7 Effective Tips for Becoming a Published Author

If you have been writing for the past few years, and you have dreams of publishing a book of your very own, you should know that it is not as easy as you would think. Not only are you expected to write a great book, you will need to find a way to print and market your work. Before you start on the publishing process, you should know where to start.

Here are seven effective tips for becoming a published author.

1. Choose a genre to specialize In

 If you are going to have a book published, you should make sure that you choose a genre to specialize in. While it is ok to try out other genres, you should really focus on a genre if you want to actually publish a book.  If you dabble in a myriad of genres, and not focus on just one, you really won’t get any work done.

2. Start a writing blog

If you want to publish a book successfully, you should make sure that there is a fan base waiting for your work. Even if you do release a book, but if there is no fan base to actually buy it, you will have a hard time actually selling any of your books. If you want to make sure that your books are as well-received as possible, you should set up a writing blog. By having a blog, you will have a platform from where you could post examples of your work, and eventually create a fan base for your work.

3. Practice your writing every chance you get

If you want to make sure that your work is as good as possible, you should practice your writing every chance you get. Remember that writing is not learned overnight. It takes years of practice to master the basics, and even more years to become a truly competent writer. Writing is an art form, and should be cultivated to the best of your abilities.

 4. Choose a publishing option

When it comes to publishing a book, it is important that you choose a publishing option that you are comfortable with. There are two publishing options that you could actually use. There is traditional publishing, and there is self-publishing.  Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. It is up to you to choose.

If you choose to go with traditional publishing, the main advantage is that you will be given full financial assistance by the publishing firm. The firm will print, market and distribute your book. They will also pay you a respectable sum for the majority rights for your book. The only setback with traditional publishing is that publishing firms are notoriously hard to get a publishing deal with. You will also have to give up some of the royalties for your books to the publishing house.

Should you choose to use the self-publishing route, you should know that you will be expected to do a majority of the work. You will also need to pay for everything. This is a difficult prospect for newbie writers, however, you will be given the added advantage of keeping all the rights and royalties for your book.

5. Look for a mentor

While dreaming of publishing a book is easy, it’s a lot more difficult to actually do it. If you want to publish a book the right way, you should look for a mentor. If you have friends who are established authors, don’t hesitate to ask for their help. Remember that there are many things to consider if you are going to actually publish a book. You should know the key aspects of publishing a book. If you are going to go for the traditional publishing route, you should know how to make your book as attractive to publishers as possible. This means courting the established publishers. By having a mentor, you will have someone who will guide you on the process.

If you chose the self-publishing route, you will at least have someone to teach you how to effectively self-publish your manuscript. This will help prevent you from spending too much on the process.

6. Be patient with the process

If you are going to publish a book, it is important that you have patience. While it could be a bit frustrating to start on publishing and marketing your book, you should understand that it is a multifaceted process. Publishing a book will take a lot of time and effort. There is also no guarantee that your first attempt will be successful. As a whole, you should buckle down, and just work as hard as possible. If you work hard, and play your cards right, you’ll surely publish a book of your very own.

 7. Grow your fan base

If you want your book to do well, it is very important that you grow a fan base. Long before you start on the publishing process, you should make sure that you have an existing fan base. The fan base should not be too large, what’s important is that it already exists before you start publishing your book. There are multiple ways you could grow your fan base. You could set up an author blog, and post content through there. You could also join writing groups and competitions. There are many ways that will help you grow your fan base. What’s important is you reach out to as many potential fans as possible.

Conclusion

Becoming a published author is not as easy as you would think. It is a very time consuming endeavor that will take a lot of effort and resources to accomplish. With these tips, you’ll be able to publish a book, in the most effective way possible.

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