HOW TO GET YOUR MANUSCRIPT
ready for publication
The journey which a writer will go through can seem a long one at times, having an idea for a book, developing it and turning it into a manuscript can take months and for some even years. But once you have typed those final words ‘The End’ what do you do next? Do you simply knock up a cheap cover (DIY it and keep your fingers crossed), upload it to your chosen self-publishing company and hope for the best?
Well, for the impatient this may look like a viable course of action but thankfully for the majority of authors a lot more care is taken in getting their masterpiece ready for publication.
Well, for the impatient this may look like a viable course of action but thankfully for the majority of authors a lot more care is taken in getting their masterpiece ready for publication.
It’s now where being able to plan will help in the polishing (and in some cases development) of your work in order to make it shine above the many other books upon the shelves. This is an area which you’ll want to take seriously too, as an example, Amazon has over 30 million books for sale on its pages and over 2.5 million of them available on Kindle and these figures are growing daily.
So competition within the published book world is intense and unfortunately it is something that the author will have to deal with, I say unfortunately because for the vast majority of writers their main reason in writing the book was not to then go on a strategic advertising and promotional campaign once the book is published.
However, with the competition the way it is you will need to ensure that you polish your book prior to its launch.
So competition within the published book world is intense and unfortunately it is something that the author will have to deal with, I say unfortunately because for the vast majority of writers their main reason in writing the book was not to then go on a strategic advertising and promotional campaign once the book is published.
However, with the competition the way it is you will need to ensure that you polish your book prior to its launch.
The first step is not only in the edit but the way in which YOU perceive the manuscript, a lot of authors will see their first manuscript as a draft only, re-read the whole thing and be objective, you will find sections that you’ll want to alter (don’t worry – most authors do!) Once you’ve done this, do it again, this time you’ll find less to change and as a result your manuscript becomes tighter.
Next, get it to your chosen editor and wait, don’t be dismayed when they get back in touch with you either, you may have to rewrite chapters, sections or even the entire book (again, this happens to so many authors). The key is to take their professional advice and make the changes to your work, although it can seem a little disheartening at the time you must look at the bigger picture.
Once the changes have been made get people you trust to actually read the manuscript, there are services which can do this for you (if you have the budget) or you can use friends or members of your local writers group (try to keep away from using family members as they may not be as critical as you need).
Next, get it to your chosen editor and wait, don’t be dismayed when they get back in touch with you either, you may have to rewrite chapters, sections or even the entire book (again, this happens to so many authors). The key is to take their professional advice and make the changes to your work, although it can seem a little disheartening at the time you must look at the bigger picture.
Once the changes have been made get people you trust to actually read the manuscript, there are services which can do this for you (if you have the budget) or you can use friends or members of your local writers group (try to keep away from using family members as they may not be as critical as you need).
If you see any patterns with the reviews which indicate something needs changing now is the time to do it, again re-read and edit once more. The next stage will be to have the document proof read, again there are plenty of companies who offer services in proof reading, this will ensure that your work goes out with no typos.
Whilst this is going on you’ll want to plan for your book cover to be designed, we have a great article giving 10 tips on working with a book cover designer which is well worth checking out, and if you do have any questions you can of course get in touch via info@jdandj.com
Once your proof read is complete and you have a professional book cover designed for your book you’re almost ready to upload to your chosen self-publishing service, the book will need to be formatted (which can be done on line via the publishers website – some are easier than others) or you can choose a formatting service which will do this for you.
So, getting your draft ready for publication is a larger process than most people realize, but if you stay organized and keep your belief in your work you will get there, good luck!
Whilst this is going on you’ll want to plan for your book cover to be designed, we have a great article giving 10 tips on working with a book cover designer which is well worth checking out, and if you do have any questions you can of course get in touch via info@jdandj.com
Once your proof read is complete and you have a professional book cover designed for your book you’re almost ready to upload to your chosen self-publishing service, the book will need to be formatted (which can be done on line via the publishers website – some are easier than others) or you can choose a formatting service which will do this for you.
So, getting your draft ready for publication is a larger process than most people realize, but if you stay organized and keep your belief in your work you will get there, good luck!
