10 steps to go through before you publish your work

Disclaimer: these suggestions are for indie authors, but can apply to traditional publishers as well.

1. Find a subject you are passionate to write about.

Does this step seem hard to you? Do you aimlessly wander through Instagram looking at pictures for inspiration? Does the wellspring of your mind can run dry and you find yourself desperate for a drop of creative juice.I haven't been an author long, but I know just how hard finding inspiration and passion can be. To help get you creative juices flowing again, here are a few things that I have tried:

-Ask yourself, what your favorite hobbies are. (mine are reading, writing, and photography)

-What book genres are you into?

-What TV shows/movies do you like?

-Are you into fantasy, fiction, sci fi, non-fiction, history, poetry, novels?

-Are you an expert in taking care of pets.

-Do you have experience or experience in anything that could benefit someone else

-What can you offer others that is unique and different.

If you are stuck and still can't find anything to write about, try the following (they work wonders):

-Take a bubble bath or relaxing shower.

-Meditate outside and listening to the breeze.

-Pet your fur babies and give them lots of loves and cuddles.

-Take a stroll outside

-Do some exercises like walking, biking, stretching, or yoga

-Listen to some inspirational music.

2. Brainstorm (also known as thought dumping)

Now take all that inspiration and creativity and throw it up on a word doc, google doc, scrivener, notebook, or whatever your writing pleasure is. You can write down character ideas, names, places, settings, creatures, dialogue, animals, whatever. Just write that stuff down. Remember, it doesn't have to look pretty, ya just have to be able to read it.

3. Puzzle time

Next, take all that wonderful mush you just spat out and play connect the dots. One way to do this that was recommended to me by author and YouTuber Jenna Moreci is to use sticky notes. Write main plot points, character names, dialogue, settings, scenes on those sticky notes and slap them some place where you can spread them out like a table or a wall or in my case a notebook...which doesn't always work because the sticky notes lack stickily luster. Shuffle the sticky notes around until you have a rough outline of what and where you want your book to go.

4. Outline's are your best friends

I know people hate outlining, but it is a necessary evil. Outlines help you navigate through your story line and allow you to see if there are any plot holes missing.

5. Get to writing - NO excuses!

6. Editing will be the bane of your existence

Editing is a pain in the butt, but again, a necessary evil if you want your manuscript to be readable. Whether you do it yourself or hire a profession, it needs to be done. So get to it!

7. Cover art

Every successful book needs a well-designed book cover. You could spend anywhere from $8-300 to hire someone to create a decent book cover for you. You can create your own, but it is highly recommended by professional authors to hire someone to do it. I personally used Book Brush to create my own cover, but selling mass copies of this book was not my intention. If your goal is to create a small book that is for friends and family, by all means create a book cover yourself. If you are going for fame and fortune, hire someone to do it. Just remember, you get what you pay for so do your research and weigh all your options before making a decision.

8. Growing an audience platform

This is one of the things I never knew about before becoming an author. Now, I wasn't living under a rock. I had Facebook and Instagram, but had no clue as to how to use them for the benefit of putting myself out there as a writer/author and presenting my book. Social media is so helpful in spreading the word about your book and gaining fans/followers, plus it's free.

9. Copyrighting

So you have written your book, edited it, got your book cover, and spread the word that your book is almost ready. You are ready to publish your book right? Wrong! No one told me this either. You have to register your book with the government and get it copyright at copyright.gov and then create your own copyright page and put it into your book.

10. Choosing a publishing platform.

For traditional publishers, you don't need to worry about this. For indie authors, this is a major concern and stress inducer. I choose the platform through Amazon that used to be known as Createspace until Amazon bought it out and made it there own. It's now called Amazon KDP and it is so simple and easy to use. Plus it's free to set up your book and apply for publishing. Amazon KDP mostly sells on Amazon and if you want a bigger platform to sell your books, I suggest IngramSpark.

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