Know Your ‘Why’
Know Your Why!
Whenever people ask me what I do for work, they typically follow it with, “Oh, I have an idea for a great book!” My first question is: That’s wonderful, but why do you wish to write a book? Typically, the answers I get are three-fold: Money, passion, or both. If you only have financial reasons, my response is: Find an easier way to make money. If you are driven by passion or by passion and finances, then move forward with your eyes open. No, I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, but if you are going to survive in this industry, enter knowing the facts.
Okay, so here are basic facts you should know about publishing before you begin writing:
Publishing is a creative pursuit, and one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. You will have lovers and haters. Read my blog on reviews for more details.
Know your target market and be sure that books similar to yours are popular if you want to assess saleability.
Don’t start without a detailed outline to guide your work. This must include dates to keep you accountable and moving forward.
Write consistently and stick to your goals. You can’t publish what you don’t finish.
If you want to traditionally publish as a first-time author, it’s incredibly challenging but worth a try. Understand that to obtain a traditional publishing contract as a first-time author, you will need to have a strong social media presence or media platform along with engaging, marketable content.
No matter your skill set, you will need help to create quality content. Help costs. You should consider editors, beta readers, proofreaders, and maybe even a writing coach or group.
Note that editors, beta readers, and proofreaders are not all equal. There are scammers out there. I know because people who have been duped have ended up as my clients to get their manuscripts and books fixed.
No, you do not need professional edits to submit a manuscript to an agent or publisher. Still, quality matters, so I highly recommend at least a developmental edit.
When you start looking for traditional publishers to submit to, just because a site says publisher, it doesn’t mean it’s a traditional publisher. If they ask you for any money, they aren’t a traditional publisher.
Self-publishers and hybrid publishers (offer both self and traditional options) who don’t present themselves as such stay away from them. If they can’t be honest upfront, it won’t get better on the backend.
Please do not listen to any self or hybrid publisher waiting to take your money, guaranteeing you will sell x number of copies. It’s anyone’s guess and nothing more.
No one can promise you a bestseller unless you’re a housewife on Bravo churning out a junk tell-all or any other high-profile celebrity.
Please do not listen to people who tell you to write and throw it up on Amazon. Why? Because quality matters. Even if you have a passion for writing and you are not looking to make money, you should want to produce the best quality product, and that doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
The easy part is writing because there are qualified individuals, like CLP, who can assist you in producing a must-read manuscript.
The hard part comes on the marketing side. The marketing of books is one of the biggest scam areas, and you can spend money on marketers who give you nothing more than what you could do yourself. Don’t fall for their lofty promises of “making back your investment.” They can’t promise you that! If they do, make them show you their clients and the returns they got for each one, not just their few wins but the lowest to the highest.
Okay, that’s the brutal truth. The fun part is that writing can be the most rewarding endeavor. There is nothing greater than completing your manuscript or getting the first copies of your book in the mail. These milestones make the long hours and hair-raising moments when you want to chuck your computer across the room worth it. Yes, writing is essentially that rollercoaster you get off and immediately get back in line to ride again – it’s driven by a strong “why” or purpose.
If you love it, do it! But don’t go in blind. Call us, and we will guide you through any part from idea to publication with our consultation calls; our first call is free, and there is no obligation past that.
Happy Writing!
