2.

Properly format your cubicles, no partitions, conversations

manuscript. hollered over the din, most of my
How to Write a Book From Start to
3. Set up and grow your author colleagues smoking, teletype machines
Finish
platform. clattering.

Part 1: Before You Begin Writing Your Cut your writing teeth in an
Book environment like that, and anywhere
Part One: Before You Begin Writing
Your Book else seems glorious.
1. Establish your writing space.
2. Assemble your writing tools.
Step 2. Assemble your writing tools.
You’ll never regret—in fact, you’ll thank
yourself later—for investing the time
In the newspaper business, there was
necessary to prepare for such a
Part 2: How to Start Writing a Book no time to hand write our stuff and
monumental task.
then type it for the layout guys. So I
1. Break the project into small have always written at a keyboard and
pieces. You wouldn’t set out to cut down a
still write my books that way.
2. Settle on your BIG idea. huge grove of trees with just an axe.
3. Construct your outline. You’d need a chain saw, perhaps more
Most authors do, though some hand
4. Set a firm writing schedule. than one. Something to keep them
write their first drafts and then
5. Establish a sacred deadline. sharp. Enough fuel to keep them
keyboard them onto a computer or pay
6. Embrace procrastination running.
someone to do that.
(really!).
7. Eliminate distractions. You get the picture. Don’t shortcut this
No publisher I know would even
8. Conduct your research. foundational part of the process.
consider a typewritten manuscript, let
9. Start calling yourself a writer.
alone one submitted in handwriting.
Step 1. Establish your writing space.

The publishing industry runs on

Part 3: The Book-Writing Itself To write your book, you don’t need a
Microsoft Word, so you’ll need to
sanctuary. In fact, I started my career
submit Word document files. Whether
1. Think reader-first. on my couch facing a typewriter
you prefer a Mac or a PC, both will
2. Find your writing voice. perched on a plank of wood suspended
produce the kinds of files you need.
3. Write a compelling opener. by two kitchen chairs.
4. Fill your story with conflict and
And if you’re looking for a
tension. What were you saying about your setup
musclebound electronic organizing
5. Turn off your internal editor again? We do what we have to do.
system, you can’t do better than
while writing the first draft.
Scrivener. It works well on both PCs
6. Persevere through The And those early days on that sagging
and Macs, and it nicely interacts with
Marathon of the Middle. couch were among the most productive
Word files.
7. Write a resounding ending. of my career.

Just remember, Scrivener has a steep

Naturally, the nicer and more
learning curve, so familiarize yourself
Part 4: Editing Your Book comfortable and private you can make
with it before you start writing.
your writing lair (I call mine my cave),
1. Become a ferocious self-editor. the better.
Scrivener users know that taking the
2. Find a mentor.
time to learn the basics is well worth it.
Real writers can write anywhere.

