Published: May 23, 2019
I spend a good part of my day talking to authors about publishing. Some are early in the writing stage, trying to get a sense of the process. Some are in the midst of revisions, and a few have a polished manuscript ready to go. But no matter where you are in the stage of writing, there are some common questions to ask yourself if you are considering self-publishing.
- Is your manuscript your first draft? If so, it probably needs some more work.
- Has your manuscript been reviewed by someone outside your circle of friends and family? You need to get feedback from people who you don’t have Thanksgiving dinner with. Writers’ groups, classes, and beta readers are all a possibility.
- What degree of editing do you need? There are different types of editing: developmental, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading.
- Have you thought about your goals for publishing? Some authors want to publish for family and friends only, some You need to figure out your goal, and plan accordingly.
- If your goal is to sell a ton of books, do you have a marketing plan?
- Are you familiar with publishing options?
This isn’t a comprehensive list, just some questions to mull over, and some links for more details. If you need help sorting out the answers, or want to talk about publishing your book, sign up for a free consultation, and we’ll talk you through it.