Writing a book is a big amount of effort and commitment!

There’s a ton of steps involved, from brainstorming to publishing. Let me break it down if you are so inclined.

Writing a Book:

1. Idea generation: Think of a topic you’re passionate about and come up with some killer ideas.
2. Research: Look up some background info and gather facts that’ll help you develop your story and characters.
3. Outline: Sketch out a rough draft of your book, including the main plot and chapters.
4. First draft: Start writing your first draft. Don’t worry about being perfect, just focus on getting your ideas on paper.
5. Revision: Read through your draft and make any necessary changes to improve the flow and structure.
6. Beta readers: Get some feedback from beta readers on what they liked and what could be improved.
7. Edit: Use the feedback to make any necessary edits to your manuscript.
8. Final draft: After polishing your manuscript, give it one final read-through before it’s ready for publishing.

Publishing:

1. Self-publish or traditional: Decide whether you want to self-publish or try for a traditional publishing house. My publishing is Diamond Consulting, easy to work with. They helped with editing, proof reading, layout, cover design and distribution. The book is available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks (more coming soon).
2. Submit your manuscript: If you choose traditional publishing, submit your manuscript to agents or publishers who accept unsolicited submissions.
3. Negotiate the contract: If your manuscript gets accepted, negotiate the terms of your publishing contract.
4. Editing: Work with an editor to make any necessary edits to your manuscript. My editor was ok, not a great experience. Choose one that knows your space. Its okay to pay more for this.
5. Proofreading: Have your manuscript proofread by a pro to ensure there are no errors. I had an awful experience with Fiverr for proof reading.
6. Layout: Format your manuscript according to publishing standards.
7. Cover design: Work with a graphic designer to create a dope cover that’ll attract readers. My graphic design HDMXPublishing (Hamaad) was awesome. Based in London, the guy was fast, reliable and consistent.
8. Print and distribute: Once everything is complete, print and distribute your book.
9. Consider all book formats: Ebook (ePub), Hard cover (if this is a publication people will cherish), Paperback (for folks that like paper in their hands) and Audio book.
10. ISBN: I got an ISBN for the eBook from myidentifers.com ($295 for 10) but used Kindle ISBN (free) for the Amazon paperback version and Barnes & Noble ISBN (free) for the B&N paperback version. Every version of your book needs a different ISBN – audio, eBook, paperback and hardcover.

Editing and proofreading:

1. Editing: Hire a pro to review your manuscript and give suggestions.
2. Revision: Make revisions based on the editor’s feedback.
3. Proofreading: Have your manuscript proofread to ensure it’s error-free.

Layout and cover design:

1. Layout: Format your manuscript according to industry standards.
2. Cover design: Work with a graphic designer to create a sweet cover that’ll grab readers’ attention.
3. Print and distribute: Once everything is complete, print and distribute your book.
4. Think about size (5X8 is for Paperback Amazon and 5.25X8 for Barnes and Noble)