Finish My Book and Publish

[Magik]

Hello all,

I have a book that I am going to finish, this progress thread is meant to track the progress of it and give me some accountability and encouragement.

The first draft is already finished, and has been finished for a while now. I first started writing this book back in 2008 and finished the first draft a few years ago. It's just something I did on the side while I worked. I'm the type of person who is easily distracted. I have a very hard time staying focused on one thing. I have had the habit in the past of being event driven. I've started many websites that went nowhere (most of them blogs, I've decided that I hate managing blogs). I created a social networking site 3 or 4 years ago for the mental health industry. I ended up folding it because I did not know how to get people on it.

This book that I will finish this year won't go away. I've put off finishing it and it is something that I've thought about on a weekly basis, sometimes on a daily basis. No matter what else I start and end up not finishing or folding, I always end up back at this book. If nothing else, I want to finish the damn thing so I can move on with my life. I already have the next book bouncing around in my head, but I'm not starting on it until I finish this one.

The first draft was hand written, which was a mistake (sort of). While it is faster to type, creatively, there are some advantages to writing a first draft by hand. Next time, I will just use Scrivener, which is what I'm using for the rewrites.

So, I am currently in the rewrite phase. I am altering the story slightly, and excluding a few things I wrote in the first draft. One the first rewrite is done, I should have around 60,000 words (give or take). Then, I will go back through and do a second rewrite. The second rewrite will be to trim the 10% that adds nothing to the story and tie up the loose ends. Then the book goes off to a professional editor (who won't come cheap I'm sure). Once I get it back from an editor, then I design the cover (I already know what I want it to look like) and I take it to market.

If I could kill this thing, I would have already done it. I don't really understand why someone would want to write merely for profit. It just doesn't make sense to me. I'm not knocking it at all, I just have no desire to do it. I would much rather be building online businesses, tinkering with websites, etc. than writing, but it's something that just won't go away.

 

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[Magik]

A little backstory:

I grew up in a small town called Oxford, MS. If it sounds familiar to you, that's because William Faulkner lived there and wrote his books there. There was also this lawyer guy from Southaven who moved there in the 80's named Grisham (I forget his first name), who also wrote these law books. Apparently, a few people bought them (I wonder what happened to that guy?)

In all seriousness though, I remember when John Grisham released A Time To Kill in the late 80's. On a national level, it did nothing. Of course it sold well at the local book store, but nothing nationally. Then he put out The Firm in 1991 and it exploded, I mean exploded. From a close distance (not an inside view), I watched an unknown author go from very few book sales to having the #1 selling book in the country.

Other authors have lived there at one time or another: Barry Hannah, Willie Morris, Richard Ford, Larry Brown, Donna Tartt. My mom apparently works with some lady who wrote a best seller and sold the film rights (I may see if she can help me get an agent). I wonder how much influence I picked up by living in a writing town? If I had grown up in another place, would I still have a drive to write? I have no idea. I can tell you that the number one thing that published authors have in common is they start a book and do whatever it takes to make it publishable. They finish it and rewrite it and have it edited. My writing process will be this from now on.

Anyway, I started writing poetry when I was 14 and wrote it throughout my teens. I have hundreds of these poems. Some of them suck, some of them are good. I then started to write songs but didn't understand music well enough and abandoned that. I tried writing a screenplay, but screenplays are very structured and very plot driven and I couldn't adapt to that, which led me to fiction writing. I finally found the medium that allowed me to be abstract enough while still having enough structure, and fiction is more character driven (which appeals to me more).

In some ways, I view writing as a curse. Writers don't have much of a choice. That statement is hard to understand for someone who is not a writer. It's a lonely business full of isolation, self-doubt, and frustration. However, when the stars align, it can also be the greatest feeling in the world. The task is to minimize the downside and maximize the upside.

I'm not exactly sure what my end goal is with this book, or the next one, other than publish in some form. I could self-publish as an ebook, I could try to traditionally publish it in print form and maintain the ebook rights (most ideal, IMO), or just go the traditional route. I don't know, I'll deal with that once I finish. Finish is a big word for me.

 

[Magik]

So far I've got about 15,500 words written on the rewrite. Once I get the chapter I'm on finished and the next one, I'll be about a third of the way finished. It's looking to clock in around 50,000-60,000 words. I don't really think in word counts, so I have no idea whether this is a lot. I have set a deadline of March 31st. Let's see if I can hit that.

 

[Magik]

I'm making progress. I have banged out three more chapters since my last posting, and I'm midway through a fourth. I have gotten a lot done, mostly on material that just needs to be rewritten. I've got about three or four more chapters that I have to write from scratch, which will take the longest. I'm still shooting for a 3/31 deadline on this rewrite.

