What Writing a Trilogy Taught Me About Leadership

What Writing a Trilogy Taught Me About Leadership – And It’s Not What You Think It Is

Introduction

When you think “leadership,” you probably picture boardrooms, team meetings, and quarterly targets — not an author hunched over a laptop, juggling fictional characters.

But after writing and publishing the One Epic Year trilogy, I realised the process had a lot in common with leading a team.
Deadlines, communication, problem-solving — it’s all there, just with a lot more coffee and fewer HR meetings.

Here’s how writing a trilogy sharpened my leadership skills.

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Lesson 1: Deadlines Are Everything

In publishing, you can’t just “get to it when you can.”
Each book had to be finished, edited, formatted, and marketed in time for launch — or the whole release schedule would collapse.

• I learned to work backwards from immovable deadlines.
• I broke huge tasks into small, trackable milestones.
• I held myself accountable like I would a team member.

This discipline translates directly to project management in any field.

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Lesson 2: Communication Keeps Everyone Aligned

Even a solo author isn’t really working alone. I coordinated with editors, cover designers, proofreaders, and beta readers.

• Everyone needed the same information at the right time.
• Miscommunication could cause delays or missed opportunities.

Clear, timely updates kept the whole project moving — just like keeping a team aligned in business.

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Lesson 3: Problem-Solving Under Pressure

Unexpected problems happen — files corrupt, printing delays occur, marketing assets need last-minute tweaks.

• I learned to stay calm and adapt quickly.
• Instead of panicking, I focused on solutions: What can we fix now? What needs a long-term change?

Leadership isn’t about avoiding problems — it’s about steering through them.

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Bonus: Vision Holds It All Together

In a trilogy, every book has its own arc, but they all serve one bigger story.
The same is true in leadership — each project is part of a larger vision.
Keeping that vision clear is what motivates people (or in my case, myself) to keep pushing.

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Closing Thoughts

Writing a trilogy was one of the most creatively challenging things I’ve ever done. But it also turned out to be a masterclass in leadership.

If you can keep fictional characters, real-world collaborators, and a tight publishing schedule in harmony… leading a team doesn’t feel quite so daunting.

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CTA: What’s the most unexpected place you’ve learned leadership skills?