What to Do After You Finish Your Book
You’ve finished your book. Congratulations! That’s amazing! CELEBRATE!
But as you’ve probably discovered, you’re not done. There are a few steps between finishing the first draft and publishing a book, especially if you’re self-publishing. So what should you do? How do you know what to do next? What step should come first, second, even fifth?
It’s natural to have a ton of questions. Let’s go down the list.
Step One: Self-Edit
The first step is Self-Editing. I’ll be talking about this process over the next few weeks, and you can check out the brand new Self-Editing Ebook Bundle to help you through the process! But whatever you do, do not skip this step.
Step Two: Find an Editor
Next, you’ll want to find an editor. If you’ve gone through the self-editing process, you’ll probably have a good idea about what type (or types) of editing you’ll really need. The quality of editors varies greatly, as does the services they provide, what type of editing they do, and how much they charge. So you’ll want to do your research.
My latest resource helps you do just that. In the How to Work With an Editor Masterclass, I cover everything from how to figure out what type of editing you’ll need to the nitty-gritty of what to expect when working with your editor once you find one. You’ll even learn what questions to ask a prospective editor and what to look for when you’re searching for the right fit. Not every editor is right for every book, after all!
Step Three: Proofread and Finalize Your Manuscript
Even if the editor does include a proofread in their project (a lot of us do!), you’ll want to do a final proofread yourself to make sure everything looks just like you want it to. Then you’ll finalize everything (like making sure the same punctuation conventions were followed and all the character names are consistent) and move on to the next step!
Step Four: Format Your Book
The next step is to format your book for both paperback and ebook. These are quite different, so the formatting will vary a bit between the formats, but don’t let that scare you! There are a lot of options out there. And if you don’t want to do the work yourself, you can always hire someone to do it for you!
Step Five: Publish Your Book!
The final step is actually publishing your book and getting it out into the world! There are several options for this as well, though Amazon is probably the most popular. It can be a tedious process, but it’ll be worth it to see that book in your hands, I promise!
Again, if you’ve written a book, take a minute to congratulate yourself! You’ve done what most people haven’t. But if you intend to publish it (if you don’t, that’s okay, too!), stick with this process to get your book out into the world.
People are waiting to read your story!
If you’re ready to work with an editor, check out my masterclass, How to Work With an Editor! You’ll learn all about the editing process and be well on your way to finding your ideal editor.
And if you’re not quite ready for that yet, but you want to get started on your research, check out my free ebook, Ten Questions Every Author Should Ask a Prospective Editor. It’s a quick, easy read that will get you started on the right path.
<3 Melissa