Whether it's skydiving, visiting the Taj Mahal, riding an elephant or learning to play the piano, everyone has that bucket list they're trying to work through before they die. Having done all of these things myself already, my own bucket list is much smaller nowadays but one of the last remaining entries was to publish a novel.
This year, however, I was successful at putting a check into that box with the release of Forestium: The Mirror Never Lies. If you've ever wanted to put a check into that box, here are the 5 things you'll need to do.
Step 1
Turn intention into action
It might sound straightforward enough but the truth is that the vast majority of people that intend to write a novel never actually start. Sadly, the majority of people that start don't even finish it either, and many of those that do get that far never cross the final hurdle of actually getting their book published. Overcoming this mental hurdle and believing in yourself is the very first, all-important step towards your goal of seeing your book in print.
Step 2
Write something
Whether there's something that you've always wanted to write or whether you are inventive enough to conjure up something on the spot, your book content is your next hurdle. Many people think that this is the hardest past of the process but that's not necessarily the case. Don't worry about making it perfect - just get something down first. You can always go back and make improvements.
Step 3
Editing
There will be lots of opportunity along your journey to try to scrimp and save and do things on the cheap. This isn't one of those. Don't try to do this yourself! Get a professional to assist. Once you have finished your last chapter, the real work begins and it should start with you going over everything yourself - repeatedly - to make changes, corrections, tweaks, adjustments, etc. Then, solicit some beta readers to give you an honest assessment. These should be strangers that have no investment in wanting to spare your feelings. Your Mum will love your work and your friends and family will probably tell you it's terrific. Ignore them all and get total strangers to give you the honest feedback you'll need at this point. When you've done all of this, engage a professional editor to go over it all. You'll be surprised at just how much better a good editor can make your manuscript.
Step 4
Book cover
People do judge a book by its cover, so make sure it's a good one. Yes, you can make a book cover cheaply and with readily available software programs like Microsoft Word but this is another area where money could be very well spent. The right book cover can make or break a book, so it's worth spending a lot of attention on this. Engaging with a book cover designer is likely to be money very well spent.
Step 5
Getting published
Sounds easy, right? Well, the truth is that it can be - depending on which route you take. When it comes to publishing, authors fall into two broad categories: Traditional (trad) or Independent (indie). The trad publishing route typically involves engaging with an agent, who then sells your idea to a publishing house, or at least tries to. This can and does work well for a lot of people. The catch is that you have to pay a percentage to the agent and also to the publisher. But, if all goes well, your book will be marketed far and wide. The downside is that you lose a percentage of your book sales, as the agent and publisher each take their cut. If you publish the book yourself, which is quite easily done nowadays, you'll retain more of the profits for yourself, although it can be hard work competing against the traditional publishing marketing machines and will definitely require a lot more work on your part.