Tons of other book writing tools exist to

Part 5: Publishing Your Book Some authors write their books in
help you. I’ve included some of the
restaurants and coffee shops. My first
most well known in my blog post on
1. Decide on your publishing full time job was at a newspaper where
book writing software and my writing
avenue. 40 of us clacked away on manual
tools page for your reference.
typewriters in one big room—no
So, what else do you need? straight-backed kitchen chair or week you may have barely accumulated
something similar and be proactive double digits, a few months down the
If you are one who handwrites your about my posture and maintaining a road you’ll be into your second
first drafts, don’t scrimp on paper, healthy spine. hundred pages.
pencils, or erasers.
There’s nothing worse than trying to be So keep it simple.
Don’t shortchange yourself on a creative and immerse yourself in
computer either. Even if someone else writing while you’re in agony. The chair Start by distilling your big book idea
is keyboarding for you, you’ll need a I work in today cost more than my first from a page or so to a single
computer for research and for car! sentence—your premise. The more
communicating with potential agents, specific that one-sentence premise, the
editors, publishers. If you’ve never used some of the items I more it will keep you focused while
listed above and can’t imagine needing you’re writing.
Get the best computer you can afford, them, fine. But make a list of
the latest, the one with the most everything you know you’ll need so But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
capacity and speed. when the actual writing begins, you’re Before you can turn your big idea into
already equipped. one sentence, which can then be
Try to imagine everything you’re going expanded to an outline, you have to
to need in addition to your desk or As you grow as a writer and actually settle on exactly what that big idea is.
table, so you can equip yourself in start making money at it, you can keep
advance and don’t have to keep upgrading your writing space. Step 2. Settle on your BIG idea.
interrupting your work to find things
like: Where I work now is light years from To be book-worthy, your idea has to be
where I started. But the point is, I killer.
● Staplers didn’t wait to start writing until I could
● Paper clips have a great spot in which to do it. You need to write something about
● Rulers which you’re passionate, something
● Pencil holders Part Two: How to Start Writing a Book that gets you up in the morning, draws
● Pencil sharpeners you to the keyboard, and keeps you
● Note pads there. It should excite not only you, but
● Printing paper Step 1. Break your book into small also anyone you tell about it.
● Paperweight pieces.
● Tape dispensers I can’t overstate the importance of this.
● Cork or bulletin boards Writing a book feels like a colossal
● Clocks project, because it is! But your
If you’ve tried and failed to finish your
● Bookends manuscript will be made up of many
book before—maybe more than
● Reference works small parts.
once—it could be that the basic premise
● Space heaters was flawed. Maybe it was worth a blog
● Fans An old adage says that the way to eat an
post or an article but couldn’t carry an
● Lamps elephant is one bite at a time.
entire book.
● Beverage mugs
● Napkins Try to get your mind off your book as a
Think The Hunger Games, Harry
● Tissues 400-or-so-page monstrosity.
Potter, or How to Win Friends and
● You name it Influence People. The market is
● Last, but most crucial, get the It can’t be written all at once any more crowded, the competition fierce.
best, most ergonomic chair you than that proverbial elephant could be There’s no more room for
can afford. eaten in a single sitting. run-of-the-mill ideas. Your premise
alone should make readers salivate.
See your book for what it is: a
If I were to start my career again with manuscript made up of sentences, Go for the big concept book.
that typewriter on a plank, I would not paragraphs, pages. Those pages will
sit on that couch. I’d grab another begin to add up, and though after a
How do you know you’ve got a winner? know where you’re going, and they
