YOUR Publishing Path to Progress

Your Publishing Path to Progress

If only it were as simple as sitting down and writing - a book - or poem … what are we if we don’t have readers?

To ensure this success, we need to have clearly defined steps as we begin to write:

1.  Discover your message on two levels. 

1. Be able to articulate where you want to be in 5 or 10 years and begin to find steps to that end. Share your vision with other writers and delve more deeply into the writer you want to be. Find a creative community you feel at home in, be it a critique group, a class cohort, or a mentor.

2. You may write fiction or non-fiction, but you must have a goal in mind. Once the piece has gelled and you begin to write, think about what the ultimate message your readers should get while reading.

  2.) Find your voice!

            If you are a reader (and you should be as a writer!), you will notice that when you pick up your favorite author's latest novel, you can instantly identify the “voice,” the words used, sentence construction, and more. If you’ve read enough of this author, you can probably identify them without reading the book's spine.

Honestly, your voice will come naturally to you. Unfortunately, many authors go into a critique group, and inexperienced groups rewrite for the author—and their special voice is completely erased!

Yes, use critique groups - but understand that the ultimate master of your manuscript is you! Don’t ever make changes during a meeting. Always write down the advice and afterwards,  sit and think if the change would actually help or hinder your message and consider if it changes the tone or voice  of your manuscript.

3.) Collaborate with others.

      If you are writing non-fiction, find fellow enthusiasts on podcasts, in print, and on socials, and begin to see if you can’t write a guest post on a blog, appear on their podcast as an expert or as a guest instructor in your field of expertise.

      The same goes if you are a fiction writer. I write kid-lit and have a background as a teacher, so I look at doing writing instruction in schools and presenting my work to local PTAs to help parents. This is a great help when you present your “writing resume” to a future agent or establish yourself as an expert when you self-publish.

4.) Write your book!

      This is obvious, I would suppose! If you do all the things to position yourself in the market and to receive the best support and mentorship but never write your book, it is all for naught!

      It is also a multi-tiered process in itself. Some writers get stuck in the beginning, some in the messy middle, and some near the climax or conclusion. This is where book coaches, critique groups, and beta readers come in. Make use of them all!

     The  most  important thing is this:

       Write the first draft and make it ugly! Do not go back and edit as you write this first draft, especially small things like spelling errors or sentence construction. The correction of these things will take place at the editing level, perhaps 3 or 4 drafts in. WHY edit words and sentences when they may not be included in the final draft after editing?

Trust the Process and Yourself. No one can write this book the way you can. Your words count.

5. Learn all you can about publishing and launching your book.

     There are many resources out there. Some are bad, some are good. I will try to provide some of the better ones through my very biased newsletter! I believe I’ve read many of these newsletters, taken the courses and have interacted with a thousand authors over the past 40 years.

     Even though I present some of MY favorites, I am mindful that there is not a single way to write and publish a book. What resonates with me, may not resonate with you. If you have a resource I’ve not presented, I am interested in investigating!