In our last post on Self-Publishing, we discussed steps 1-5 of ways to help you complete your book. Here are steps 6-10.

 

• 6. Target a date for the completion of your book. Some day never comes, but barring a major world-changing event, September of 2012 will arrive. Your book might not be finished by then, but will it show a year’s worth of growth? If you are diligent in spending time daily in your chair (writing), you will eventually complete your book.
• 7. Start putting aside money to promote your book. Most people would like to find someone with deep pockets to sponsor their creative ventures. However, that seldom happens. But that doesn’t stop people who plan for success and invest in themselves from achieving what others will not. When you put money aside to promote your work, you’re telling yourself, “I believe in myself.” It may cost more in the short term to finance your book, but you will have the comfort of knowing that there are no strings attached to your project. Free is good, but freedom is better.
• 8. Talk to an editor. I don’t know if I would have included this on this list if I had not worked closely with an editor for many years. A good editor can find ways to improve even a great writer. After you have written and rewritten your book, taken the advise of family and friends, go to a professional editor in you intend to present your book on the world stage. It could save you from more than embarrassing typos, but help clarify your brilliant ideas so that people are asking when your next book will be written. However, there’s another way. If you have been successful in developing reliable contacts through social media, you could crowd-source the editing. I’ve heard of writers doing that, but I do not have any personal experience, but I’d like to hear from you if you have.
• 9. Talk to an artist. One might think that an artist is needed just to design a book cover. That’s only partly true. As reading technologies develop, authors are beginning to produce enhanced books that includes interactivity. Julien Simon, CEO and founder of Walrus Books stated in an O’Reilly interview, “When working on a book project, not only will a publisher and a writer sit at the… table, they’ll be joined by a sound designer, script writer, a director, etc.” Simon didn’t elaborate on who would be included in the etc., but it would certainly be the visual artist.
• 10. Read! Good writers read good writers. The inspiration garnered from reading other writers can far exceed the information presented. Also remember; no amount of motion graphics, audio and other bells and whistles can replace a well-written story. So focus first on words that tell an imaginative story, then enhance with a little tech if it fits.