Writing Tip Wednesday--Write the Next Book

Welcome to Writing Tip Wednesday! Self-publishing offers writers another choice on the road to publication, whether they’re already traditionally published and/or e-press published, or unpublished. Although the author maintains control of the process, she also has a lot of hard work ahead of her. Education about self-publishing and the publishing industry is vital to a good product and creating a professional image.

Completing a book, going through the editing and publishing process, and seeing it out in the market gives a sense of great accomplishment. Whew!

Now take a deep breath and start again.

Yes. Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard, and thoughts on the screen, because the best and most effective marketing tool is to Write the Next Book.

It wasn’t easy the first time, and it likely won’t be easy again. However, each book teaches the author something new—whether craft-, editing-, formatting-, or marketing-related knowledge, or simply that she’s capable of writing (and finishing) a book.

Writing should improve over time. A great writer continues learning about writing and publishing through her career. Some stories will seem to write themselves, while others have to be pulled kicking and screaming out of the author’s mind. No matter the process, every one contains part of her and certain aspects will progress a little more smoothly the next time.

So, start plotting if you’re a plotter. Start writing if you’re a pantser. This plantser is making notes and writing, knowing the characters and plot will lead the way to another finish line. Don’t sacrifice your story to get it out to readers more quickly, though. Quality trumps quantity every time. Write a good story—and then write another one. Everyone writes at different speeds and has different methods, so try not to compare yourself to others. Do what works for you and avoid measuring your success based on someone else’s ruler.

Some suggestions for getting that book done:
-Set daily writing goals.
-Participate in #1K1H sprints with other writers.
-Discover your best time of day to write and set aside a portion of it for writing.
-Take a writer’s retreat.
-Brainstorm with other writers or friends.
-Designate a reward for each chapter you finish or a larger one for finishing the book.

Figure what motivates you to sit in that chair and write.

Check off #15 on the To-Do List and go back at #1.

The To-Do List
1) Finish the book. 
2) Polish and edit the book. 
3) Write taglines and blurbs. 
4) Create or purchase cover art. 
5) Purchase ISBNs, if using a single ISBN for all retailers using the same book format (print or e-book). 
6) Create front and back matter. 
7) Format for e-book and/or print. 
7.a.) Add images. 
7.b.) Create audio book. 
8) Update website, blog, and social media. 
9) Create metadata list.
10) Plan a marketing and promotion strategy.
11) Publish the book. 
12) File copyright paperwork, if registering. 
13) Add buy links to websites, blogs, and social media. 
14) Implement marketing and promotion strategies. 
15) Write the next book! 

Be sure to check out the writing craft series, Writing Tip Wednesday: The Writing Craft Handbook, in e-book at Amazon and B&N and in print at Amazon and CreateSpace, and the writing career series, Writing Tip Wednesday: The Writing Career Handbook, in e-book at Amazon and B&N and in print at Amazon and CreateSpace.

Writing Tip Wednesday: The Self-Publishing Handbook is available for purchase at Amazon due to a scheduling glitch and pre-orders at iBooks! Release date is January 2 for print and e-book for iBooks, B&N, Kobo, ARe/OmniLit, and CreateSpace—with extra formatting and conversion content!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!