Hello Indie Authors! Welcome to my blog. Over the next few months, I plan to take a deeper dive into my Indie Author Publishing Plan. First, make sure you sign up for my author newsletter. I will immediately send you my 4-page Publishing Plan. I know it can look daunting, but don't worry, I will cover every step in this blog series. I'm right here with you, so I know first hand what you're feeling.
I was so nervous and sometimes made myself sick with the back and forth feelings of self-publishing. Should I? Shouldn't I? Am I crazy bananas?
I'm here to tell you all those feelings are legit, and you need to do what's right for you. For me, I knew I spent the time writing my story, so it would be crazy not to pursue it further and see where it goes. If anything, I can say I wrote a book, and that's success enough for me. (at least that's what I thought at first) My mindset has changed now that I'm in the publishing process. I want to win, and I want to get my book in the hands of as many readers as I can. I'm in this for the long haul now, and I desire to keep writing and expanding my career. I also found a love for helping other authors such as yourself succeed. The best thing about the Indie Author world is everyone builds each other up. Our readers cycle through books faster than we can publish them. They usually are genre-specific readers, and they want the next book as soon as they place your novel back on the shelf. We want to keep our readers reading, so we refer them to our favorite authors and books. We are a community, and as long as there are readers, we can keep publishing our stories. We have to compete with so much already as an author. It's so easy to flip on the T.V. and have anything we want at our disposal, so we need to keep readers entertained, whether that's our books or our fellow author's books. Author Karma is real, and it goes a long way. Don't be stingy. There is enough love to go around, so share your favorites with the world. It won't take anything away from you!
Time to dive in as I promised.......
Step 1 - Create an outline or fly by the seat of your pants- your choice
Pantser: Someone who flies by the seat of their pants. Someone who doesn't plan things out but rather wings it as they go.
I'm 90% Pantsers and 10% Plotter.
When I sat down to write The Pretty Ones, I knew my story's direction and who my main characters would be. I plotted loosely. I actually wrote the ending to my book before I wrote anything else. For the rest of my novel, I flew by the seat of my yoga pants. Each time I sat down to write, I didn't know what would unfold or what new characters I would meet, or where they were going that day. I just wrote. It made things fun, and I enjoyed the excitement of it all. However, most people can't function in that kind of world. The world of the Pantser is crazy and unpredictable.
A lot of Authors crave structure and with good reason. It's much easier if you know what each point will be along the way. For all you Outliners out there, I'm going to refer you to the book Save the Cat Writes a Novel. It's one of the best books on novel writing using what's coined as a beat sheet.
Book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need: Brody, Jessica: 9780399579745: Amazon.com: Books
(This is an affiliate link and I do get paid a small percentage if you use it to purchase)
Pantser or Plotter either way the words needs to find their way to paper.
Step 2- Complete your first draft
The worst thing you can do is stop writing. Trust me; I took long breaks when I should've been more persistent. I promise it won't take me four years to write my next novel. I learned a lot since I first sat down to write, and I plan to follow my own advice with my next book.
Some authors enjoy the challenge of NaNoWriMo- National Writing Month.
Every November, authors challenge themselves to write 50,000 words. That's 1,667 words per day. You don't need a national challenge to sit down and write, but the idea is goal setting.
Some authors use a calendar and map out how many words they want to write each day until their novel is complete. If you're going to write an 80,000-word manuscript in 2 months, your goal count maybe 2,000 words per day. This goal allows for a couple of days off a week. You don't want to burn yourself out either.
Or another example, you want to write a 120,000-word novel, and you work full time, but you think you can get in 500 words a day.
120,000 divided by 500 is 160 days. Anyway, you want to figure it out is ok just as long as you have some sort of goal.
I didn't give myself word count goals when I first started, and it took me four years off and on to finish my novel. If you read my last blog post, you will know I had other factors preventing me from continuing, such as fear.
Don't let fear stand in your way either. You won't know what you're capable of until you finish your book. Fear is the great paralyzer of all big dreams. Get that booty in a chair and your hands on your keyboard. I promise it's worth all your self-doubt and fear once you complete your novel.
Writer's block is also real. If you find yourself at a true loss, take a walk. Stop working and change your scenery. For me, that's going for a hike. I can't tell you how many plot holes have been solved nestled in between some gorgeous mountains.
Step 3- Edit your first draft
Congratulations, you wrote those two little words THE END. Those two words together mean so much. Tears may have flowed down your face as you spelled them out, or you may have leaped from your chair as the D made its way to your screen. Pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to something you love! Congrats! You did it!
Now, take a step back. I recommend taking at least a week off. This break will be different for each writer, but you need to forget about your little baby (book, not actual child) for a hot second. Focus on all the things you've neglected during your write-a-thon, or take a much-needed vacation to clear your head. Essentially it would help if you forgot your book. You are too close to the story. Some of the little details in your head may not have made it to the page. Time away is a good thing for the next step.
Disclaimer: Just because you aren't reading your book doesn't mean you can't work on other author tasks at this time. All you're doing is taking a step back from the novel you just completed. Feel free to start researching other steps in this plan or watch author tube videos on youtube. You could work on your social media presence. All I'm asking is for you to step back from your WIP (work in progress)
Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your break. Now it's time for some editing advice.
I suggest a quick readthrough, checking for obvious plot holes and dull characters, and areas that need a little more guts. Your short break should have cleared your mind enough to see your areas of concern.
You may want to avoid detailed line editing at this time, as sentences may change due to your quick edit results. It's no fun to do the work twice.
After you read through and find all areas of opportunity, it's time to add them into the story. Congrats, you're now working on your second draft.
Remember, this is all just advice, and you should only use the parts that work for you. I'm learning as I go, just as you are. We are in this together.
Thanks for checking out my new blog series. Stay tuned for the breakdown of the next steps of my Indie Author Publishing Plan. Good luck with your journey and happy writing.
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