This is the first in a series of monthly posts about writing and publishing. There’ll be contributions from editors, cover artists, proofers, and others. We hope you’ll find it interesting to look beyond the stories, to how everything comes together to get the book from author to reader.
This one is mainly me blathering to set the scene for future posts.
Okay, I’ve typed The End! What do I do now?
So, you’ve done it.
You’ve taken a niggling germ of an idea and run with it. You’ve sat in front of your screen, maybe staring at a blank page, or watching a sparrow hop across the back fence. There are rings on your desk from countless mugs of coffee or tea, and biscuit crumbs scattered across the keyboard.
But you’ve done it, you’ve taken that idea, added characters, created a world for them and then you’ve put those characters through all sorts of trials and tribulations.
Congratulations. You’ve just typed The End after weeks, maybe months of anguish, mind-numbing writer’s block, indecision, and mad sprints where the words just don’t stop spilling out onto the page. You have written a book and you have finished it.
So what happens next?
Everyone has a different way of moving on to the next stage. Some go right back to the start and read it through, making changes, correcting grammar, spelling, continuity errors. Others will set it aside, give themselves a rest before going back and looking at things with a fresh eye—whatever works best for you. Then, if you’re lucky, you’ll have some beta readers lined up to read through your manuscript.
By beta readers, I don’t mean your favourite aunt, your best buddy, your mum, your dad. You’re not looking for praise here, you’re looking for people who won’t beat around the bush. They’re the ones who’ll tell you that Mary just sits around waiting for things to happen and is too boring for words. They’re the ones who’ll point out that no reader in their right mind is going to want to read a ten-page dialogue between two WW2 fighter pilots discussing the relative merits of their planes. You want honesty. We’re lucky that, in this age of social media, there are writers’ forums, Facebook groups, Twitter hashtags. Hopefully, you’ll have found one of these support groups of like-minded people before you finished your book. You’ll have made friends and found readers you can trust, whose opinions you can respect.
Take that plunge. After tidying up your manuscript (it’s unfair to expect readers to plough through a manuscript riddled with misspellings, random punctuation and misplaced names), send that story away. Don’t nag your readers to hurry. Try not to fret. Go for long walks, go on vacation, start your next book. If you want to publish, strangers will be reading your book, don’t stress. You need to get used to the idea. Send it out and forget about it.
When you get your manuscript back, hopefully with plenty of useful feedback, it’s time to get back to work. Read through the comments, fix what needs to be fixed, think about your betas’ comments. You don’t have to do what they might suggest, do what works best for your story. Another tip—don’t get too many beta readers. The more you have, the more conflicting opinions/comments you’re likely to get.
This is the start of your book’s journey. Whether you submit it to a publisher, try to find an agent, or self-publish, the adventure begins here. We’re going to highlight the various steps along the way, and probably take the occasional detour. Join us on the 18th of November for the next instalment!
Sue Laybourn is a part-time author and full-time freelance editor.
You can find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/sue.laybourn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kestrelrising
And at: http://nostoneunturnedediting.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR3PHK_DF6ZowlxXI0E1R5q1qLpSNnS3p9lPnFEv8Br7-dChQiCF9hb9n4k