Making It Happen

I spent years wanting to be a writer but not really wanting to learn to write. I wanted the respect, the interested looks, and to walk into a bookstore and casually whisper to a nearby shopper, “Psst. I wrote that.” Cool right? Unfortunately, that is not how it works.

For some reason no books were publishing themselves in my name as I sat idly by. So, having finally learned a lesson, I set to writing. I knew I didn’t want to deal with traditional publishing. I was too green. Plus, I wanted to learn the publishing process on my own. My mindset was that I would be a published writer come hell or high water. What was the lesson set my writing feet in motion?

There is one thing every single writer has in common: they write. That is step one. Of course, here at Prose., most of you are accomplishing step one every single day. Good work.

Step two is sticking with one project until it is ready to be seen by the world. This can be difficult. It takes over a month, usually, to write the first draft of a novel. That timeline depends on the story’s length and the writer’s schedule, it often takes even longer. Then there is the time spent editing, revising, proofreading, and revising again. Want to know what tedious feels like? Write, edit, and revise your own novel. I will probably never read one of my published books again. I’ve already read each of them five or six times when they come to market.

Step two is the step of discipline. Sticking with your work until it is ready for another set of eyes.

Step three is the step of courage, showing your work to another person. Again, because of Prose., we are used to this kind of thing. I recommend having at least one beta reader, preferably two, to find the inconsistencies in your work. Beta readers read your book in the early stages and give you feedback. There are always little problems the writer cannot see because they are too close to the story. That’s why it is important to become friends with other writers, but I will get to that a little later.

Step four is making the final story revisions (yep, you need to read the whole thing again) and finding a proofreader. Some writers are able to do their own proofreading, and good for them. They have my envy. I have trouble finding my own mistakes. I figure the more time that is spent on my manuscript, the better it will be. Having published novels both ways, with just my time invested and with my time plus three other people’s time invested, I assure you this is true.

Step five, your novel is ready for formatting. I did my first novel entirely for free (including my own proofreading, which was a nightmare). I formatted it with whatever word processing program came free with the version of Windows I had back then. For the second novel, I broke down and bought Microsoft Word. It has all the functions necessary to properly format an e-book and a paperback. Please let me know if there is more interest in formatting an e-book and a paperback, it is something I love to do and will happily dedicate an entire blog post to it.

For step six you upload the manuscript and cover. I have created my own covers and worked with a graphic designer. I think it all depends on the book. For “The Bad” and “Sales for Authors,” I did it myself. For “The Dead Don’t Speak,” and when I published “Tanglefoot” by Donna Myhrer, I worked with a graphic designer. Both methods worked out well.

Step seven is the most time consuming thing you will do as an independent author: promote your book. Promotion is a never-ending effort when you publish your own work. My advice is to be shameless in your efforts. Do not hesitate to mention your books, post about them online, and actively seek new opportunities as a writer. Heck, doing exactly that landed me this blogging gig with Prose. Plus, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe were shameless self-promoters, so consider yourself in good company.

When I mentioned beta reading earlier, I said it was good to make friends with your fellow writers. Now that it is time to promote your work, having writer friends is even better. Your fellow self-publishing authors are an invaluable resource. They know things you do not, they have tried things you hadn’t ever thought of, and they are continually looking for new ways to get the word out about their work, too.

I’ve found two effective avenues to meeting fellow writers.

One is Twitter, writers are all over Twitter. The second is by participating in Facebook book launch parties. There are many, many, many writers' groups on Facebook. Keep an eye on their newsfeed and you will find people asking for volunteers for online book launches. There is a book about Facebook launch parties, where authors do “takeovers.” The book is called, “Your Turn! How to do a Facebook Takeover Like a Boss” by Claudette Melanson.

Once again, because you are already on Prose., you have an advantage over someone like me, when I first started. Prose. is a community of writers. This is a terrific place to make new friends. If you don’t know who to approach or how to not sound like a stalker, send me a message. I am a self-publishing author and I am always looking for new friends. I am eager to connect as well as connect you with people I know.

The bottom line is, if you want to be a writer, then be a writer.

All you need to have to be published is a computer, the internet, and a can-do attitude. Cultivating a positive attitude is the single most important thing a beginning writer can do. It is what keeps you in the game. It increases optimism, helps you see opportunity in failure, and generally keeps the spirits up. I would not be an author without it. If I let a setback or unexpected problem get me down, I would have given up before my first book was ever published.

Until next time...

-Kendall Bailey

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To view the article, with full references and clickable links, please visit The Official Prose. Blog this afternoon at: blog.theprose.com/blog. Be sure also to follow Kendall here and on Twitter @KBaileyWriter.