If this is your first time writing and publishing a book, and you don’t know where to and how to start, then you are here at the right place. Once you know the different stages, you will take a systematic approach when writing and working on the book project instead of doing one thing or another and not getting anywhere.
Start with A Plan in Mind
The very first stage of writing a book is the pre-planning stage. At this stage, you are going to outline your novel. This is also the stage where you will build your world and create your characters. You are also going to select the POV at this stage and basically create a theme for your book.
You will get the feel of your book during this initial stage and understand what your book is going to feel and look like. All of these aspects are a part of your world-building, but you should remember that you need to have a thorough understanding of your novel before you jot down the first page.
What Goes into World-Building?
There is a lot that goes into world-building, and the success of your novel depends on it, especially if you are writing a fantasy novel. Of course, you had some sort of idea in your mind when you decided to write a novel. When you are world-building, you are essentially polishing that initial idea and bringing it to life with details.
You can start by asking questions about the world, such as the following:
- What is the geography and environment of the world?
- What are daily life and customs of the world?
- What sort of technology and magic exists?
- What is the Government like in the world?
By answering all sorts of questions, you can polish your world-building. However, keep in mind that world-building isn’t the story of your novel, which is why you cannot let the world take over the story. The world is only the backdrop that you use to craft an amazing story that your readers will love to read.
What Goes into the Outline?
During the pre-planning stage, we also recommend creating a detailed outline of your book. What this will do for you is that it will make it easier for you to complete one chapter after the other when you are working on your first draft.
In your outline, you essentially write down the details for each chapter and what you plan to reveal in those chapters. You also establish the POV in your outline and write down important notes that you cannot forget to include when working on the chapters.
Start Writing Your Book
Once you have all of the basics of your book or story, you can actually formally start the writing process. Establish a dedicated workstation where you will write. Yes – you do need a dedicated workstation so that you feel motivated to do the job.
Your workstation can be a dedicated chair and desk in your room or a spot in your living room. At this stage of writing your book, you are really into the writing game, and you are dedicating hours of the day to writing and working on your draft.
Important Note:
It is important to mention here that once you officially start to work on the writing stage of your book, you might feel the need to go back to your outline or world-building and edit the plot or characters there. The reason is that your characters and plot will develop as you write different chapters.
Self-Editing Comes Next
Once you have completed your first draft of the book, it is absolutely mandatory to take a break so that you can sort of detach from your writing. You need this detachment period so that you can become unfamiliar with the familiar as you have been working on your draft for months, even years.
After the break, you will pick up the draft and go through the entire manuscript, making sure that everything is alright.
Get A Second Opinion
Getting a second opinion is incredibly important as other people will look at your manuscript differently than you, which means that you are more likely to ignore mistakes. So, once you have made your best attempt at self-editing, reach out to your critic partner or your beta reader to get valuable feedback before sending your draft to a professional editor.
It doesn’t matter whether you are self-publishing or opting for the traditional route of publication; hiring a professional editor is mandatory as it will ensure that your readers will really like your book.
Hire An Editor to Polish Your Book
If this is your first time publishing a book, you might be wondering why you need an editor after you have spent many weeks, even months, self-editing your manuscript.
The thing about an editor is that they will go through your manuscript and ensure that your book delivers on the promise. The editor will help you understand what it feels like to read the book and what you need to change to create the desired effect with your book.
Choose one of the top book editors to get the much-needed help before publishing your book. The editor might also help with briefing the cover designers on the cover for your book.
Market Your Book
The final stage of writing your book and ensuring that it reaches your ideal readers is marketing. Ideally, you should start marketing your book as early as possible, during the pre-planning stage as well as the writing and editing stage. You shouldn’t wait until you have completed writing your novel.
Effective marketing starts with building an author platform. Another thing that you should be doing is networking, including collaboration and interviews. Also, you need to think about your street team, which are the people who will be promoting your novel.
When it comes to effectively marketing your book, you can also think about doing a book tour – it can be virtual or in-person. You can also do book signings. Make sure to include all events on your author’s website so that your ideal readers know what you are up to and where to find you.
