Teen author Joddie Zeng shared her tips on writing and self-publishing a novel Dec. 11.

Zeng began writing her book at the end of 2013 and took 17 months to make it the best possible product. She would come home from school and write for 4 hours before starting her homework.

Her book The Popularity Project was published in May 2015 and for Zeng “it was a long time coming” up to that moment.

Zeng’s three main tips to becoming a better author are: read excessively, be true to yourself and be open to change.

“I’m pretty sure there is a typo in this book,” said Zeng. But at the end of the day she is proud of her product and continues to write for the future.