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  Category: Articles » Writing & Speaking » Book Writing » Article
 

What You Need To Know To Write A Book




By Caterina Christakos

As a published author and personal coach,with published work in various genres, I get alot of questions about how to write a book and get it published. These questions come from all over the world and yet despite the variation in culture, the questions are always the same. Here are the answers to my top four questions:

What you need to know to write a book

Momentum is the key to every published novel and completed work.
Debating for half a century over what to write is a good way to have your dream of becoming an author remain simply a dream. Schedule time daily to write and to create worlds previously unseen. In the items below I will talk alot about research, especially if you intend to publish. Knowing your audience is one of the keys to getting published. That said, if you devote all of your energy to research and second guessing what "the world" and publishers will actually like, you can end up in the same predicament as those who simply dream of writing.

With that word of caution, before writing a book that you intend to publish you must know your demographic. Are you writing for 5 year olds, teens, senior citizens?Is this a specialized group? Ex. If you are writing for children, what level of learning are they at? Would a picture book be more appropriate? What type of language are they capable of understanding? Ex. If you are picking a certain genre, like Romance, what group are you targeting? Will you write historical romances, science fiction romances, supernatural romances, comic romance novels? What is appropriate in this genre now? Romance novel love scenes have come along way. Whereas before you were allowed to hint at bedroom activities, now love scenes must sizzle.

How to write a book plan

Even if you are simply writing to write, without the thought of publishing, you should have a structure to your work. Outline what you would like to happen in the book. What plot are you going for? Your book should have a beginning, middle and end. Yes you absolutely should jump in and write, as soon as possible, but have an idea of where it is going. There is a difference between writing a really good scene and writing a full blown novel. One is a great "idea" and the other has a plot and storyline with a conclusion. I always outline the plot of the book, and create a back history for each of my characters. Most of what is in their history you will not include in the actual book but it gives you a frame of reference. When you don't know what your character will do next, look at the outline you created for him. Ex. Did his mom abandon him early on? How does that affect his attitude, thoughts, behavior, speech patterns? Does he have a stutter? How does that affect his relationships?

How to write a book and publish it

If you intend to publish your book, the traditional way, then pick up a copy of this year's Writer's Market. Look and see what publishers in your genre are asking for right now. They will tell you the subjects that they want and the ones that they will burn on site. Never send your manuscript to these publishers unless asked for it or their description in the Writer's Market says this is allowed. You should send a query letter with a self addressed stamped envelope to receive their reply. Most publishers throw out unsolicited manuscripts so save yourself the time, and money. When you are asked to send your manuscript in, send it with another self addressed stamped envelop. On the off chance that they do not accept your manuscript you want to make sure that you get your manuscript back. Your mauscript should be printed on only one side of each page, be easy to read and have space for margins. Even if they do not accept your manuscript, they are sometimes nice enough to write comments in the margins. If you intend to self publish, you are in luck, the price for self publishing has come way down. Whereas you used to have to spend thousands of dollars and buy copies in bulk, now print on demand publishers will take a small upfront fee and a percentage of sales but you do not have to stock your books. They simply print a copy as soon as it is ordered.

How to Market Your Book

Once the writing is over and you have either been accepted by a publisher or self-published, you need to begin marketing your book. If you are self publishing you need to send out press releases, submit copies to book reviewers, schedule book signings, and use every tool available to you to get your book and your name out there. If you have been picked up by a publisher, I hate to tell you this, but you still have the job of marketing your book. Beginning authors, especially, have this duty. You must constantly be in marketing mode. Tell people about your book, arrance interviews, set up a web presence. Go on to the message boards and promote your book in a friendly manner. Network with other authors to see what techniques have worked for them. You have written a book. That is wonderful. Congratulations. But that is only half the battle. Letting people know about it and building a following is the other half.

I have spoken a great deal in this article about the business of writing your book. All of these considerations are necessary. Above and beyond them though is the sheer enjoyment of writing. Allow yourself to get caught up in the experience. As writers, we have the absolute wonderous gift of creating new worlds and sharing them with others. You get paid to dream. What better job is that? Keep the business model in mind and be observant of marketing opportunities but when you are actually in writing mode, let that reality go and focus on creating a new one that you can share with others.

Caterina Christakos is a published author and personal coach. To receive even more step by step writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com
 
 
About the Author
Caterina Christakos is a published author and personal coach. To receive even more step by step writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

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