t something you wait for, it’s something you build. And you can only build so much from it by learning. The rest comes from doing.
You don’t have to be an expert in rhyme to write a rhyming story. You don’t need to master email marketing before creating a simple welcome sequence. You learn by doing, not by perfecting everything in advance.
A skill sharpens when you put it into practice. Like riding a bike or playing the piano, no masterful author ever became masterful without writing.
The authors I see make real progress aren’t the ones who wait until they feel “good enough.” They’re the ones who take what they know, use it as best they can, and improve as they go.
Remember, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.
4. Apply Before You Feel Ready
Some of the most powerful transformations I’ve seen didn’t come from someone learning more, they came from someone deciding to act, even while feeling unsure.
Inside CBM Author Coaching, I’ve had members who showed up consistently. They attended the weekly calls, took diligent notes, shared their quarterly goals, and made a real effort to learn the craft and publishing process.
But some of them still hadn’t published a book.
At a certain point, that really struck me. These authors weren’t passive, but they were still stuck in the cycle of preparation.
So I made it my mission to challenge them, to help them break through the wall between learning and doing.
Those who embraced that push stepped up, set clear goals, and committed to follow through… even though they didn’t feel ready.
And within just a few months, they had published their books!
What stood out most was what they told me, almost one for one: Every one of them admitted they’d felt nervous, unsure, not good enough. But by taking action anyway, they gained confidence, and they finally achieved the dream they’d been working toward for so long.
That progress didn’t come after they felt ready. It came because they acted in spite of the nerves.
When Learning Becomes a Form of Avoidance
The industry pushes endless courses, webinars and how-to guides. These are valuable, but at some point, consuming and learning becomes a form of procrastination.
It feels productive. You’re attending another masterclass, reading another blog post, adding one more resource to your bookmarks. You’re doing all the right things, right?
But if we’re really honest, sometimes learning is safer than doing.
There’s no risk in taking notes. No fear of rejection when you’re just researching. No vulnerability in studying someone else’s book structure instead of writing your own.
And that’s the trap.
When you’re constantly preparing, you don’t have to put yourself out there. You can stay in the comfort zone of “getting ready.” But your book, your dream of becoming a published author, can only become real if you take action.
This is exactly why I’ve pivoted away from offering self-paced, pre-recorded courses.
I’m not saying there’s no value in them. Of course there is, especially when used well. But I began to notice that most of the people who enrolled in my online courses didn’t finish them, and more importantly, they weren’t taking action on what they learned.
So I made a decision.
I shifted almost everything I do to live Bootcamps, hands-on training, and real-time coaching, because those are the settings where people actually make progress. I don’t just put out information and hope for the best. We all work together and apply together!
Because that’s where the real learning and progress and success happens.
So this isn’t about stopping your learning. I love and believe deeply in learning. But if you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself this:
“Am I actually taking action… or am I just learning more to avoid it?”
You might also ask:
“Is this helping me move forward, or is it keeping me safely in preparation mode?”
This is not about judgment or being “right” or “wrong”. The awareness you can get from answering these questions honestly can open the door to progress. That’s what we want!
Real-Life Examples
One of my coaching members comes to mind here. She was dedicated but, like many, struggled with nerves at every turn. She was a self-admitted perfectionist, and that mindset often held her back.
Each new step, whether it was finishing her manuscript, preparing for publication, or putting herself out there, came with a wave of anxiety. She hesitated a lot at first, second-guessed herself, and spent a lot of time “getting ready.”
But over time in coaching, with consistent encouragement, she took action. She published her book, started doing school visits and in-person events–something she never imagined herself doing at the start. She got her book into bookstores and began growing her author platform.
Looking back, she told me that taking each step, no matter how uncomfortable, made all the difference. She didn’t act because she suddenly felt ready, but acted despite not feeling ready.
It wasn’t just knowledge that helped her succeed. It was applying what she knew.
Over To You!
What’s one piece of advice, training, or insight you’ve learned this month… that you haven’t applied yet?
It could be something from a summit, a workshop, a blog post, or even this very newsletter.
Take a moment to think about it. Then ask yourself, “What’s one small way I could use this right now?”
Then do the action!
If you’re up for it, I’d love to hear your answer.
Let me know in the comments what you’ve been learning, and what you’re ready to act on (or acted on). I read every message.
You don’t need to know everything. You just need to do something. Let’s take action!
