How to Write and Publish a Book - a Step-By-Step Guide
HelloOoOo everybody!
Today's topic is dedicated to two of my patrons from Patreon, Jerry and Danielle. Both Jerry and Danielle wanted to hear the step-by-step breakdown of my overall writing process. You guys already know how I write and how I edit, but it's another thing entirely to know when to begin each of these steps. I'm listing my entire process from conception to completion. We're starting with the idea phase and ending with the book release.
A few disclaimers: I am not going to explain the intricacies of each and every step. I've already made videos on nearly every step I'm about to cover. So if you want to learn more about them, visit my YouTube channel.
Also, please keep in mind that this list is designed for self-published authors, so things like querying will not be on the list.
Lastly, there is one conspicuous step that will not be on this list, and that is creating and managing your author platform. I'm not listing this because it's something you should actively be doing throughout the entire writing process. The sooner you begin growing your platform and making yourself visible as a writer, the better. And if you want to learn more on that topic, you can always check out my marketing class on Skillshare.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!
Number 1: Get an Idea
This is the easiest part of the writing process. You get an idea, it's awesome, and you think to yourself, “This should totally be a book. I know, I’ll write it! Because I hate myself.”
Number 2: Thought Dumping
Most people actually call this brainstorming, but I'm not like other girls. This is where you expand upon your initial idea by creating characters, plot points, backstories, etc. Keep in mind it's definitely recommended to nail down the basic concept of your plot first, then build the characters and world around it. It's much easier to build a cast and setting around a story than a story around a cast and setting. Think of the plot of your novel as a tree, and the characters, descriptions, locations, and so on as the Christmas ornaments. The ornaments improve upon a Christmas tree, but it's not a Christmas tree without the tree. You kind of need the tree first, or else you're just going to have a pile of broken glass and glitter on the floor.
Number 3: The Outline
This is where you take your jumbled mess of ideas and sort it into a logical order. Everyone has their own personal preference for how they outline, and you don't need to hear about my process because you've already watched my outlining video, right? Right?
Number 4: Writing
You're putting your fingers on the keyboard and making words appear. Most people like to write their first draft straight through without any revising. I personally prefer to edit as I go. This is not something that I recommend to a lot of writers, but it works for me.
Number 5: Critique Partners
A critique partner is a fellow writer who reads your work with the intention of critiquing it, hence the name. You can enlist a critique partner at any time. They can read your first draft; they could read your tenth draft—whatever. You can basically bother your critique partner whenever you want, or whenever they're willing to tolerate you. Once you're finished writing a completed version of your manuscript, you move on to the next step.
Number 6: Self-Editing
Some people call this drafting or revising; some people believe you write, then draft, then revise, then edit. I personally don't give a fuck about labels. If I'm improving my manuscript, I'm editing it. Simple, effective.
Self-editing requires a ton of read-throughs. Depending on the quality of your outline and your first draft, there will be some hefty rewrites, so be prepared to rip shit apart. This step alone often takes as long as or longer than writing the first draft. You're forewarned.
During the self-edit, you've also got other steps to tackle.
Number 7: Beta Readers
Beta readers are just regular people you enlist to read your book and give you feedback regarding what they enjoyed and what they didn't enjoy about your story. There's no firmly established time for when you must enlist beta readers, but my advice is to enlist them once you're happy and confident with the quality and progression of your storyline. Typically, this occurs at some point during the self-edit and, even better, when your betas offer complaints and criticism, you can fix them because you're already editing.
Pro Tip: If you wait to recruit betas until after the professional edit, you've done fucked up.
Number 8: Soft Promo
Throughout this entire writing process, you've been steadily building your author, platform, and audience, right? With that considered, the self-edit is usually a pretty good time to start talking about your book publicly. I'm not talking about hardcore marketing. You don't need to post teasers or create artwork. You're just letting your audience know, “Hey, I'm working on a book. It's coming along great.”
This is also a good time to take your platform up a notch in terms of professionalism. You should already have a blog and social media presence at this point. But now you can also look into building a legitimate author website.
Number 9: The Professional Edit
Once you’ve finished your self-edits and beta process, it’s time to move on to the professional edit. Pay someone to rip your work to shreds. Then cry and cry. Please note, all novels require more than one round of edits. And many require more than one editor. This, like many of the other steps, is not a short one. You're going to have a lot of downtime between editing cycles, and you can use this time to amp up your promotion and generate more buzz about your book.
Number 10: Copyright
Once the professional edit is complete, you submit your novel for an official copyright. That's it.
Number 11: Cover Art and Formatting
Sometimes people get the cover art done before the writing is complete, and that's stupid. Cover artists need dimensions; they need to know the width of the book's spine and the page count. Can't get that information if the book isn't done. Likewise, formatting tends to go hand in hand with the cover.
Number 12: Prepare Your Book for Publication
Believe it or not, this isn't the last step. So many steps. While your cover art and formatting are in the works, you should be setting up an account on whatever publishing platform you've chosen, assuming you're going with the self-publishing route. This will allow you to print sample copies of your book, set its genre specifications, enable distribution, and, of course, set its release date. Remember, we're just getting the book ready for publication. We're not officially launching it into the world.
Number 13: Hard Promo
Realistically, this should begin while you're getting your cover art done or sooner. Now it's time to promote the crap out of your novel. Share teasers, talk about your characters, create shareable online content, volunteer for interviews and speaking engagements. Hype that shit up!
Lots of authors create buzz around the cover reveal, the release date announcement, the presale, the ARC reviews, the list goes on. These are all things that can help generate awareness about your book, which brings us to the next step.
Number 14: ARC Reviews and Presale
I’m listing these together because they typically occur at the same time. And also because there are too many damn steps, and I am tired. In order to spread the word about a book release, authors will send out Advanced Reader Copies, also known as ARCs, to readers of influence. In return, these readers will post an honest review of the book online. While these reviews are pouring in, it's also common for authors to make their book available for presale. That way readers can essentially call dibs on a copy. Which finally brings us to my last step…
Number 15: The Release
Your book is out! You’re done! And you'll probably lose your shit, because releases are super stressful. But hey, you did it; you achieved what so many people fail to do, and you lived to tell the tale.
So that's all I've got for you today!
That is my writing process from start to finish. A huge thank you to Jerry and Danielle for requesting this topic; you guys are amazing. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to tons of other rewards, check me out on Patreon. I got the link listed right here.
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