As soon as I can get this one finished, I'm starting on the next one, which won't take near as long.

 

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[Rainy_TX]

Welcome back! Here's to 'luck' like Grisham's!

 

[Magik]

One of my goals is to get Grisham to do a book blurb for me, right on the cover. I have no idea how I will make this happen (cart before the horse anyway), but he would definitely remember me. The problem is writers of that magnitude are hard to get to. It's something to keep motivation high anyway.

I think having outlandish things that you want, even if they are a bit unrealistic, are great to focus on. Logic only goes so far, you have to get emotional about your goals if you're going to hit them. That involves some focus on the grand prize and thinking about how it would feel to hit them. I have lots of grand prizes I focus on, anything to keep me motivated. I have actually visualized myself winning the Pulitzer Prize. Yes, the odds of that happening are slim, but I get an emotional charge out of it, which is needed for a hyper-logical guy like myself. I think about having a summer apartment in the Saint-Laurent area of Montreal and how great that would be. I think about how great it would be to have a book sell like The Firm or The Secret History.

I've gone off on a tangent here, but it's important stuff. Do what motivates you. Even if you don't get everything you want, by focusing on things that pull at your heart strings, you will get way more done in the long run. I may do a separate post about goal setting, it's very important.

 

[lleone]

Sounds like a great plan....see if Grisham is on Twitter and start following his tweets. Occasionally re-tweet his stuff and look for an opportunity to direct tweet him (not sell serving but just to build rapport)....over time he'll recognize your twitter name and may be open to read your book when ready....(if not...just stalk him...winning!...I mean kidding).

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I didn't see this mentioned, but what kind of book? Genre?

 

[Magik]

I didn't see this mentioned, but what kind of book? Genre?

It's a fiction book. It is a coming of age story, would fall under "young adult". It doesn't fit neatly into the big four (romance, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi), but it could be classified as a young adult romance book, as the main plot line is about sex and relationships. However, there is more going on than just that. It's outside of any clear formula. Books that clearly fall under a genre are easier to market, but they can also get lost in all the other books they are competing with. Mine will be more difficult to market, but it does have a huge upside potential, as I think it is unique. Of course, I have to finish it and make it great, and then let the market decide.

My next book will clearly fall under thriller. The subject matter will be tougher, should be easier for me to write as well. I already have a few non fiction ebooks written that are info related that I will be marketing this year, but these are listed via Clickbank and cost much more.

 

[Magik]

BUMPING this thread. I've gotten back on track. I quit writing for a while to chase an idea (to chase money really). I'm committing myself to finishing this book.

My plan has become more clear to me. My goal is twofold: to write and to help other writers. After I finish this book, and it passes through editing, I will launch a few websites. One will be my main author site, and another will be a site of some sort to help writers deal with all of the challenges that come with being a writer. The goal here is to build up an email list, a basic sales funnel. Then, with every book launch, I will send out an email blast. I also plan on launching products for writers that help them and solve problems, though we are not there yet.

As far as writing goes, I plan to self-publish. I can't believe I was even on the fence about that when I first started this thread. I plan to release a lot of short stories, since they are easier for me to write and I can finish them quicker. I should be able to launch a few short stories per month at .99 each, and start building up some income. My novel will sell for 2.99. Then I will work on my second book of course.

I have no idea how all of this will end up, no clue. I know that I have tried many different businesses over the years, and almost always I was chasing money. I wasn't committed to the process. I have accepted that writing is my space, both the act of self-publishing and later, developing products of some sort to help writers overcome their obstacles.

Currently I'm at 32,000 words. It's still looking like I'll hit around 50,000-60,000.

 

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[seamles]

Hope you get it published!

I'd be interested to see how your help writers site goes.

Good luck on your endeavors, hope we can help each other!

 

[Magik]

Update: Current word count is 39,779. I have 3-5 more chapter to write, then the story will be complete. From there, I will go back through and do editing and clean up.

The big question is whether or not to hire an editor. I think I could benefit greatly from editing, so I probably will, but the good one's don't come cheap.

I'll need to get rolling on a book cover sometime, which is no big deal. I know exactly what I want, just have to hire someone to handle. Once that's done, I'm up on Amazon and on to the next thing, which will be short stories because I can bang them out much quicker, and speed is important right now.

I'm excited.

 

[Magik]

Word count is currently around 44,900. I have a few more sections to finish, probably looking at around 50,000 words total. It's hard to say where it will finish. Once I begin self-editing, I will probably see things that need to be removed, as well as thing that need to be added. Then, it's off to a professional editor. The tough part is I'm unable to be objective with this work, everything is subjective, and I hate that. Without external validation, you have no idea whether or not what you are writing is any good.