Does it have legs? In other words, does want to know that you know. What do
it stay in your mind, growing and you want your reader to learn from
developing every time you think of it? your book, and how will you ensure
they learn it?
Run it past loved ones and others you
trust. Fiction or nonfiction, if you commonly
lose interest in your book somewhere
Does it raise eyebrows? Elicit Wows? in what I call the Marathon of the
Or does it result in awkward silences? Middle, you likely didn’t start with While a nonfiction book may not have
enough exciting ideas. as much action or dialogue or character
The right concept simply works, and development as a novel, you can inject
you’ll know it when you land on it. That’s why and outline (or a basic tension by showing where people have
Most importantly, your idea must framework) is essential. Don’t even failed before and how your reader can
capture you in such a way that you’re start writing until you’re confident your succeed.
compelled to write it. Otherwise you’ll structure will hold up through the end.
lose interest halfway through and never You can even make the how-to project
finish. You may recognize this novel structure look impossible until you pay off that
illustration. setup with your unique solution.
Step 3. Construct your outline.
Did you know it holds up—with only Keep your outline to a single page for
Writing your book without a clear slight adaptations—for nonfiction now. But make sure every major point
vision of where you’re going usually books too? It’s self-explanatory for is represented, so you’ll always know
ends in disaster. novelists; they list their plot twists and where you’re going.
developments and arrange them in an
Even if you’re writing a fiction book order that best serves to increase And don’t worry if you’ve forgotten the
and consider yourself a Pantser* as tension. basics of classic outlining or have never
opposed to an Outliner, you need at felt comfortable with the concept.
least a basic structure. What separates great nonfiction from
mediocre? The same structure! Your outline must serve you. If that
[*Those of us who write by the seat of means Roman numerals and capital
our pants and, as Stephen King advises, Arrange your points and evidence in and lowercase letters and then Arabic
put interesting characters in difficult the same way so you’re setting your numerals, you can certainly fashion it
situations and write to find out what reader up for a huge payoff, and then that way. But if you just want a list of
happens] make sure you deliver. sentences that synopsize your idea,
that’s fine too.
You don’t have to call it an outline if If your nonfiction book is a memoir, an
that offends your sensibilities. But autobiography, or a biography, Simply start with your working title,
fashion some sort of a directional structure it like a novel and you can’t go then your premise, then—for fiction,
document that provides structure for wrong. list all the major scenes that fit into the
your book and also serves as a safety rough structure above.
net. But even if it’s a straightforward how-to
book, stay as close to this structure as For nonfiction, try to come up with
If you get out on that Pantser highwire possible, and you’ll see your chapter titles and a sentence or two of
and lose your balance, you’ll thank me manuscript come alive. what each chapter will cover.
for advising you to have this in place.
Make promises early, triggering your Once you have your one-page outline,
Now if you’re writing a nonfiction book, reader to anticipate fresh ideas, secrets, remember it is a fluid document meant
there’s no substitute for an outline. inside information, something major to serve you and your book. Expand it,
that will make him thrilled with the change it, play with it as you see
Potential agents or publishers require finished product. fit—even during the writing process.
this in your proposal. They want to
Step 4. Set a firm writing schedule. ● A movie? Now is the time to adjust these
● A concert? numbers, while setting your deadline
Ideally, you want to schedule at least ● A party? and determining your pages per
six hours per week to write your book. session.

