HERE’S YOUR STARTING POINT
The first place to start is knowing to whom you are writing. Who is your audience? Knowing your audience will help you write at the proper level of the person you expect to be reading the book.
Next is to set up a schedule, especially if you have a lot of things brewing. Balancing life and work is hard, and throwing in writing a book is not always easy. However, give yourself one or two days a week for an hour or two each scheduled day to do something toward the book. Treat these days just like you would any other appointment, IMPORTANT! Don’t forego writing because your favorite show is on. Don’t make dinner plans or afternoon plans when you are scheduled to write. Writing this book is important to you, so make your writing schedule a priority rather than an option. If you do this, my guess is that you will have the book ready for editing before you know it.
When you are finally sitting down to your first schedule writing time, start by organizing the basic thoughts. How are you going to put it all together? Just like I did here, I started with the audience, then scheduled time, then I wrote. It is what is making sense. Your topic has to make sense to your readers, so start planning out the major sections or chapters. This will not only keep your writing organized but you’ll be also able to see how it flows and if it makes the most sense. There is nothing worse than finishing up a writing session just to realize it is off base of the topic. Organize first, then write the manuscript.
As you write, research as needed. Maybe you know a lot about most of the topic, but there is one or two areas that you have less information about or aren’t as knowledgeable. This is when you research and strengthen your work. Don’t lessen your value by doing shoddy work or devalue the manuscript because key areas are incomplete. Research when you need it, and let your readers know where to find more information. It builds your credibility and expertise at the same time. Look at most non-fiction books. They have references to show where the supporting evidence came from. The ideas are yours; the research just proves you’re right.
Once you’re done writing, editing starts. Do not edit the manuscript yourself. Do not let family or friends edit the manuscript. Hire an editor or ask a colleague that will be honest with you to edit the manuscript.
Why not yourself?
Because you know what you think you said, and that is what your brain will see. You are less likely to find errors because your brain automatically fixes them.
Why not family and friends? Mainly because, believe it or not, they will be less likely to be honest with you. They will not want to hurt your feelings, and they may give you some feedback. But often, they will tell you it is great even when it isn’t. They aren’t trying to sabotage you. Family and friends do it out of love, but as an author, you can’t afford love—you need polish. Hire a good editor. A good editor is worth their weight in gold, and if you hire an experienced editor, they can give you insight into the manuscript and publishing industry that you may not get from family and friends. Even if you are going to try to get picked up by a big publisher, you need to hire an excellent editor.
If you want to submit to a literary agent and try for the big boys in publishing, go for it. You have to give them the best product you have, which is why you need a wonderful editor. It needs to be nearly perfect. The more publish-ready it is, the more likely your manuscript will be picked up.
Going the literary agent and big publisher route is a long process but don’t give up. Most traditional publishers only pick up books from literary agents so you have to follow the industry standards, do the research, and make your pitch. If you don’t want to wait, self-publish. So many brilliant authors self-publish. You get full creative freedom in your cover and manuscript, and normally, you get all the royalties. You can always try a traditional publisher with your second or third book but get that first book out now.
Breaking down the steps makes this process look a whole lot easier, right? Think you can do it? I know you can.
First step—decide it’s time and do it.
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Content credit: C. Storm
Image credit: Nik
