If you’re a writer, a dreamer, or anybody with something significant to say, you’ve considered writing and publishing a book. But, while producing a book is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself, getting it in front of readers is another story—and figuring out how to publish a book can be a significant challenge for first-timers!Indeed, with more publication alternatives than ever before, today’s authors have a lot to consider. We’re here to cut through the haze and teach you exactly how to publish a book. This thorough guide contains concrete advice, publishing resources, and all the professional support you’ll need to have your book published.
Decide on a Publishing Strategy
Again, current authors have a plethora of publication options from which to pick. Because there is no one “correct” way to publish a book, the steps in this guide should be regarded as best practices rather than necessary procedures.Having said that, your road to book publication will undoubtedly influence your approach here. Before you advance, you must make the following decision:
- Do you want to self-publish or go the usual route?
- If the latter, do you prefer to work with a traditional publisher?
This questionnaire should steer you in the correct direction, but only you can decide which publishing path is best for you.
Revise the Draft
A thorough edit is the most valuable gift any author can give their book. Yes, whether you self-publish or send your book to agencies, others will be reading it, judging it, and making decisions that will affect its success.
- Allow a week or more before editing. This will give you the fresh eyes you need to look at your writing through the eyes of an editor.
- Begin with the plot and characters. Read your entire book and take notes with the big picture in mind. Is your narrative well-structured, has a good number of plot points, and does not feel hurried at the end? Do your characters have well-rounded personalities, intriguing motivations, and dynamic relationships with others?
- If this is too much for you, move on to line edits. You may be unable to comprehend the storyline or character developments at this time, but you can still work on the pacing of specific scenes. You can also hone your voice by using better wording. Even little mechanical mistakes are preferable to nothing!
- If in doubt, read aloud. If you’re having trouble getting through a section of editing, try reading it aloud. This is an excellent method for breaking down mental barriers and hearing what might be improved in your writing.
In a nutshell, sure. Nobody wants to read a book with typos or gaps, and no self-respecting author would publish an unedited draught in the first place. Unless you’ve already secured a book deal, you’ll need to find someone to edit your work – and short of training to become an editor yourself, that means paying a professional editor.
Obtain Feedback from Editors and Critique Groups
Whether you engage an editor or not, objective third-party opinion is priceless. So, share your manuscript with trustworthy colleagues throughout the editing process (most authors go through numerous rounds of changes).
To encourage more candid input, allow your participants to fill out an anonymous form with their comments on specific components like the story, characters, pacing, and prose. You could make it easy for them by including a rating system. Also, to ensure that their input is constructive, ask them to provide a remedy to each problem rather than simply pointing it out.
If you feel comfortable doing so, you should ask friends and family for notes. However, this can be a delicate process, and you should avoid involving anyone you know personally. Here are three more ways to acquire trustworthy comments on your book.Critique circles are excellent locations to gather input. They not only let you take notes on your book, but they also assist you to improve your critical thinking skills! To understand more about critique circles, go to that post.
Give your Manuscript a Title
Writing communities can also be beneficial. Although many of these communities have built-in critique circles, it’s worth visiting their forums to see if anyone is seeking a critique partner — or, if you’re lucky, offering free critiques.
You may have already decided on a title for your book if you’ve gotten this far. But if you haven’t decided on a title yet — or if the editing process has changed your manuscript so much that you feel you need a new one to fit — now is the time to do so.
We have several fantastic resources to assist you with this, such as our book title generator (which offers over 10,000 choices!) and our guide on how to choose outstanding book titles.
Keep it brief. Consider how many bestsellers have one-to-two word titles these days. For a reason, titling your book “The [Something]” is a timeless strategy – it gets the point over immediately and is easy for readers to remember.
Make it enticing. A brief title also has the advantage of automatically creating intrigue. Still, if in doubt, add a little more.
Don’t try to imitate somebody too closely. While using tried-and-true patterns is beneficial, you don’t want your title to seem so similar that people wonder.
Prepare your Book for Publication by Formatting it
Now that you’ve finished polishing your manuscript, you’re ready to style it with chapter headings, aligned text, and page numbers. Again, whether you’re self-publishing or submitting your work to agents, a professionally prepared book will create a solid first impression.All you need to do if you’re sending your book to agents is prepare it in a standardized, readable manner. We’ve even created a document formatting template specifically for this occasion!This instruction has so far applied to all techniques of how to publish a book, but this is where things begin to diverge. The following are the stages to publishing a book based on your desired path:
- If you intend to self-publish, read the rest of this tutorial thoroughly.
- If you intend to publish conventionally, now is the time to contact literary agencies!
Create a Book Description that is ‘Publisher-Ready’
Another important component in persuading people to buy your book is its description. Fortunately, it’s simple to improve your description for increased sales. The most helpful resource for this is our essay on how to create a book description that sells, but the essentials of producing a powerful description are:
- A catchy headline will pique the interest of your readers. Whether it’s a dramatic statement, a pull quote from a glowing review, or the exact first line of your book, your title should immediately pique readers’ interest.
- Introduce the major plot or idea. But don’t summarise everything — you don’t have room for that! Give a summary of the key conflict(s), or, if you’ve authored a factual book, mention the central conflict(s).
Make them desire more. Finish with a question, a suggestion of a twist, or even a cliffhanger. Make it impossible for readers not to preview your book (even if it’s just to see if you can pull it off).When in doubt, read the descriptions of best-selling books in your category and try to replicate them. After reading five to ten of these descriptions, you’ll probably notice a pattern emerge – from there, your description will nearly write itself. As an example:
Finally, some thoughts
Whether you choose self-publishing or traditional publishing, releasing a book is always a massive undertaking. The good news is that if you’ve made it this far, you now know exactly what your alternatives are and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
We can’t publish your book for you, but we’re convinced you to have everything you need to accomplish your lifelong dream! Keep your sights set on the prize, have fun on the voyage, and send us a postcard when you arrive. We can’t wait to see where you end up.