That may consist of three sessions of Successful writers make time to write. Maybe you’d rather schedule four off
two hours each, two sessions of three weeks over the next year. Or you know
hours, or six one-hour When writing becomes a habit, you’ll your book will be unusually long.
sessions—whatever works for you. be on your way.
Change the numbers to make it realistic
I recommend a regular pattern (same Step 5. Establish a sacred deadline. and doable, and then lock it in.
times, same days) that can most easily Remember, your deadline is sacred.
become a habit. But if that’s Without deadlines, I rarely get
impossible, just make sure you carve anything done. I need that motivation. Step 6. Embrace procrastination
out at least six hours so you can see real (really!).
progress. Admittedly, my deadlines are now
established in my contracts from You read that right. Don’t fight it;
Having trouble finding the time to publishers. embrace it.
write a book? News flash—you won’t
find the time. You have to make it. If you’re writing your first book, you You wouldn’t guess it from my 195+
probably don’t have a contract yet. To published books, but I’m the king of
I used the phrase carve out above for a ensure you finish your book, set your procrastinators.
reason. That’s what it takes. own deadline—then consider it sacred.
Surprised?
Something in your calendar will likely Tell your spouse or loved one or trusted
have to be sacrificed in the interest of friend. Ask that they hold you Don’t be. So many authors are
writing time. accountable. procrastinators that I’ve come to
wonder if it’s a prerequisite.
Make sure it’s not your family—they Now determine—and enter in your
should always be your top priority. calendar—the number of pages you The secret is to accept it and, in fact,
Never sacrifice your family on the altar need to produce per writing session to schedule it.
of your writing career. meet your deadline. If it proves
unrealistic, change the deadline now. I quit fretting and losing sleep over
But beyond that, the truth is that we all procrastinating when I realized it was
find time for what we really want to do. If you have no idea how many pages or inevitable and predictable, and also
words you typically produce per that it was productive.
Many writers insist they have no time session, you may have to experiment
to write, but they always seem to catch before you finalize those figures. Sound like rationalization?
the latest Netflix original series, or go
to the next big Hollywood feature. They Say you want to finish a 400-page Maybe it was at first. But I learned that
enjoy concerts, parties, ball games, manuscript by this time next year. while I’m putting off the writing, my
whatever. subconscious is working on my book.
Divide 400 by 50 weeks (accounting for It’s a part of the process. When you do
How important is it to you to finally two off-weeks), and you get eight pages start writing again, you’ll enjoy the
write your book? What will you cut per week. surprises your subconscious reveals to
from your calendar each week to ensure you.
you give it the time it deserves? Divide that by your typical number of
writing sessions per week and you’ll So, knowing procrastination is coming,
● A favorite TV show? know how many pages you should book it on your calendar.
● An hour of sleep per night? (Be finish per session.
careful with this one; rest is Take it into account when you’re
crucial to a writer.) determining your page quotas. If you
have to go back in and increase the write. Some carry a modest fee, others ethnically accurate character
number of pages you need to produce are free. names.
per session, do that (I still do it all the ● The Merriam-Webster
time). ● Freedom app Thesaurus: The online version
● FocusWriter is great, because it’s lightning
But—and here’s the key—you must ● StayFocusd fast. You couldn’t turn the
never let things get to where that ● WriteRoom pages of a hard copy as quickly
number of pages per day exceeds your as you can get where you want
capacity. to onscreen. One caution:
Step 8. Conduct your research. Never let it be obvious you’ve
It’s one thing to ratchet up your output consulted a thesaurus. You’re
from two pages per session to three. Yes, research is a vital part of the not looking for the exotic word
But if you let it get out of hand, you’ve process, whether you’re writing fiction that jumps off the page. You’re
violated the sacredness of your or nonfiction. looking for that common word
deadline. that’s on the tip of your tongue.
● WorldAtlas.com: Here you’ll
Fiction means more than just making
How can I procrastinate and still meet find nearly limitless
up a story.
more than 190 deadlines? information about any
continent, country, region, city,
Your details and logic and technical
town, or village. Names,
Because I keep the deadlines sacred. and historical details must be right for
