Polish Your Book
While it may come as a no-brainer, publishers won’t spend their time with written pieces that are incomplete or poorly-written. You’ll need to organize your content in a way that makes it publisher-friendly like making sure your ideas and points in the story flow well and aren’t so scattered that the plot is incomprehensive. If you’re having trouble enhancing your book, freewrite to create more chunks you can add later, or break down the main events, climax, and ending into three acts. This helps break down the rise and fall in action.
Choose Good Publishers
When searching for the ideal publisher for your book, consider what genre your book would fall under. Most publishing companies have agents that specialize in certain genres, so if you send it to the wrong one, your manuscript may go right into the wastebasket. A quick company and internet search will help you zero in on which agents could become the best promoters of your upcoming book. Feel free to read reviews and contact multiple agents in order to gauge who can handle your book the best.
Consider Self-Publishing
While self-publishing is popular, it takes a ton of time and effort to do it well. When self-publishing, make sure your book includes effective and attention-grabbing content. If it doesn’t have that, your book has virtually no hope of selling. Also, if want someone else to edit your book, either hire or simply ask for a volunteer who will. Don’t rely on one set of eyes to find mistakes and make edits. You don’t want to send something to the printer with spelling/grammatical errors. Many self-published books, especially on Amazon, are poorly edited if they’re even edited at all.
Market Your Book
Do something like building a page on Facebook or setting up an e-mail list to start solidifying a platform for your book. Depending on if you have a hands-on publisher or not, you’ll need to actively market and promote your book by offering to do events like book signings, question and answer sessions, and book readings. You’ll also want to have an overall marketing plan in place so you can set dates and goals for your promotional activities. Lastly, you’ll want to pick a book cover that intrigues and complements your book’s story well. After all, this is the first piece of your book people will view when it hits the stands.
Finally, you’ll want to be prepared to answer any and all kinds of questions that your readers may direct your way. This way you can relate your book to a broader audience and showcase your knowledge on the subject. If you follow these simple guidelines, you’ll go from creative writer to author with your name on a book to prove it.
Kathy Flute is a business student who works with a publishing house. She enjoys writing about personal health, financial freedom, offering tips to writers, and the Top 10 Online MBAs in Project Management.
The views, opinions, and beliefs of contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Girl Who Reads.
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