Here's a confession that might shock you: Eowyn Ivey has published exactly three novels in thirteen years.

In today's publishing landscape, where authors are told to release books annually (or faster) to stay relevant, this pace seems career suicide.

Yet Ivey's "slow publishing" approach has created one of the most enviable author careers in literary fiction.

So your book club chose Wild Dark Shore. Smart choice. Charlotte McConaghy's latest thriller has everything a great book club selection needs: complex characters, controversial themes, stunning prose, and enough ambiguity to fuel heated debates over wine.

Tamora Pierce published her first novel in 1983. Think about that for a moment—when many of today's debut authors were being born, Pierce was already building the foundation of a career that would span decades. What can her marathon approach teach authors just starting their sprint?