"The End (Outtake)", by Dustin Diaz. December 31, 2009. No changes made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode Once you have finished re-drafting and editing your final draft, you will have - more or less - "finished" a book. I could say that the process ended here, but that would be deceptive. Once an author decides to publish their work, there are an infinite number of stages between the "finishing" of the novel and the finishing of the novel: getting it to the point where the author can no longer touch it and it is a complete book sitting on their shelf.
Reaching this stage of writerhood is almost like finding yourself in a Choose Your Own Adventure book, in which you are surrounded by decisions, many of which seem to end in certain death. With a slim chance of success, you gingerly make your way forward, trying to avoid the minefields.
To avoid being deceptive, I'm going to give you a list of some of the options that you have to choose from at this point.
1. Look for a literary agent to sell your novel to a publisher.
- This could result in finding an excellent publisher, which may result in copious amounts of work before publication. Revising the book multiple times with your editor will be high on the cards.
- Or this could result in endless rejections, eventual despair, and a decision to try another avenue.
2. Look for a publisher who doesn't require a literary agent to approach them.
- This could result in copious amounts of work before publication. Revising the book multiple times with your editor will be high on the cards.
- Or this could result in endless rejections, eventual despair, and a decision to try another avenue.
3. Attempt self publishing
- This will result in looking for good software on which to format your book acceptably. Additionally, you will need to do all your own pre-publication revisions, catching any left over typos and distracting errors. You will need to line up your own cover artist, find an avenue to self publish through (Amazon, Smashwords, etc), and release your book in a way that generates enough attention to create some sales.
All of these options have their pros and cons. A literary agent opens up a world of publishing opportunities. A publisher in theory does some of the tough yards for you and provides you with a good platform from which to sell your books. Even if they don't, though, the reputation of traditional publishers is such that it will open doors for you in other ways. Self publishing means you get to keep a hundred percent of profits and also have the freedom to write, edit, and market the book the way you want.
I can hardly pretend this series of articles on how to write a novel is exhaustive. But I hope that it's given you a better understanding of the process. Writing a book isn't for the faint hearted. But it is rewarding, and it cannot fail to change you.
Reaching this stage of writerhood is almost like finding yourself in a Choose Your Own Adventure book, in which you are surrounded by decisions, many of which seem to end in certain death. With a slim chance of success, you gingerly make your way forward, trying to avoid the minefields.
To avoid being deceptive, I'm going to give you a list of some of the options that you have to choose from at this point.
1. Look for a literary agent to sell your novel to a publisher.
- This could result in finding an excellent publisher, which may result in copious amounts of work before publication. Revising the book multiple times with your editor will be high on the cards.
- Or this could result in endless rejections, eventual despair, and a decision to try another avenue.
2. Look for a publisher who doesn't require a literary agent to approach them.
- This could result in copious amounts of work before publication. Revising the book multiple times with your editor will be high on the cards.
- Or this could result in endless rejections, eventual despair, and a decision to try another avenue.
3. Attempt self publishing
- This will result in looking for good software on which to format your book acceptably. Additionally, you will need to do all your own pre-publication revisions, catching any left over typos and distracting errors. You will need to line up your own cover artist, find an avenue to self publish through (Amazon, Smashwords, etc), and release your book in a way that generates enough attention to create some sales.
All of these options have their pros and cons. A literary agent opens up a world of publishing opportunities. A publisher in theory does some of the tough yards for you and provides you with a good platform from which to sell your books. Even if they don't, though, the reputation of traditional publishers is such that it will open doors for you in other ways. Self publishing means you get to keep a hundred percent of profits and also have the freedom to write, edit, and market the book the way you want.
I can hardly pretend this series of articles on how to write a novel is exhaustive. But I hope that it's given you a better understanding of the process. Writing a book isn't for the faint hearted. But it is rewarding, and it cannot fail to change you.
