STEP ONE: BEING PROUD OF WHAT YOU WRITE
This will be the first of 6 (or so) entries that I will write about concerning the topic of publication and your role in making it happen. Before speaking about the publishing process itself, it would be a great idea to talk about what it is you are writing. So let’s start with that.
The main component of publication is making sure you have a product that you are proud of. If you have a sub-standard product, it will not matter if you self-publish or go through a traditional publisher. Nobody will feel comfortable buying your book if they get a feel that you rushed to do it. So it is crucial to take the time to think carefully what it is you want to write about and map out a plan for doing so. In my case, I took 2 complete years to write “Lemonade”, 1 years to edit, and another 6 months to re-edit. I made a decision to take my time and “get it right.”
Once you outline and plan what it is you want to write (book of essays, autobiography/memoir, book of poetry), it is important to figure out how to start and get it done. Do you write better in the morning? at night? in a quiet atmosphere? with music? Figure out the environment that suits you and stick with it. Even if you get writer’s block, that’s okay. Take a break and get back to your environment and keep at it.
After you are finished (however long it takes), it is important to get your work edited. This is one of the most crucial aspects of your project. You will be surprised at how many books get published that are replete with grammatical errors, sentence fragments, and the like. You don’t want to lose readers by having a great topic and errors upon errors. In my case, I self-edited my book. Thankfully, I was an English major, so I proofread my own. And then proofread it again after it was published. And then again. Depending on when you purchased “Lemonade”, you’ll see that there are certain errors that exist in one book that don’t exist in later printings. It was very important to correct those errors because you just never know who’s gonna read it.
Second, if you decide that you would like to put music lyrics or lyrics from a show, etc, realize that you will probably have to get permission to print that in your book. Copyright laws require you to pay a small fee to place those words in your book. In “Lemonade”, I place the lyrics from “Good Times” in my book. I had to contact the copyright headquarters in California and paid roughly $35 to put those lyrics there. If I didn’t, I could get sued for using “property” that wasn’t mine. Imagine me finally becoming a millionaire from book sales (wishful thinking!) and then owing millions more because I would have overlooked a small thing in obtaining those rights for my book.
If you can’t proofread, then you should pay for someone or professional service to edit it for you. This will not be money wasted. This website is great for giving advice for finding a great editor.
The bottom line is that you will need to spend a considerable amount of time making sure you have a written document that you feel proud of. I would rather you take longer to create a stellar book than rush and end up with a document that won’t sell, even if you have the best publisher.
So go ahead and get working! Get that next chapter written and get someone or some agency to proofread it. And then do the next one.
You can do it!
The main component of publication is making sure you have a product that you are proud of. If you have a sub-standard product, it will not matter if you self-publish or go through a traditional publisher. Nobody will feel comfortable buying your book if they get a feel that you rushed to do it. So it is crucial to take the time to think carefully what it is you want to write about and map out a plan for doing so. In my case, I took 2 complete years to write “Lemonade”, 1 years to edit, and another 6 months to re-edit. I made a decision to take my time and “get it right.”
Once you outline and plan what it is you want to write (book of essays, autobiography/memoir, book of poetry), it is important to figure out how to start and get it done. Do you write better in the morning? at night? in a quiet atmosphere? with music? Figure out the environment that suits you and stick with it. Even if you get writer’s block, that’s okay. Take a break and get back to your environment and keep at it.
After you are finished (however long it takes), it is important to get your work edited. This is one of the most crucial aspects of your project. You will be surprised at how many books get published that are replete with grammatical errors, sentence fragments, and the like. You don’t want to lose readers by having a great topic and errors upon errors. In my case, I self-edited my book. Thankfully, I was an English major, so I proofread my own. And then proofread it again after it was published. And then again. Depending on when you purchased “Lemonade”, you’ll see that there are certain errors that exist in one book that don’t exist in later printings. It was very important to correct those errors because you just never know who’s gonna read it.
Second, if you decide that you would like to put music lyrics or lyrics from a show, etc, realize that you will probably have to get permission to print that in your book. Copyright laws require you to pay a small fee to place those words in your book. In “Lemonade”, I place the lyrics from “Good Times” in my book. I had to contact the copyright headquarters in California and paid roughly $35 to put those lyrics there. If I didn’t, I could get sued for using “property” that wasn’t mine. Imagine me finally becoming a millionaire from book sales (wishful thinking!) and then owing millions more because I would have overlooked a small thing in obtaining those rights for my book.
If you can’t proofread, then you should pay for someone or professional service to edit it for you. This will not be money wasted. This website is great for giving advice for finding a great editor.
The bottom line is that you will need to spend a considerable amount of time making sure you have a written document that you feel proud of. I would rather you take longer to create a stellar book than rush and end up with a document that won’t sell, even if you have the best publisher.
So go ahead and get working! Get that next chapter written and get someone or some agency to proofread it. And then do the next one.
You can do it!
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