In this video interview with Tom Merritt, an author in his own right, Veronica Belmont asks him questions on how to publish a book. He gives a five-step process, and even though the interview was cut very short, the basics of what he had to say are still there.
Step 1 - An Idea
Step 2 - Start Writing
Step 3 - Edit
Step 4 - Get it Published
Step 5 - Promote Your Book
Step 2 - Start Writing
Step 3 - Edit
Step 4 - Get it Published
Step 5 - Promote Your Book
I'm going to expand on Tom's five-step process and give you some of the things I learned over the years when I decided to finally publish my own book.
Step 1 - An Idea
Before you start writing your best seller, you will need to know how to write. Throwing words here and there is not writing. When one writes, it has to make complete sense. Keep in mind that writing a book is nothing like competing for a spot on American Idol where the performers swear to the ends of the Earth that they can sing and get up on the stage in front of millions of people and blurt out disgusting sounds that only their mothers could love; and in some cases, even she lies.
As a writer, in all our minds, we think that what's floating around in our brains is the best or nearly the best idea for a book. Reality keeps proving us wrong, but we cannot allow that type of mentality to stop us from trying.
What needs to happen is for you to take that idea and literally expand it to the point of how you are going to begin and end this story.
Furthermore, ask yourself these questions:
1. Should I write in 1st-person, 2nd-person, or, 3rd-person?
2. Should I make this a short-story or a full-length-story?
3. Which genre should I choose?
4. Are both male and female going to enjoy this story or should I focus on just one gender?
5. What race of people should I make my characters?
6. Should I make my book mainstream or should I cater to one specific race of people?
7. How much should I charge? I don't want to insult anyone with my price.
8. How am I going to decorate my book cover? Should I use real people or artwork?
9. Am I going to have a sequel or is it going to be a one-book-story?
10. Do I have the time and energy to complete this project in a timely fashion?
And the questions continues. But, you need to answer them all and answer them honestly.
Step 2 - Start Writing
One of my best habits when I began to write was, I kept paper, pen or pencil with me no matter where I went when I wasn't at home. Even then, while in the kitchen cooking, I would have something to write on because the ideas just didn't stop coming. If I ever got writer's block, it could have only happened once. It appeared that my adrenalin was more excited about this book than I was. So, no matter your travels, try to keep your writing instruments nearby because once an idea comes to mind and you miss that opportunity, it may not come back as it did originally or it may get completely lost and it will bother you because the door closed and refuses to open for you again; until after your book is published and then you would say, "Damn."
Another thing I always did whenever I would write was I kept in the forefront of my mind that I was writing this story as if it were a movie. I kept my characters alive and exciting. I put drama, comedy, thought provoking situations, a mixture of this and a mixture of that in the storyline to help keep everything interesting and flowing. I believe in dialogue. Some believe in narratives. I like it when my readers can actually feel as if they are a part of the story as oppose to somebody just telling it to them. When you write, bring your readers into your story. Don't leave them outside looking in. Make sure that there is at least one character that stands out and would be the talk of a book club.
Step 3 - Edit
This is the time consumer. It is tedious no matter how you look at it. You are going to be revising and revising and revising and revising. My book ended up with over 300 plus pages at the time of publication. And, to read all those pages over and over again, got to be a bit frustrating. I would read this part and either take out something or add nearly another chapter. Then I had to read that over and over again as well; finding errors that I didn't notice and wondered, "Where did that come from?" or "I thought I fixed that already."
So, here's the deal: Write your story to the point where you run out of ideas. Go back and read it one time. Mark your weak areas and strengthened them right then and there. Don't touch the manuscript for a few days, but keep it on your mind. In the meantime, jot down your thoughts; they may play a key role later. Rumble through your brains and ask yourself if you want to change anything or should you leave it as such. Whichever your answer, take care of it. Then find an acquaintance who loves, loves, loves to read and ask that person or those persons to please read over your Work. Tell them they are doing it as a favor (don't let Judge Judy have a field-day with you) and that you cannot afford to pay them, but that you will mention their names in the Dedication part of your book. That will definitely excite them.
