Deciding to publish your first book can be scary, thereβs no doubt about it. The idea of spending a ton of money on publishing without knowing if youβll make that money back is usually the number one fear. But, the process doesnβt have to be scary if you think about some key things before starting.
- Hire a good editor.
A good editor is usually expensive, but that is the reason they are expensive. Editors are one of the top things you should invest your money in. A good editor will not only clean up your story, but also help you improve your story where it needs to be.
You may think your story doesnβt need anything else added or removed from it, but chances are it does. Thereβs always room for improvement and an editor has the ability to see where those improvements are needed.
9 out of 10 times, we become blind to these type of errors after typing βThe Endβ, and who can blame us? Writing a novel wasnβt easyβit was an exhausting, yet emotional process, but we did it, and now we need someone else to see the things we didnβt.
The best rule of thumb I can suggest when choosing an editor is you get what you pay for. There are no doubts about it.
So, before choosing an editor, hop over to their social media accounts, websites, etc, and see what others are saying about them. Testimonials are a great way to see what experiences other authors had.
2. Donβt take every suggestion someone makes to change your story.
This is probably the one thing I struggled with most during publishing my first novel. I had awesome beta readers, a great support team of authors behind me, a great editor, and of course, I thought everyone knew best when it came to my manuscript. But what I didnβt realize was, that was the issue, I forget that I wrote the story. I let everyone change what I had written even if it wasnβt for the best.
You should always take suggestions into consideration but understand that suggestions are also an opinion. Everyone will always have their own opinion, but youβre the only one who truly knows your story.
So, think before you delete that one paragraph you love, but others hate.
3. Hire a professional cover designer.
Readers arenβt supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the do. I canβt stress enough how important it is to hire a professional to design your book cover.
There is so much more that goes into a book cover design an image and some font. Hire a professional who knows the current styles in your genre, and trust that designer.
4. Have a few books written before publishing one.
This is something I wish I had realized from the start. I wrote my first novel and hit publish almost immediately after I got it back from the editor.
While it was an amazing feeling to have published my first novel, and an exciting time, I didnβt think about all of the work that goes into promoting that novel, which leaves less time to write more books.
When readers find a story they love, they want more. So, have 2-3 books in your pocket, ready to be published before hitting that button in the first book in a series.
5. Build a social media presence and promote the hell out of your book within that presence.
I canβt stress enough how much building a social media presence will help you skyrocket your career. I mean, how else will people hear about your book?
A great way to start building your social media presence is doing Takeovers in other book groups on Facebook. Youβll find some of your most loyal readers there.
Make sure to have your own book group on Facebook or a newsletter you can direct your new found followers