Yesterday, we talked about author burnout. I’d like to present another slant on the subject—one that I’ve adopted many times.
When you feel that you cannot squeeze another lovely phrase out of your head or you are just sick and tired of sorting through the details of your book in progress, step back just a tad. Don’t leave the building, simply engage in another aspect of your project. For example:
• Work on your book proposal. Turn your focus from your plot to your audience.
• Write your book cover copy. Don’t leave this as a last-minute task. Start thinking about it early on.
• Check out titles for your book. Sure, you have a title in mind. But you’ll want to check to make sure it isn’t being used. Look at other books like yours and discover what sort of titles work best for those in your category.
• Research your publishing options. You may dream of a major publisher picking up this book. It could happen, but also be prepared with Plans B and C.
• Submit short stories or articles designed to build on your platform—you know, your credibility in your subject or genre. This is how you begin to establish a following.
• Organize your mailing and emailing lists.
• Start plotting your promotional activities.
• If you’re far enough along with your book, solicit testimonials for your cover and your website.
• Create your promo copy.
As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to move your book project forward even when you suffer temporary bouts of burnout or writers’ block.
This list should help you to see that when you enter into the realm of publishing, you must be prepared to handle a myriad of tasks and wear a number of hats. I think I’ll cover this in more detail in tomorrow’s blog post.
In the meantime, keep learning. Here are a few books I’ve reviewed for SPAWNews this year:
I just wrote a review for Marcia Meier’s new release, Navigating the Rough Water of Today’s Publishing World. See it in the August edition of SPAWNews. http://www.spawn.org
I’ve also reviewed the following books for SPAWNews this year. Read them in our most recent archives:
How to Write for the New Age Market
Richard Webster
The Collaborator Rules: 101 Surefire Ways to Stay Friends With Your Co-Author
Sally Shields
The Gettysburg Approach to Writing and Speaking Like a Professional
Philip A Yaffe
A Writer’s Vehicle, Henry Ford’s Way
Billie A. Williams
The Power of Memoir, How to Write Your Healing Story
Linda Joy Meyers
How to Make Real Money Selling Books
Brian Jud
And don’t forget to order your copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html