Once they have critiqued your Work, ponder over everything they told you and see if you have the potential to become a published author. If you do, make the corrections they suggest, read the entire manuscript again, make some more revisions, leave it alone for a few more days, then find someone who is trained in editing your type of Work. That person should give you an honest opinion as to whether or not your idea of a best seller is worthy of publication. You will still have to pay that person, but at least they would be less sensitive to your feelings than your friends who may just want to spare you the pain.
Step 4 - Get It Published
Alright, so the editing company told you it's a go. That your storyline is fantastic. That they are looking forward to you winning an award for your Work. Now, you have to find a publishing house. Do you want to go that route, or do you want to self-publish?
I tried the publishing houses with my first manuscript. Of course, I was just starting out, and green; very green. Didn't know diddly-squat. I knew how to write, but, received rejection letters that made me paranoid. My storyline was pretty good; I thought. Today, I still have a feeling that those jerks never even looked at my Work, let alone take it out of the phreaking envelope. But, anyway, I wrote yet another manuscript, went the same route with different companies and still no dice.
So, with my third manuscript, I wasn't about to be insulted by nobody. That's when I made the choice to self-publish. I began selling my books to people who put the money directly into my hand, and that was through book signings and book fairs, family members, friends, strangers, then later via the internet where I would KNOW that someone made a purchase.
ReferencesIf you are in need of a self-publishing company, may we suggest:
Amani Publishing, LLC
Barbara Joe Williams
P. O. Box 12045
Tallahassee, FL 32317
(850) 264-3341
Step 5 - Promote Your Book
As I mentioned, I was able to sell books at book signings and book fairs. That made me feel that every revision I did, every ink cartridge I had to replace, and every night I stayed up writing was all worth it.
Even if you never find your way to Oprah's book club, or see it being sold at those popular book chains, at least you know that you set out to do something and it came to past.
Now that we have the Internet, we have almost everything at our disposal. We just have to learn how to use whatever is there.
Good luck to you all who are struggling with the idea of should I or should I not go forward to writing down all these ideas for a book or movie.
Do I Have To Write About My Gender And My Race?
If you are female, there is no law saying that you can't write about a male; and vice-versa. And, there is no law saying that one race can't write about another race. The only thing about focusing on a character that does not walk in your shoes, is that you had better do a damn good job convincing your readership that you know what you're doing. There are many books out there that can fool you, simply because the authors of those books spent time studying the other gender and the other race and learned what makes them, them. If an author misses the point, it becomes an insult to either the gender or the race. So, be mindful of how you weave this type of persona into your Work. It can be an award-winning accomplishment, or a disastrous one.
Your Dream Is Now A Reality
Now that you are a published writer, do you stop and just sit back and let your Work work for you? Heck no! You thought you were working hard when you were writing and revising. Now the work really begins.
Book Club Influences
There are thousands of book clubs out there that are waiting to hear from you and are eager to read your book. What needs to happen is that you will need to give up a few copies of your Work for FREE. That's good business. Don't you dare charge them; not even at a discount. Let them read it, and if they find that it is good, they will have you visit them with a group of other members who wants to actually buy your book and put money directly into your hand. That is just one way to get your title out there.
Please be forewarned: It is a bad idea to accept personal checks. If that is not a problem for you, then say nothing unless asked. Otherwise, you will have to make that a known fact several days prior to your scheduled reading and/or signing.
Note: If you decide to accept invitations to book clubs (which are often at someone's personal residence), please be courteous to the host/hostess by taking them a small, inexpensive gift that they may like. Or, you may opt to pitch in for the finger-foods or drinks.
You may also host your own book reading at your own home or designated place. If you do, you will treat the event just as the book clubs do theirs, except you will do a little bit more for your guests. Set a theme surrounding your novel, have finger foods, soft drinks and water, offer free service from a pedicurist, manicurist, make-up artist, or a professional 10-minute back and neck massage. You do not have to take these suggestions as you may want something entirely different. These are just ideas. What you're trying to do is establish friendships that have the potential to multiply by the handful. Make a careless mistake, and you are doomed.
