Google cubicle to Regency writer’s desk: Sara Ramsey

Sara Ramsey left her day job at Google to become a romance novelist.  Her book Heiress Without A Cause was just released last week as a Nook exclusive. I know what you are thinking… how dreamy!  Oh yes!!!  It sure is dreamy to follow your dream, but it also comes with a lot of hard work & planning, as you will read below.  I asked Sara to tell us a little bit about her decision to quit her day job and follow her dream.  I hope you find her story and her tips as inspiring as I do!  Oh and don’t forget to pick up her book, Heiress Without a Cause.  It is sure to be an awesomely juicy romance read!

I’m so thrilled that Dana asked me to blog about leaving my job at Google to write historical romance novels. Despite the challenges, I couldn’t be happier that I made the move. When I started at Google in 2003, I immediately loved the company, but it wasn’t my passion. It took several years to realize that I wanted to write romance, and several more years to gather my courage and follow that desire.

Not everyone will make that decision – it requires a very personal assessment of desires and tradeoffs, and there isn’t a ‘right’ answer. For some people, security and a strong foundation are paramount, and I respect that. For me, though, I knew I would always regret it if I didn’t try to pursue my passion wholeheartedly.

If you’re considering leaving your current career to pursue your passion full-time, here’s three tips for making the transition:

 

1: Plan Ruthlessly – And Stick To The Plan!

Even if your passion doesn’t feel like a business, treat it like a business and plan accordingly. For my writing business to succeed, I can’t just be a writer – I also need to be a marketer, an admin, a CEO, etc.. If I spend all my time writing, no one will ever find my work. If I spend all my time marketing, there is nothing to sell because I haven’t produced anything.

Long before I left Google, I researched what I needed to know to succeed in the writing business. I identified what my strengths are (writing, social media, marketing) and what they aren’t (asking for help and managing the administrative details). Then I created a business plan with 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year goals and milestones. It took time to pull together, but now I know exactly what I need to do to succeed. That leads to…

 

2: Know What Success Means To You

What will make you feel successful? Is your success tied to finding an audience who appreciates your work? Is it making an impact in the nonprofit world? Is it earning a reasonable living so that you can keep working for yourself? Is it having the freedom to travel, work from home, etc.? Again, these are deeply personal tradeoffs, and there are no wrong answers. Make sure you know before you quit the day job what will make you feel successful in the long term, and build your business plan to achieve it.

 

3: Give Yourself Time To Fail

This was the hardest to accept, yet it was the most important part of my first year as a full-time writer. No matter how great your plan is, you will run into roadblocks. For me, it took several months to get comfortable with the rhythm of my life when I didn’t have to go into an office every day, and several more months to be consistently productive when I wasn’t getting positive reinforcement from coworkers and bosses. I learned a lot about how to motivate myself – and how to forgive myself on days when the motivation wasn’t there. Self-employment is so 24/7, so take the time at the beginning to set some boundaries and learn how to be your own boss.

I’m finally making fast progress toward my goals – but it took 6-9 months for me to readjust. Luckily, I built some time into my plan to allow for that. But I’m so glad that I hadn’t planned to make money from my writing immediately, or I would have starved long ago.

 

Conclusion

It’s too early to know whether my 10-year plan will be successful, but I’m on track with my 1-year plan. My first book, Heiress Without a Cause, came out as a Nook exclusive last week (!), and I’m on track to publish another 2-3 books in 2012. Having a business plan and understanding what my goals are has made all the difference, and if I don’t succeed, I will at least know that I did everything I could to make it.

If you have questions or comments on leaving the day job and pursuing a different passion, I would love to hear them – I’ll be checking in on the comments section. You can also find my contact information at www.sararamsey.com, or follow me on Twitter at @sara_ramsey.

Thank you Sara!  You are truly an inspiration to all of those women and men who sit in their cubicles and daydream about following their dreams, as you’ve done.

One title to change his life… 

A disgraced son with a dark reputation, William “Ferguson” Avenel is content to live in exile – until his father dies in the scandal of the Season. With rumors of insanity swirling around them, his sisters desperately need a chaperone. Ferguson thinks he’s found the most proper woman in England – and he won’t ruin her, even if he desperately wants the passionate woman trapped beneath a spinster’s cap.

One chance to break the rules…

Lady Madeleine Vaillant can’t face her blighted future without making one glorious memory for herself. In disguise, on a London stage, she finds all the adoration she never felt from the ton. But when she’s nearly recognized, she will do anything to hide her identity – even setting up her actress persona as Ferguson’s mistress. She’ll take the pleasure he offers, but Madeleine won’t lose her heart in the bargain.

One season to fall in love…

Every stolen kiss could lead to discovery, and Ferguson’s old enemies are determined to ruin them both. But as their dangerous passion ignites their hearts and threatens their futures, how can an heiress who dreams of freedom deny the duke who demands her love?

 

I would love to hear about your dream job whether you are still in the cube or at the Regency writer’s desk.  We can all benefit and inspire each other by sharing our dreams!!!

Sara will be here to respond to comments as well (thank you, Sara!)

Stylishly yours,

DKG