It’s an exciting time to be a writer. The publishing industry is changing so quickly, it can be difficult to keep up. Writers are more empowered than ever before, thanks to the Internet and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook where they have direct access to their readership. But there are still many questions that come with this new age of self-publishing. How do you get started? What should you know about formatting your manuscript for submission? How much will it cost? And what kind of benefits will I reap from my efforts if I publish traditionally or independently? This article sheds light on such questions.
Remember That Publishing is a Business
It’s easy to think of publishing as an art since the end product is a creative work like a novel. But publishing is also a business, and it needs to be run like one too. Do your research to find out what other novels are selling for; this will give you an idea of what readers might pay for your own novel. Your publisher will also factor in the expenses of printing, editing, packaging, and marketing before they settle on a price for your novel.
This means that you cannot overprice your novel either. The days of receiving large print runs are long gone, so try not to overestimate demand or set your price point too high. Doing so will only result in you receiving a tiny royalty percentage. Readers nowadays are very price-sensitive, and a novel that costs too much might stay on the shelf longer than one that’s more reasonably priced. Also consider the costs of the novel layout, editing, and marketing. Make your budget as lean as possible so that you can maximize profits.
Hiring an Editor is Important
It’s important to hire a professional editor before publishing your novel. This is because they will be able to spot any issues with the text in your book such as inconsistencies in tone and how well the story flows. You should also check with your editor to make sure the novel is relevant to today’s market.
An editor will also be able to provide you with an estimated word count for your novel, as well as flag any potential problems with this. You should always ensure that the story is within this target as this will avoid any unnecessary costs because of layout issues later down the line. Hiring an editor also ensures that you don’t miss out on any grammar or spelling mistakes when proofreading your own work.
The editor should be selected based on your own personal preference, whether you’d prefer to work with someone experienced or not. Once selected it’s important that the two of you are able to get along and discuss any changes that may need to be made during the editing process. Things should be kept professional though, so make sure to avoid sharing your work with an editor before getting their approval on all the changes that need to be made.
There Are Three Options For Publishing: Traditional, Indie, or Hybrid
There are three main methods to publishing a novel. The traditional method is when you submit your novel to an agent and go with whatever they decide for you, this can take quite some time as most agents only accept one in ten submissions. Alternatively, you can self-publish your novel and manage everything yourself including the text, layout, and cover design.
The indie option is somewhere in the middle, where you focus on writing while hiring editors and designers to help with the more technical aspects of publishing. This is a great option for those who don’t want to risk getting a bad agent or take on too much responsibility, but still want to see their work in print. This method enables you to get your novel out there while still working on another novel.
The third option is called hybrid publishing, which combines some aspects from both traditional and self-publishing including editing and cover/layout design provided by an external company. This means that you can still write while they focus on the more technical aspects of publishing.
Prepare to Be Criticized
After publishing your novel, it’s important to prepare yourself for some criticism. There will be readers who love your work while others may downright hate it. However, you must take this all in your stride and not let any comments affect your artistic vision or the final product of your work. It is essential to remain rational and view any constructive criticism as a learning opportunity.
There’s a lot of competition out there, so make sure your work stands out from the crowd. Some ways to do this include getting a professional-looking cover and creating an effective blurb that clearly explains what the novel is about. It must also be edited and proofread correctly before publishing it to avoid any unnecessary errors that may affect sales.
Publishing your novel can be an intimidating process. You need to know what you want for publishing, where the best place is to publish it, and how much time this will take before even considering self-publishing or hiring someone else. The more research you do into all of these topics ahead of time, the easier things will go when it comes down to actually doing them.
