Okay, so you wrote your first novel, actually finished it, and declared it abandoned. Now what? Well, if your intention is to be a published author, the next step is probably the most frightening of all. You have to put your work out there. This can mean many things, and all of them can terrify a novice. It terrified me after finishing Arianna's Tale.
Now that you have what can be considered a finished product, you should start sending this work to either agents or publishers. This means locating publishers and agents who take on your type of novel. This is easy to do with a quick web search. For example, if you're a fantasy writer (as I am), try 'fantasy book publisher.' You'll find some publishers listed. Those that accept manuscripts will have a submission guidelines page. Look carefully, as sometimes these guidelines are buried on the site.
Once you find the guidelines, follow them and fire off your manuscript. If you fail to follow the guidelines of a particular publisher, your manuscript will not even be looked at. Send it out and see what hapens. If your book is publishable or close to it, publishing houses will tell you that.
Of course, you could also choose to self-publish. This means you are responsible for everything. Editing. Layout and format. And fronting the money to publish the book in the first place. This is quite a risk for many people, and sometimes self-published books are frowned upon. This is not to say you should not self-publish. I have seen some truly wonderful self-published work. However, it will be your responsibility to ensure that the book is truly ready for the public.
Whichever method you choose, just get your book out there. You can't call yourself a published author until your book is in print and available for the public to purchase, so don't delay. The publishing process can often take longer than the writing process.
So, now you’ve completed your book, you’re done your revisions, and you’re still staring at your computer screen (or notepad, or whatever). You suddenly have the almost-uncontrollable urge to rewrite. To tinker endlessly, seeking perfection. Should you follow this instinct? Should you look over that book for the hundredth time, making change upon change?
I’ll tell you a little secret: there is no such thing as the perfect novel. It simply doesn’t exist. When writing your first book, one of the hardest things to do is to learn to let go. Eventually, you’ll have to find the courage to stop tinkering, to say to yourself, “That’s it, I’m done.”
So, the third rule of writing a novel is simply to know when to stop. If your book is publishable, or as close to publishable as you believe you can make it, it’s time to stop. Your plot is complete, your characters are rich and lifelike. It’s time to push your baby out of the nest.
Now that we realize that writers have to sit down and write, what else can be said about being a professional writer? A certain amount of logic is required to answer this question. Once you begin your novel, once you start to craft your characters and plot, you have to finish your tale.
This is much harder than it sounds. Every writer hits road blocks. Sometimes writer's block will just sneak up on you. But you have to keep going, taking your work through to completion. It is no lie to say that fully half of everyone who starts a novel will never finish one.
If it helps, try to write without caring too much about grammar, spelling, or getting your descriptions just write. Remember, you can tinker later. For the moment, just get your story out of your mind and onto paper.
In recent months, I have been asked many times how to take a book from concept to publication. In thinking about this, I realized that beyond the tips about pacing, plot, and characters, there are some absolute rules that must be followed to produce publishable work. Though these rules are few in number, they are essential.
The first rule of writing to to ... write. I know that sounds simple, but fully half of the people who say they want to be writers never actually write anything. They simply refuse to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be). For some reason, these people think that one day, they'll be writers.
If you want to be a writer, sit down and write. Sure you'll make mistakes, you'll have to revise or even rewrite eventually, but you need to get your thoughts down on paper. Don't worry about grammar, spelling, or format just yet. Those things will come later. Sit down, get started, and you'll be well on your way to writing your first novel.
