Success is a nebulous master and, if not treated with an appropriate level of suspicion, one liable to rip even your most celebrated achievement to pieces. You sold a novel? But only for a $5000 advance. You won a Hugo? But only for a short story. Your book sold through its print run? But it's only 35 on the bestseller list. Onlies can ruin an author's self-esteem. It's the neighbour with the perpetually bigger jacuzzi, greener lawn and fancier cocktail parties. And no matter what you achieve, there are always more Onlies. How do you survive?

By defining your own rules for success. 

Left to its own devices, success will usually tip its hat to money, prestige, power, or all three together. No one (sane) will dispute the success of the Browns, Meyers and Rowlings, but those measuring tapes don't fit your average author. Those measuring tapes don't fit your average CEO.

Advances, prizes, sellouts and fame are all largely out of your control. Sure, you have some sway over how much your book sells, or how big an advance you accept, but your control is limited. So if you can't control it, why judge yourself by it?

My definitions of success

1. Sustain a novel-length story 
2. Publish a poem 
3. Publish five poems 
4. Publish a short story
5. Publish five short stories
6. Publish a novel
7. Publish five novels
8. Earn a livable-on salary in one year from my writing
9. Earn a livable-on salary for five consecutive years from my writing
10. Earn enough to comfortably give up my day job permanently

I make the first goal steps into the second, the second steps into the third. That way, I ensure each goal is realistic - if I have achieved one goal, the next one logically attainable. If I can publish one short story, I can publish five. At each point, I'm reaffirming my success as a writer - it's not an all-or-nothing, like those Onlies. There are always more goals (and if I run out, I'll make more) but that doesn't negate the ones I've already achieved. 

You may notice there are no time limits. That's because time is another thing outside my control. I could write fifteen novels in a year, but if every agent I send them to sits on them for four months before saying "No thanks, not for me", I'll won't make that threshold.

The rules for defining success

• Things you can control
• Things you can achieve
• Smaller goals that 'step into' larger ones

How do you define success for your career?

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