monetary units, weather
your novel to be believable.
patterns, tourism info, and
Step 7. Eliminate distractions to stay
even facts you wouldn’t have
focused. And for nonfiction, even if you’re thought to search for. I get
writing about a subject in which you’re ideas when I’m digging here,
Are you as easily distracted as I am? an expert—as I’m doing here—getting for both my novels and my
all the facts right will polish your nonfiction books.
Have you found yourself writing a finished product.
sentence and then checking your
email? Writing another and checking In fact, you’d be surprised at how many
Step 9. Start calling yourself a writer.
Facebook? Getting caught up in the times I’ve researched a fact or two
pictures of 10 Sea Monsters You while writing this blog post alone.
Your inner voice may tell you, “You’re
Wouldn’t Believe Actually Exist?
no writer and you never will be. Who
The last thing you want is even a small do you think you are, trying to write a
Then you just have to check out that mistake due to your lack of proper book?”
precious video from a talk show where research.
the dad surprises the family by
That may be why you’ve stalled at
returning from the war. Regardless the detail, trust me, you’ll writing your book in the past.
hear from readers about it.
That leads to more and more of the
But if you’re working at writing,
same. Once I’m in, my writing is Your credibility as an author and an studying writing, practicing writing,
forgotten, and all of a sudden the day expert hinges on creating trust with that makes you a writer. Don’t wait till
has gotten away from me. your reader. That dissolves in a hurry if you reach some artificial level of
you commit an error. accomplishment before calling yourself
The answer to these insidious
a writer.
timewasters? My favorite research resources:
A cop in uniform and on duty is a cop
Look into these apps that allow you to ● World Almanacs: These alone whether he’s actively enforced the law
block your email, social media, list almost everything you need yet or not. A carpenter is a carpenter
browsers, game apps, whatever you for accurate prose: facts, data, whether he’s ever built a house.
wish during the hours you want to government information, and
more. For my novels, I often
use these to come up with
Self-identify as a writer now and you’ll Whatever your gut tells you your reader If you’re stuck because of the pressure
silence that inner critic—who, of would prefer, that’s your answer. of crafting the perfect opening line for
course, is really you. your book, you’re not alone.
Whatever will intrigue him, move him,
Talk back to yourself if you must. It keep him reading, those are your And neither is your angst misplaced.
may sound silly, but acknowledging marching orders.
yourself as a writer can give you the This is not something you should put
confidence to keep going and finish So, naturally, you need to know your off and come back to once you’ve
your book. reader. Rough age? General interests? started on the rest of the first chapter.
Loves? Hates? Attention span?
Are you a writer? Say so. Oh, it can still change if the story
When in doubt, look in the mirror. dictates that. But settling on a good one
Part Three: The Book-Writing Itself will really get you off and running.
The surest way to please your reader is
to please yourself. Write what you It’s unlikely you’ll write a more
Step 1. Think reader-first.
would want to read and trust there is a important sentence than your first one,
broad readership out there that agrees. whether you’re writing fiction or
This is so important that that you
nonfiction. Make sure you’re thrilled
should write it on a sticky note and
Step 2. Find your writing voice. with it and then watch how your
affix it to your monitor so you’re
confidence—and momentum—soars.
reminded of it every time you write.
Discovering your voice is nowhere near
as complicated as some make it out to Most great first lines fall into one of
Every decision you make about your
be. these categories:
manuscript must be run through this
filter.
You can find yours by answering these 1. Surprising
quick questions:
Not you-first, not book-first, not Fiction: “It was a bright cold day in
editor-, agent-, or publisher-first. April, and the clocks were striking
● What’s the coolest thing that
Certainly not your inner circle- or thirteen.” —George Orwell, Nineteen
ever happened to you?
critics-first. Eighty-Four
● Who’s the most important
person you told about it?
Reader-first, last, and always. Nonfiction: “By the time Eustace
● What did you sound like when
you did? Conway was seven years old, he could
If every decision is based on the idea of ● That’s your writing voice. It throw a knife accurately enough to nail
reader-first, all those others benefit should read the way you sound a chipmunk to a tree.” —Elizabeth
anyway. at your most engaged. Gilbert, The Last American Man