Book Readings
You're at a book reading because someone read your Work and liked it. When you get there, but, before you walk through that door, convince yourself that you are not nervous; it can make for a horrible experience. That you can do this. You step inside and see all those strangers. A lump chokes you. The host/hostess begins to introduce you. You're conscious of where you are, but mentally, it seems like you're really way off into some other place. Subtly, shake off that foreign entity and quietly take a deep breath. Look confident. Smile, even if it hurts. Now that you're inside, is your breath fresh, or is it kicking? Huh? Check that before you get there. I remember sitting in the fourth or fifth row at a school function and the principal was talking from the base of the stage and WOW WHEE! A couple of people passed out. Just kidding; the passing out part. But, you get the point.
Are your clothes descent? Anything up your nose; in your teeth? Okay. Then you're fine. Get in there and kick some asses. Make your characters speak to your audience. Talk like you know your own book inside and out. Have your new fans smiling if it's funny, or intense if it's suspenseful. Don't be a bore. You'll know that if you start to see people looking at their watches, getting up to go to the bathroom, using their cell phones. And you've only been talking for what, three minutes?
Getting Noticed
We are now in a time period where just about everything is accessible to us by computers, because some of everybody is using the internet to operate their businesses. Well, since you are in the business now by literary means, you can let your fingers do the clicking while your computer do the rest.
For those that do not have or do not know how to work the internet and all those hundreds-of-thousands of communication entities, try your best to learn how to blog. Once you get that down, you can basically run your own website. The templates may look different, but the mechanics of how they work have more similarities than you think.
Everything SHE Writes has a blog that is controlled through Google. It's simple and quite easy. Fool around with a Blog to learn its language and see how things go. If things go better than you expect, and your book is in its finishing stages and you've already gotten it copyrighted, get yourself a domain name in YOUR name. If you are writing your book to be later turned into a movie, you may want to get a domain name with the title of your future movie as well. Hopefully, your title isn't too long and that nobody has taken it already.
Who Should You Contact About Your Book
Ah, excuse me, but EVERYBODY you can possibly think of. Wherever you live, try to find book clubs, writing groups, TV and radio personnel, family and friends, co-workers, strangers, face book, youtube, myspace, twitter, etc. Keeping up with all those online social groups can become a bit overwhelming with all those passwords and usernames. You will have to be quite organized to pull that off, but if you wrote a book, that should not be a problem.
Contact the libraries in your area to see if they will carry your book. Do not limit yourself to the libraries in your hometown. When my family and I traveled, I would drop off a new copy of my book to their local or main libraries. The Librarians would be honored that you as the author actually brought it to them. Just make sure you grab one of their business cards off the Information desk and write down the date, time, and the name of the person who you gave copies to.
For some reason, brand new copies of my book ended up somewhere in England. Gee, I don't remember going over there nor did I give permission for my books to go there. To top that off, they were selling my book of $13.95 for waaaaaaay too much. I think it was somewhere around $60.00 or more. Curious, I got in touch with those people and asked the woman how did they get my book. Well, because my memory is shot to hell right now, I don't remember what she said, but I do remember she hesitated. Black marketing American authors' books, are you? You can bet those Englishmen didn't come over here and snatch them from us. No, they have willing participants from over here giving away our stuff and NOT giving us our props. So, be careful who you give your hard Work to and if time allows, check up on your donated books that you have left for the public arena.
Free Advertisement?
Absolutely NOT! Unless you have a binding contract with a company that is actually paying you cold hard cash, DO NOT name them in your book. I've seen that too many times and sometimes the names of businesses and specific products are mentioned way too much for free advertisement. Instead, come up with a unique name on your own and keep pushing. That goes for cars, hotels, clubs, liquor, wines, etc. Be clever and make people go, "Hmm, what an unusual name." Make us like the name so much that our minds could taste it to the point that we start looking for it online. And you will know how awesome that name is when people actually start asking you where can they find such and such.
