#15 Do you have a marketing plan for the continued promotion of the book?
Yes. Congratulations. Follow your plan. Adapt it where necessary. You might think you are done, but you should write another […]
#14 Has the book been published?
Yes. Continue to #15. No. Continue working with your agent, publisher, and publicist or do you own research, to learn […]
#13 Do you have a marketing plan for the lead up to the launch of your book?
Yes. Continue to #14. No. Consider hiring a publicist or learning more about what is required for a book launch […]
#12 Has your agent sold the publishing rights for your book?
Yes. Continue to #13. No. Depending on how much time your agent has had to sell the rights to your […]
#11 Do you have an agent?
Yes. Continue with #12. No. You can reach out to publishers and editors without an agent, but you must do […]
#10 Do you know what indie authors must do for themselves?
Yes. Continue with #11. No. An indie author must be prepared to handle the following or to hire someone to […]
#9 Do you want to publish your book through a traditional publisher?
Yes. First, realize that you probably need an agent. Check out to #11. Then consider the length of time it […]
#8 Have you had your draft reviewed by beta readers or manuscript reviewers?
Yes. Continue to #9. No. Check out Pre-Publication Reviewer Resources. Featured image credit: Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
#7 Have you had your draft edited by a developmental editor?
Yes. Continue to #8. No. A developmental editor doesn’t focus on spelling, punctuation, grammar, or style, but rather on consistency […]
#6 Have you written a first draft?
Yes. Continue to #7. No. Check out Writing Your First Draft Resources. Featured image credit: Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
#5 Do you have an outline, summary, or synopsis for your story?
Yes. Continue to #6. No. Consider whether an outline will help you get started. If it won’t, skip this step […]
#4 Is your book idea fiction, memoir, or creative nonfiction based on history?
Yes. Continue to #5. No. Explore requirements for writing nonfiction. *Tips from publisher and distributor IngramSpark may provide a starting […]
#3 Does your audience want books?
Yes. Continue to #4. No. Perhaps you should write blog posts, journal articles, ezines, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, op […]
#2 Do you know who your audience is?
Yes. Continue to #3 No. Do the research to figure that out before you commit to what you write. Again, […]
#1 Do you have a story or idea in mind?
Yes. Continue to # 2. No. Stay on this step, or come back to it now and then, until the […]
I want to be a writer. Where do I start?
Most important—Don’t be fooled into thinking there is only one way. There is no single guaranteed path to producing a […]
