Never before have there been so many options for the author. Not only must you select from a startling array of genres and subgenres for your proposed book, and dozens and dozens of editorial services, there are countless more publishing options available. How do you—the eager hopeful author—make the right decisions on behalf of your publishing project?
It all starts with something few of us have when it comes to producing a book—patience. Here’s a checklist that could make the difference between a successful venture and failure:
- Take the time to think about the future of your project even before you write it. Is your nonfiction book idea viable? Is there truly an audience for it? Are you writing it to benefit the reader or to massage your own ego? If you’re writing fiction, does the genre you’ve chosen have an audience? Make it your business to find out what this audience wants and plan to write for them.
- Along with this, consider what sort of marketing efforts you can and are willing to provide. If you aren’t sure what book promotion and marketing entails, please stop the writing process now and study this vital aspect of publishing. Gather the tools and examine your skills related to promoting this book. This is a good time to hone your skills and develop new ones (public speaking, for example). Read my book, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” Remember that your book will sell only for as long as you are willing to promote it.
- After clearly identifying how your book will fit into the marketplace, go ahead and write it—keeping your audience in mind throughout. For nonfiction, make sure your instructions and information are presented in an organized and clear manner. For fiction, have you included all of the elements necessary, does your story flow logically, does it fit within the boundaries of the genre you’ve chosen?
- Once you’ve finished the book—generally after going over it with a fine-tooth comb numerous times—turn it over to beta-readers. Ask people you can trust to respond truthfully and thoroughly to read your book.
- When you are completely satisfied with your manuscript, go in search of a book editor. You may pay anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars for an independent editor, depending on the magnitude of your project and the nature of your editorial needs. I’ve edited book manuscripts that were so clean, they required little from me other than a stamp of approval. I’ve also been faced with editorial nightmares that took months to untangle. Typically, the fee for editing a fairly well-written 150-page book (60,000 to 70,000-words), is around $1,500 to $2,500.
To be continued in the next post. In the meantime, order your copy of “Promote Your Book,” here: http://www.matilijapress.com or at Amazon.com. Learn more about me, Patricia Fry, here: http://www.patriciafry.com.