by Kathleen Boucher
This article is a quick synopsis of what it takes to write a book, get it published and market it. These steps are not all-encompassing but provide food for thought. It starts with a great idea. You write an outline and pour your heart and soul into the first draft of the book.
Lesson 1: The first draft is not the final draft. It took 15 rewrites before my book Healing Canadian Healthcare: Ideas to Improve Nursing Enrolment & Retention was published. Develop the mindset that you’ll have numerous rewrites before you decide you’re happy with the manuscript. Be aware that you’ll never be 100% satisfied. Otherwise, authors would never publish books.
Lesson 2: Hire an editor in the early stages of your book if you feel stuck. There is developmental editing, structural and line editing for example. Realize that you’re completely vested in your writing and may be resistant to advice. Take a step back and ponder what they’re telling you, especially if your first reaction is that you don’t want to. Get the manuscript professionally proofread and formatted. People tend to stop reading if it has spelling mistakes.
Lesson 3: Readers pick up a book based on the cover and blurb on the back. Make sure the cover says without words what the book is about. The cover has to grab the attention of your target audience before they even read the title. Please don’t skimp on it.
Lesson 4: Market your book with a professional. They’ll help you decide on the best format for publishing your book and which platforms to use for maximum visibility and the best use of social media. Change your mentality from thinking that you’ve given them money, so they should do all the work to make your book successful. It doesn’t work that way. Even traditional publishers expect you to have a marketing plan. Surprised? I went through Bark.com to find a marketing agency in Canada. The marketing agency I work with is Inkwellium.com. My marketing agent is Matthew Davis.
Lesson 5: You require third-party validation through reviews. It isn’t enough for you to tell the world you have a fabulous book. You want other people to say to future readers that your book is terrific. Each time someone buys your book, ask them to write a review. You can also purchase editorial reviews. A purchased review does not guarantee a favourable one. Do research on who reviews your genre of book.
Lesson 6: Enter awards. (if you have any money left!)
Pat yourself on the back because you accomplished more than most people.
Going one step further, you know when your book has taken off when a blog post is written, unprompted.
https://bookviralreviews.com/author-blogs/social-issues-books-that-inspire-action
