How to Write a Book that sells – Tips and Advice from an experienced writer
You’ve spent months crafting your book, proofreading it, and editing it until it’s perfect. Now, all you have to do is write the damn thing. Even though the process of self-publishing a book can be daunting at times, once you figure out your goals for writing and marketing it, the process becomes much easier. You no longer have to deal with literary agents haggling over contracts and royalties; you just need to focus on creating a quality product that satiates your target market (and maybe even makes some cash in the process). If you are ready to take the plunge and write that book that will make or break you as an author, check out these tips for how to write a successful manuscript.
Research is key
Before you write a word, you’ll need to do some research to make sure your product is marketable. This might mean combing through academic papers, books, and articles to see what trends are HOT and what types of topics readers are searching for. If you have no idea where to start, check out this brilliant article on how to research a book topic.
Create a great outline
Once you’ve identified your topic and searched for the right information to write about, you’ll need to create an outline for your book. This outline will help you organize your thoughts and make sure you don’t miss any important points. You can use a whiteboard or a laptop to record your outline and then turn that outline into a physical document by using a word processing program. Like with any other project, break it down into smaller goals so you don’t get overwhelmed and lose focus.
Use a Editing process
Once you’ve created the outline for your book, it’s time to put some actual effort into the actual writing. Start by reading your outline through a time-consuming editing process. This will help you tremendously by removing anything that is wrong, irrelevant, or simply doesn’t belong in the book. Now that your book is done, it’s time to take it to a professional editor (or three!). Depending on the complexity of your book, you might have to shop it around to different publishers before finding the one that will take it. (Note: A good rule of thumb is to send your book to the same number of editors that have worked on similar books. This will ensure that you aren’t striking out in a different direction.)
Write-ups and a eBook are your healing options
Once you’ve finished your book, you’ll need a promotional tool to help you spread the word about your work. Fortunately, you can use a lot of the same tools you used to create your book to help you market it as well. You can create a write-up about your book for online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as for local book clubs and libraries. You can also create an ebook for download on your own website, or you can publish it as a free download on your blog or a series of social media posts. Blogging, social media, and self-publishing are all excellent ways to promote your book.
Be careful what you wish for “The market is going to love you”
In order to make a successful book, you’ll need to be careful what you wish for. Writing a great book doesn’t mean that you want it to be a blockbuster success. At the end of the day, your goal is to create a book that your target market will enjoy, and a successful book will do that by selling at least enough to cover the costs of publishing it. After all, there’s no telling how long it will take you to earn back the money that you spent on the book.
Conclusion
Writing a book is an impressive feat, and it’s one that holds a lot of appeal for authors who are ready to take the plunge and try their hand at self-publishing. The process of creating a book can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating! Follow these tips for how to write a successful book and you’ll be well on your way to publishing a best-selling novel in no time at all.