Now, if you want to name a specific town or State, that's different; that's okay. Unless of course, there's an occupant that lives in the core of the Earth and approaches you and says, "Dude! If you mention in your book that we live here, I'll give you as many pieces of gold and silver and platinum as your insignificant body can carry." Well, now that's something to consider. But until that time arrives, make up your own names. Nevertheless, DO NOT give multi-billion dollar industries free anything. And, just to let you know, the reason why those companies have all that money anyway, is because that's how much they over-charged us for their goods. So, don't do them any additional favors because they are not going to get in touch with you and say, "Thank you for mentioning us in your book." Then they hang up and you never hear from them again. Even if you want to bad-mouth a product, find another way to do that other than in your book. You can be hit with a civil suit in court for money you don't have yet.
Proofreading
Alright. Calm down. I'm not insulting you with this title. It's just that I thought you might find the help you need when you begin to edit and proofread all those sentences in your book. Still friends?Proofreading . . . It's a must. I overlooked a few misspelled words in my book, but they weren't to the point where you didn't know what I meant. I read two novels from the same author where there were errors on just about every phreaking page. Because I wanted to find out what happened, I held my disgust at bay just to finish the book. I haven't bought anything from that author since. Don't let that happen to you.
You may even find an error in this article, so, please, forgive me. I'm not selling. A book, you will. So, please be mindful of who will be purchasing, then reading your Work. It's important that someone other than yourself proofread that which you wrote because when we, as the writer, keep reading over the same thing time and time again, our minds overlook many words and assume that everything is fine. You, too, can lose fans if your self-published book has more errors than the reader can bear.
An Alternative To Handwriting/Typing Your Book
Just recently, I was viewing a video from YouTube about writing, and someone made a suggestion that new and seasoned writers should resort to recording their story on audio rather than writing or typing it out. That sounds like a great idea. Wish I had done that. So, here's the deal: I did some research for you and found this thing called the Wave To Text 5.26, which is a piece of software that you can download directly to your computer. I took the following information from a website that shall remain nameless because they ain't paying me for sending you there:
- Wave to Text is the perfect companion for professionals on the move. Record your notes, ideas, comments and memos anywhere via a portable recording device (like a simple voice recorder or your PDA). Then, once you are back in the office, use Wave to Text to convert your .wav files into clear, fluent text. This state-of-the-art helper is great even for home businesses and serious office use.
Spreading The Word
Once your Work has been published, and you've gotten your Blog and/or your website, then it's time to get yourself some business cards to help with further marketing your book.
One of the mistakes that some people make is putting their home address on their business cards and stationary:
DO NOT put that type of information on your cards unless you have a brick and mortar establishment.
You DO NOT want strangers finding you and assuming that you have money stashed away in your home.
You DO NOT want stalkers stalking you because they find you attractive.
You DO NOT want fans to just walk up to your front door, pass by your pit bull and Rottweiler and ask you for your autograph or knock on your bedroom window to see if you're awake.
Your home address and your home phone numbers should ALWAYS remain sacred and personal to you. The ONLY thing that should be on your business cards is the name of your business, your website address, and your email address(es). An eye-catching image would be nice, but not necessary. If you are selling just one book, the cover of that book would be good.
DO NOT put your phone numbers on the cards, or, you will regret it, and end up changing the number, then some other poor soul will have to endure the numerous calls coming in at a time in the morning that doesn't even exist; for humans.
You DO NOT need to put anything on the back of the card. You should leave that blank just in case you need to write other information on it. Besides, it will cost a little bit more to add a second side of printing.
Make your book cover POP.
Make your business cards POP.
But most importantly, make your storyline POP! POP! POP!
Good luck to you, and I do hope that I have given you something to consider when you decide to publish your own book. Just keep in mind while you're writing, write your story as if you're writing a movie.
Take good care.
Tags: an alternative to handwriting-typing your book, an idea, book club influences, book readings, edit, get it published, getting noticed, how to publish your own book, promote your book, proofreading, references, spreading the word, start writing, wave to text 5.26, who should you contact about your book, your dream is now a reality
No comments:
Post a Comment