Anyway, I'm about to start reading some books on self-editing written by professional editors: The Forest for the Trees and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. I will be compiling notes as I go along, so that I retain the information and can put it to good use.

If anyone has any good books to share on self-publishing, I'm all ears.

 

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[Magik]

Here's a few more things I have done lately.

-Took a few sections out that didn't seem to fit (unnecessary flashbacks) .
-Removed a character because he didn't fit in the story.
-Moved a few sections of those flashbacks to the beginning, will work them in as backstory.
-Decided to build up a secondary character, who will assume the role that the removed character filled.

What's left:

-I have 3 or 4 more chapters to finish, though they will be minor.
-Then will do a round of editing and rewrite. I will be punching up the dialogue, fixing some proportion problems, adding in some narrative summary/removing narrative summary in a few places, etc.
-Then, it goes off to an editor.
-While in editing, I will be setting up my author website, and perhaps a secondary site of some sort on writing. Will get everything ready for list building.
-Will have the cover designed, which shouldn't take long, because I know what I want.
-Once back from editing, will fix whatever the editor recommends, then finalize the publishing process.

The speed of all of this comes down to how quick an editor can get to it, work it, and get it back to me. Many editors are booked months in advance, so this may be a challenge.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Congrats on your progress!

Interesting it takes a while for editors. I'd been considering hiring one for my next book, and surprisingly, never considered that I'd have to arrange something months in advance. This is food for thought.

If anyone has any good books to share on self-publishing, I'm all ears.

Have you ever listened to the Self-Publishing podcast? It's great, because you can listen to it while you do other stuff. Anyway, the guys who do the podcast also wrote a book:
Write, Publish, Repeat
http://www.amazon.com/Publish-Repeat-No-Luck-Required-Self-Publishing-Success-ebook/dp/B00H26IFJS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398920386&sr=1-1&keywords=write publish repeat
I bought the book to support the podcast, but haven't read it yet. Based on the level of expertise (and fun) they show with their podcast, along with the many great reviews, it might definitely be worth looking at.

 

[Magik]

Finished the story yesterday, a milestone indeed, but now on to the next hurdle. Now, I'm moving into self-editing. I'm printing out each chapter, and reading it as if I were a reader. Anything that seems odd, or out of place, or that needs to change, I will change. This is the part where it turns into a book. I've set a target date to be finished by June 1. I'm still on the fence about hiring an editor. About to start firing off some emails, get some quotes/time frames on this. Should be getting a cover made sometime this month too. Exciting stuff. Continuing to push...

 

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[Rem]

@Magik that's awesome!!! Keep us posted.

 

[Magik]

About 3/4 done with editing. Once done, I will do a read through to make sure I didn't miss anything, or nothing weird pops out, then we'll be good. I still need to figure out the cover though. Getting closer though, which is good.

 

[Magik]

Update Time: I'm approaching the finish line. I did a round of edits, then did another read through and fixed some typos and cleaned up a few more things. I am going to adjust a few more things with the last few chapters, I'm not fully satisfied with the ending. Once I do that, the book is finished.

A few other things:

-The book cover is in a contest at 99 Designs that just launched today. I'll know a week from now if I have a winner. If I don't, that will slow the process down.

-I will be putting together all of the book funnels soon. Right now, I'm looking at author website, publishing company website (I have future plans for it), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, and a Tumblr Blog of some sort. I may blog on Tumblr and my author site, going with two different themes, but I'm not sure on that yet.

-I am considering doing a Kickstarter campaign. Fiction writers typically don't pull much on there, but so what? It can't hurt anything. My book falls under contemporary fiction, and those books seem to do okay on there. Of course, I have to have a compelling offer and I don't know what that will be yet. Usually you have to offer a physical book. I need to do some research on this.

-I am debating on whether I should go the KDP select route, which means Amazon exclusivity for the first 90 days, or to launch everywhere. I'm guessing that Amazon will account for at least 80% of sales anyway. Offering the book free for 5 days would be valuable, especially if I run a Kickstarter, but I worry about control issues. Having your book everywhere, along with a print book, also seems to look more professional since that's how all the major books are launched. I have to think more on all of this.

Once I'm able to move past editing/rewrites and I have a book cover, I'll move quickly on all the other stuff. I have past experience building blogs and websites, so that will move fast. Most likely, the book will launch in July. I'm aiming high right out of the gate. Perhaps I should be more modest, but I see no reason not to go for it. Stay tuned.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

I'll be interested to hear how your experience with 99Designs goes. I've heard good things about them, so hopefully you'll get a cover you love!