When fans tell me they were moved by 2. Dramatic Statement

one of my books, I think back to this
That’s all there is to it.
adage and am grateful I maintained Fiction: “They shoot the white girl
that posture during the writing. first.” —Toni Morrison, Paradise
If you write fiction and the narrator of
your book isn’t you, go through the
Does a scene bore you? If you’re Nonfiction: “I was five years old the
three-question exercise on the
thinking reader-first, it gets overhauled first time I ever set foot in prison.”
narrator’s behalf—and you’ll quickly
or deleted. —Jimmy Santiago Baca, A Place to
master the voice.
Stand
Where to go, what to say, what to write
Here’s a blog I posted that’ll walk you
next? Decide based on the reader as 3. Philosophical
through the process.
your priority.
Fiction: “Happy families are all alike;
Step 3. Write a compelling opener.
every unhappy family is unhappy in its
own way.” —Leo Tolstoy, Anna That’ll keep your reader’s attention. It helps me to view that rough draft as a
Karenina slab of meat I will carve tomorrow.
Certain nonfiction genres won’t lend
Nonfiction: “It’s not about you.” —Rick themselves to that kind of conflict, of I can’t both produce that hunk and trim
Warren, The Purpose Driven Life course, but you can still inject tension it at the same time.
by setting up your reader for a payoff in
4. Poetic later chapters. Check out some of the A cliche, a redundancy, a hackneyed
current bestselling nonfiction works to phrase comes tumbling out of my
Fiction: “When I finally caught up with see how writers accomplish this. keyboard, and I start wondering
Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking whether I’ve forgotten to engage the
beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Somehow they keep you turning those reader’s senses or aimed for his
Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint pages, even in a simple how-to title. emotions.
just outside of Sonoma, California,
drinking the heart right out of a fine Tension is the secret sauce that will That’s when I have to chastise myself
spring afternoon. —James Crumley, propel your reader through to the end. and say, “No! Don’t worry about that
The Last Good Kiss now! First thing tomorrow you get to
And sometimes that’s as simple as tear this thing up and put it back
Nonfiction: “The village of Holcomb implying something to come. together again to your heart’s content!”
stands on the high wheat plains of
western Kansas, a lonesome area that Step 5. Turn off your internal editor Imagine yourself wearing different hats
other Kansans call ‘out there.’” while writing the first draft. for different tasks, if that
—Truman Capote, In Cold Blood helps—whatever works to keep you
Many of us perfectionists find it hard to rolling on that rough draft. You don’t
Great opening lines from other classics write a first draft—fiction or need to show it to your worst enemy or
may give you ideas for yours. Here’s a nonfiction—without feeling compelled even your dearest love. This chore is
list of famous openers. to make every sentence exactly the way about creating. Don’t let anything slow
we want it. you down.
Step 4. Fill your story with conflict and
tension. That voice in your head that questions Some like to write their entire first
every word, every phrase, every draft before attacking the revision. As I
Your reader craves conflict, and yes, sentence, and makes you worry you’re say, whatever works.
this applies to nonfiction readers as being redundant or have allowed
well. cliches to creep in—well, that’s just Doing it that way would make me
your editor alter ego. worry I’ve missed something major
In a novel, if everything is going well early that will cause a complete rewrite
and everyone is agreeing, your reader He or she needs to be told to shut up. when I discover it months later. I
will soon lose interest and find alternate creating and revising.
something else to do. This is not easy.
The first thing I do every morning is a
Are two of your characters talking at Deep as I am into a long career, I still heavy edit and rewrite of whatever I
the dinner table? Have one say have to remind myself of this every wrote the day before. If that’s ten
something that makes the other storm writing day. I cannot be both creator pages, so be it. I put my perfectionist
out. and editor at the same time. That slows hat on and grab my paring knife and
me to a crawl, and my first draft of even trim that slab of meat until I’m happy
Some deep-seeded rift in their one brief chapter could take days. with every word.
relationship has surfaced—just a
misunderstanding, or an injustice? Our job when writing that first draft is Then I switch hats, tell Perfectionist Me
to get down the story or the message or to take the rest of the day off, and I
Thrust people into conflict with each the teaching—depending on your start producing rough pages again.
other. genre.
So, for me, when I’ve finished the entire
first draft, it’s actually a second draft
because I have already revised and able to eliminate the strain in the your book the whole way. Take
polished it in chunks every day. middle chapters. the time to make it satisfying.
● Never settle for close enough
THEN I go back through the entire For novelists, know that every book just because you’re eager to be
manuscript one more time, scouring it becomes a challenge a few chapters in. finished. Wait till you’re
for anything I missed or omitted, being The shine wears off, keeping the pace thrilled with every word, and
sure to engage the reader’s senses and and tension gets harder, and it’s easy to keep revising until you are.
heart, and making sure the whole thing run out of steam. ● If it’s unpredictable, it had
holds together. better be fair and logical so
But that’s not the time to quit. Force your reader doesn’t feel
I do not submit anything I’m not yourself back to your structure, come cheated. You want him to be
entirely thrilled with. up with a subplot if necessary, but do delighted with the surprise, not
whatever you need to so your reader tricked.
I know there’s still an editing process it stays engaged. ● If you have multiple ideas for
will go through at the publisher, but my how your book should end, go
goal is to make my manuscript the Fiction writer or nonfiction author, The for the heart rather than the
absolute best I can before they see it. Marathon of the Middle is when you head, even in nonfiction.
must remember why you started this Readers most remember what
journey in the first place. moves them.
Compartmentalize your writing vs.
your revising and you’ll find that frees
you to create much more quickly. It isn’t just that you want to be an
author. You have something to say. You Part Four: Rewriting Your Book
Step 6. Persevere through The want to reach the masses with your
Marathon of the Middle. message. Step 1. Become a ferocious self-editor.

