If this is your first novel, it's your baby. Like any mother, you have treated it with love and care and have high aspirations for it. However, you have watched your baby grow to maturity, so now you should be asking yourself one important question. Are you ready to publish your first novel?
I've read that it took some authors submitting three and four novels to a publisher before they got their first published book, while others got published on their first try. It is what it is, you just don't know. Writing your first publishable novel will simply take the time it takes.
But hey, we're Indie authors. We don't have to wait for any word Nazi traditional publisher to tell us that are novels are ready to be published. We ask that hard question ourselves.
But how can you know for sure that your novel is ready to be self- published? What can a new Indie author do to see if their work is ready? First, once you decide to publish your book. Take a day or two to let that euphoric feeling subside. It's just that kind of high, which can cloud one's judgment. Second, you need to evaluate your novel in an orderly, organic detached way.
This pre-publishing checklist should help with some of the heavy lifting.
You’ll need a group of people that can look at your work objectively and tell you the truth. Then ask yourself, is this manuscript ready for publication according to that critique group or beta readers, depending on which you use.
The manual aspects of releasing a book can become overwhelming specifically formatting, proofreading, cover creation, uploading to the bookstore vendors and the print-on-demand company are all the things an Indie authors are required to understand and perform. Seek help when you need it, through friends , who have gone through this before and other available resources.
Marketing, is where you have to put in the time, punching the clock, sort of speak. Be prepared to put aside the time from work, family, and friends, to getting the word out about my book. Start a blog, do blog tours, Facebook, Twitter… etc.. There are a number of ways to get the word out about your novel.
You put your life blood into writing this book; now are you willing to support its success by giving your life to the cause? Like a child, a book can’t do anything its self. It takes long-term comment to the cause to make a book successful. No matter how good the book might be, it isn’t going to be an overnight success. Fairy tales do happen, but are you sure it will happen for you?
So, if you can say yes to those questions, then you are ready to publish your first novel.
Good luck!
Copyright © 2013 Glynis Rankin
