Now What?
You labored long to write your first draft. There are many steps to take next. Where do you begin?
1st - Self-Edit
- Content Flow
- Does all your content flow in a natural progression?
- Is your content easy to follow?
- Are you making a clear point in each chapter and the book or blog post as a whole?
- Do you have a framework or writing outline to make sure you are keeping to the point of your work?
- Check Your Grammar & Spelling
- If you struggle with grammar and spelling, have a friend go over your work first before sending to an editor or posting on a blog. It will help you and the editor.
- Take time to learn proper grammar you may have missed in school. No one writes perfectly all of the time, and it is easier to find someone else's mistakes than our own. There are YouTube videos on this as well as our new program The Write Academy will be teaching grammar lessons each month.
- Learn more at www.TheWriteAcademy.com
- Make sure you are using words in their proper context. Look it up if you are not certain.
Ex: You google their site.
God gives sight to the blind.
The sign is in plain sight from the road.
2nd - Format Properly - Book or Blog
There are some common standards to follow for a blog post or book. However, some formatting can be personal preference.
- Only ONE space after a period. This is a new standard practice for all writing. [This has been a hard habit to break. When I learned to type the standard was two spaces after a period.]
- Subtitles - Whether you are writing a blog post like this or a book, you want subtitles to break up the text. It is easier for readers to scan the material. Have you been scanning this post?
For Blog Post - I like to make the subtitle a color from the colors in my logo. It makes them easy to read. - Justify Text - Meaning the text is even on both sides of the page. [The text of this post is justified.] This is a much cleaner look visually and easier to read. Alignment of your text is a personal preference more than a standard. However, if you look in most books digital and paper, the text is justified.
3rd - Hire a Professional Editor!!
I cannot stress this enough. If you are self-publishing a book, big or small, please do the world a favor, and hire an editor! Even the most seasoned writers use editors. It is an expense you need to make a priority when self-publishing. I am not talking about your mom or your best friend, Sue unless they have mad editing skills. An editor is an investment in making your work great.
For professional editing I recommend me or Colleen Wietmarschen. You can contact Colleen at Colleen@MColleenWietmarschen.com or me at Joyce@TheWriteCoach.biz.
When you are self-publishing a book, there are three major expenses preparing your book to published:
- Graphic Designer for the Book Cover
- Professional Editor
- Professionally Format the book
4th - Professional Format Your Book
Use a designer to professionally format the inside of your book, unless you use a program like Scrivener or InDesign. However, resizing your content to a certain book size, adding graphics, and you will need someone who is very proficient with the program to know how to make it look professional.
There are some things it is much better to pay a professional to do than beating yourself up trying to do it.
My friend Terri P. Williams professionally formats books. You can reach her at services@TerriPWilliams.com
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