Most who fail at writing a book tell me Yes, it’s hard. It still is for me—every Agents and editors can tell within the
they give up somewhere in what I like time. But don’t panic or do anything first two pages whether your
to call The Marathon of the Middle. rash, like surrendering. Embrace the manuscript is worthy of consideration.
challenge of the middle as part of the That sounds unfair, and maybe it is.
That’s a particularly rough stretch for process. If it were easy, anyone could But it’s also reality, so we writers need
novelists who have a great concept, a do it. to face it.
stunning opener, and they can’t wait to
get to the dramatic ending. But they Step 7. Write a resounding ending. How can they often decide that quickly
bail when they realize they don’t have on something you’ve devoted months,
enough cool stuff to fill the middle. This is just as important for your maybe years, to?
nonfiction book as your novel. It may
They start padding, trying to add not be as dramatic or emotional, but it Because they can almost immediately
scenes just for the sake of bulk, but could be—especially if you’re writing a envision how much editing would be
they’re soon bored and know readers memoir. required to make those first couple of
will be too. pages publishable. If they decide the
But even a how-to or self-help book investment wouldn’t make economic
This actually happens to nonfiction needs to close with a resounding thud, sense for a 300-400-page manuscript,
writers too. the way a Broadway theater curtain end of story.
meets the floor.
The solution there is in the outlining Your best bet to keep an agent or editor
stage, being sure your middle points How do you ensure your ending doesn’t reading your manuscript?
and chapters are every bit as valuable fizzle?
and magnetic as the first and last. You must become a ferocious
● Don’t rush it. Give readers the self-editor. That means:
If you strategize the progression of your payoff they’ve been promised.
points or steps in a process—depending They’ve invested in you and ● Omit needless words
on nonfiction genre—you should be
 ● Choose the simple word over Look for someone widely-published Regardless whether you traditionally or
one that requires a dictionary who knows how to work with agents, self-publish your book, proper
● Avoid subtle redundancies, like editors, and publishers. formatting is critical.
“He thought in his mind…”
(Where else would someone There are many helpful mentors online. Why?
think?) I teach writers through this free site, as
● Avoid hedging verbs like well as in my members-only Writers Because poor formatting makes you
almost frowned, sort of Guild. look like an amateur.
jumped, etc.
● Generally remove the word Readers and agents expect a certain
Part 5: Publishing Your Book
that—use it only when format for book manuscripts, and if
absolutely necessary for clarity you don’t follow their guidelines, you
● Give the reader credit and Step 1. Decide on your publishing
set yourself up for failure.
resist the urge to explain, as in, avenue.
“She walked through the open
Best practices when formatting your
door.” (Did we need to be told In simple terms, you have two options
book:
it was open?) when it comes to publishing your book:
● Avoid too much stage direction
1. Use 12-point type
(what every character is doing 1. Traditional publishing
2. Use a serif font; the most
with every limb and digit)
Traditional publishers take all the risks. common is Times Roman
● Avoid excessive adjectives
They pay for everything from editing, 3. Double space your manuscript
● Show, don’t tell
proofreading, typesetting, printing, 4. No extra space between
● And many more
binding, cover art and design, paragraphs
promotion, advertising, warehousing, 5. Only one space between
shipping, billing, and paying author sentences
For my full list and how to use them, 6. Indent each paragraph half an
click here. (It’s free.) royalties.
inch (setting a tab, not using
several spaces)
When do you know you’re finished 2. Self-publishing
7. Text should be flush left and
revising? When you’ve gone from ragged right, not justified
Everything is on you. You are the
making your writing better to merely 8. If you choose to add a line
publisher, the financier, the
making it different. That’s not always between paragraphs to indicate
decision-maker. Everything listed
easy to determine, but it’s what makes a change of location or passage
above falls to you. You decide who does
you an author. of time, center a typographical
it, you approve or reject it, and you pay
for it. The term self-publishing is a bit dingbat (like ***) on the line
Step 2. Find a mentor. 9. Black text on a white
of a misnomer, however, because what
you’re paying for is not publishing, but background only
Get help from someone who’s been 10. One-inch margins on the top,
printing.
where you want to be. bottom, and sides (the default
in Word)
Both avenues are great options under
Imagine engaging a mentor who can 11. Create a header with the title
certain circumstances.
help you sidestep all the amateur followed by your last name and
pitfalls and shave years of painful the page number. The header
Not sure which direction you want to
trial-and-error off your learning curve. should appear on each page
take? Click here to read my in-depth
other than the title page.
guide to publishing a book. It’ll show
Just make sure it’s someone who really
you the pros and cons of each, what
knows the writing and publishing
each involves, and my ultimate
world. Many masquerade as mentors
recommendation.
and coaches but have never really
succeeded themselves.
Step 2: Properly format your
manuscript.