Preparation
Once you establish that your book is a viable product, begin outlining, organizing and writing it.
Keep your audience in mind the entire time that you are working on your project. Are you giving them what they want? Is it easy to follow and use? Is the material interesting? Will the story hold their interest? Have you smoothed out all of the areas that might cause the reader confusion? While you are writing your book, start putting away money toward a good book editor. And once you have written your book, hire that editor to put the finishing touches on it. This could make all of the difference in the world. Just ask some of my clients.
Platform
Your platform is your following, your reach, your connections. How many people would read your book just because you wrote it?
Work on your platform while you’re writing the book:
• Create a massive mailing and emailing list.
• Become known among leaders and followers in your book’s genre/topic.
• Write and submit articles or stories to appropriate publications.
• Develop workshops and seminars on your book’s topic and present them.
• Publish your own newsletter.
• Establish a blog and promote it heavily.
This will be a busy and enjoyable period in the process of becoming a published author. You will sometimes think that these eight to thirty-eight (or so) months during which you are writing the book are the hardest you’ve ever experienced. But I want you to hold this thought: You ain’t seen nothing yet! Most authors say that they thought the writing process was hard until they got involved in promoting their books.
It is for this reason that I recommend working on your platform while you are in writing mode. You’ll be more well-prepared for what is to come.
Proofing/Editing
Once you’ve completed your manuscript, you’ll become involved in self-editing. Proof and edit as thoroughly as you possibly can.
• Check for inconsistencies and repeated material.
• Make sure your spacing and punctuation is correct.
• Examine your manuscript for muddy writing and run-on sentences.
• Eliminate those sneaky mistakes that aren’t picked up by spellcheck.
• Correct any misuse of apostrophes or words.
Once you have done your self-editing, hire an experienced book editor for your final edit. Yes, this is necessary and the expense must be factored in. Hiring a good editor is an investment in your publishing success. But I must repeat—this should be an experienced book editor.
Plan to pay an editor from $800 to $3,000 (or more). This depends on the size and scope of your manuscript as well as the condition of it. I offer these services.
http://www.patriciafry.com
Tomorrow we’ll discuss the last two P’s—Publishing and Promotion.