Not everything you see in the movies is real. And just another tidbit of information, some of the stories you hear about “real authors” are padded with hype.
The truth is that few authors actually live off of their royalties in nice cushy lifestyles while they relax once they’ve written “The End”. Actually the harder work begins once you typed your final pages.
There are some authors where the words tend to flow easily and suddenly you have a finished story. Now starts the self-editing process. Go through your manuscript checking spelling, punctuation and continuity. Eliminate any unnecessary words; if the subplot has no value to the whole story, cut it out. When YOU are finished, ask someone else to read it through.
Depending on the route you are planning to take to publication, this is the point you will start looking for an agent, a publishing house, or a self-publishing process. You also should consider if you are interested in print publishing, multi-format ebook or Kindle. Of course your publisher or your budget may play a prominent part in this decision.
Okay, we’re jumping forward to acceptance and publication. Listen up – most small press and independent publishers give little to no financial assistance towards promotional marketing. So even though you have your name on a book, you ar the one that will have to make an effort to promote it. Promotion efforts include virtual and in-person book tours, author events and book-signings, and maintaining a strong online presence. Retailers know that you have to put the product in front of the customer multiple times to get them to buy.
Even the big NYC publishing houses do not guarantee that they will pay for or work n promotion. Here is a reality check, only the bigger named authors, most with previously successes, get the full effort of the publisher’s PR office working for them. Even if you are lucky enough to get some level of promotional backing, it still remains a TEAM EFFORT – you do not get to sit back. Even big name and successful authors like Danielle Steel, Carly Phillips, and Dean Koontz maintain active FaceBook accounts and interact with fans, send out emailed newsletters, and appear at in-person author events. Most publishers will ask for an author’s marketing and promotion pan before they consider offering a contract.
Get involved in writers’ groups, preferably with some already published authors, to learn firsthand from experience what you should expect . Whatever you do, just be prepared to work. Trust me, the euphoria you’ll experience is certainly worth it.
Writing exercise: Practice writing a query letter, particularly the part her you are trying to “sell” you book idea to an editor. Include a brief blurb. Tell why your target audience will want to read it. Can your story line be tied into a relevant current event ? Does your subject matter deal with something important to a region or town? Explain why your book is special.
Writing prompt: List the first ten books/movies/plays you can think of that you have read or seen. Write a tweet-able (no more than 140 characters) description of each.