About KDP, that's a tough one. When you offer a book for free, you get added exposure, but you can also rack up some one-star reviews from people reading outside their preferred genres. I've also heard lately that the free runs aren't resulting in many sales after-the-fact. Can't wait to hear what you decide and how it works for you. Great progress, and keep us posted!

 

[Magik]

About KDP, that's a tough one. When you offer a book for free, you get added exposure, but you can also rack up some one-star reviews from people reading outside their preferred genres. I've also heard lately that the free runs aren't resulting in many sales after-the-fact.

I'm strongly leaning against KDP. Authors are saying that Amazon has somehow changed the algorithm where free isn't helping your ranking like it was a year ago. Beyond the risk of more bad reviews, a lot of people will download and never read it. Getting people to part with money, even if it's only .99 raises the odds of them actually reading it. I have some free ebooks I have never read. The one's I pay for get read though. I'm leaning more toward running .99 sales periodically, and listing the book everywhere I can put it. I worry about Amazon's power, thus I want to give every other retailer the same amount of respect.

 

[Magik]

I'm a day into the 99Designs contest, and I'm already going to bail. 99Designs has potential, but there are a number of things I don't like about it. I only signed up for the bronze package, but the designs I'm getting are worse than stock book covers I can buy for $50. Some of them are a joke. 99D needs to screen some of these losers out better. Of course, I'd probably get better designers if I sign up for the bigger packages, but at that point, it makes more sense to just hire a freelancer to personally work with you.

The other thing I don't like is I just got an email telling me I could guarantee the prize, but in doing so, I waive my buyer's remorse guarantee, which to me is shitty customer service. I understand that I might get more/better entries, but I see right through that gimmick, and for that I'm going to cancel. Looks like I'm back to the drawing board.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

I'm a day into the 99Designs contest, and I'm already going to bail.

Interesting insight. Thanks for sharing your experience with them!
Just thinking out loud, do you think you might get better some designs if you waited a couple days before throwing in the towel? I'm half-thinking that good designs might take a little longer, so hopefully your choices would improve. Hard to say for sure though.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I just typed in "ebook cover design" on Etsy and came up a variety of results.

Some of the sellers have little to no feedback so they might be willing to drop their prices even lower than what they have listed just to get a sell.

It might be worth a look before going with a freelancer.

 

[Magik]

Just thinking out loud, do you think you might get better some designs if you waited a couple days before throwing in the towel?

My guess is probably not, but I could leave it open longer just to see. I'm sure when you choose one of their more expensive packages, the designs get much better, but then you're well over $500, and at that point you might as well go out and hire someone. Most people seem to guarantee a prize, which locks you in, and I don't like that at all.

It's clear how much opportunity there is in this market. There is so much amateurish work out there. The people I've found who design really bad a$$ covers work for major houses: Knopf, Simon & Schuster, etc. I found a woman who does absolutely amazing work, but she's locked in with a major, and doesn't take on anything freelance. I would have paid her big money too, her stuff is that good. I may just go the stock cover route, which I hate to do, because I have a hard time finding anything that has anything to do with the story. I may use an abstract cover with a lot of colors to draw people in. Next time I am probably going to build my own, once I find some good graphic design software.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

Most people seem to guarantee a prize, which locks you in, and I don't like that at all.

I see your point, but if I were a designer with any talent, I'd NEVER submit my design for a non-guaranteed prize. For all I know, the book isn't even written yet (and might never be written), or maybe the author is just fishing for ideas, or looking for inspiration. Or maybe they want to take someone's design and replicate it on their own without paying anyone. To me, the guaranteed prize protects the designers from people who aren't sincere. I know that's not you, but there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there.

Next time I am probably going to build my own, once I find some good graphic design software.

I build my own, and I use a sadly outdated version of PaintShop pro, which isn't that expensive. (It's a lot cheaper than PhotoShop, that's for sure!)

 

[Magik]

I just typed in "ebook cover design" on Etsy and came up a variety of results.

I did find one on Etsy that looks good for her price. I'd have to provide her with a stock photo though, but if she can deliver what I want, it would be worth it. I will reach out to her and see if we can make a deal.

 

[GuestUser113]

http://www.jasongurley.com/prices

 

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[GuestUser113]

I build my own, and I use a sadly outdated version of PaintShop pro, which isn't that expensive. (It's a lot cheaper than PhotoShop, that's for sure!)

I remember my first version of PSP. Many moons ago! Photoshop is a cloud service now. Have you tried gimp or inkscape? I've been using gimp for a long time.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Have you tried gimp or inkscape? I've been using gimp for a long time.

Nope! I haven't tried them, but they definitely sound worth looking at!