Twenty-one authors tell BuzzFeed Books how they wrote their first books—what obstacles they overcame, what happened, how they feel in the aftermath. It’s a very instructive read, and it shows a pretty good range of experiences. For whatever reason, the part about writing something before the first book is published—a novel that won’t ever be published (a prequel)—stuck out for me. Also the fact that some were shocked when their first books sold. And I love when Sam Lipsyte tells his marketing team at a large publisher that he wants to be on Oprah. Read it here.