9 Tips for Sharing Your Post-NaNo Novel With the World

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Pronoun, a NaNoWriMo 2016 sponsor, is a publishing platform for authors who want control over their creativity, rights, and earnings.

This year, they’re offering all Wrimos an exclusive e-book interior design–just sign up or log in with a Pronoun account to access. Today, they’ve shared some of their wisdom on what to do when you’ve finished your book:

Congratulations! You’ve typed “The End” on your NaNoWriMo project.

What’s next for you and your freshly-written novel? I’m an author (as well as Pronoun’s Author Community Manager), so I know how hard writing and the prospect of publishing can be. We at Pronoun have put together some key things to consider when embarking on your journey to literary acclaim:

1. If you do decide to publish, don’t publish right away.

Every masterpiece needs editing. Just because you’ve typed “The End” doesn’t mean you’re actually finished. Yes, you’ve put down the words, but your book isn’t ready for readers yet. (Trust me, I know.)

2. Edit carefully, or hire an editor who can help you shape and polish your book.

If you make the decision to publish, do your best to make sure your book—no matter how you publish—is as strong as any of the books in your genre. Ideally, you’ll hire a copy editor to ensure your book is properly punctuated and grammared. There are many different types of editors and plenty of places (including Pronoun’s own community site, The Verbs) to figure out what type of editor you might need.

3. Get a cover designed or design it yourself.

You’ve worked hard on the words, and you want a cover that reflects your hard work. Whether you work with a designer or create your own, make sure your cover is comparable in quality to any other book a reader might click into their digital cart. (Pro Tip: Study the similarities of bestselling books in the same genre to get some ideas for popular techniques.)

4. Decide how to publish.

Publishing on your own (also known as self-publishing) is a great way to be in the driver’s seat, and Pronoun can be your copilot. With the easiest-to-use and most professional tools on the block, Pronoun has made it easy to get your book noticed by people who want to read a book just like yours. Plus, it’s free.

5. Format your book.

Your book’s readability is important—the pages should be worthy of the words they contain. You can spend money to have your book formatted by a professional, or you can create the files on your own. (Pro Tip: If you publish through Pronoun, all you need to do is select one of the seven gorgeous e-book layouts.)

6. Get your book out there.

Selling your book on the major online retailers is the best way to find the most readers. The challenge, however, is that each retailer has their own method for uploading, formatting, and pricing your book. Worry not. It’s possible to upload once and let someone else handle the particular specifications. Pronoun, for example, ensures your book is available across Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Google, and Kobo, which make up 98%+ of the e-book market.

7. Choose your price.

How can you make the most money while also reaching the most readers? Just like there are trends in genres and book covers, there are trends in pricing. Too low a price and people devalue your book; too high and they won’t buy it. (Pro Tip: Pronoun shows you comparison prices for other books in your genre, which takes the guesswork out of pricing).

8. Send Advance Reading Copies to potential reviewers.

Having reviews lined up for when your book goes on sale is a good way to maximize your discoverability. The way to do that is to send out advance reading copies, or ARCs, to bloggers and other reputable book reviewers. Pronoun has a one-click process to send ARCs out.

9. Get paid.

If you go it alone, you can set up accounts with each vendor who sells your book. If you use a distribution service, note that most take a percentage of your earnings on top of the retailer’s cut. Pronoun is free, and after retailers take their cut, the rest is yours.

Megan Frampton is the Author Community Manager at Pronoun, a Macmillan company, and the author of nine historical romance novels. Her 2015 release, Put Up Your Duke, part of the Dukes Behaving Badly series, was selected by Amazon as one of 2015’s Best Romances. Her next series, the Duke’s Daughters, launches in July 2017. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and son.