WHAT TO DO WHEN THE BOOK IS WRITTEN

So now you’ve written, rewritten, revised, edited, critiqued, and hopefully had beta readers look at your baby and tell you how great it is, right? RIGHT?

What’s next?

We’re lucky enough to be publishing now when there are so many options available.

• E-book publishers– Lyrical Press, Montlake, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain, & many more.
• Traditional Publishers– The big five as they are affectionately known. In the romance genre, this would be, Harlequin, Kensington, Avon, Hachette, & Penguin. Some of these will let you submit without an agent, check their guidelines and follow them, exactly.
• Self-publishing– This is becoming more and more popular as authors get tired of waiting for their manuscripts to find first an agent and then a publisher, all of which could conceivably take years. Self-publishing puts the onus on the author to pay for everything it takes to get the book in front of the public eye.

Some of the things you need to plan for are: Covers, editing services, formatting, advertising.

Writer groups such as both local and on-line RWA chapters, and internet searches are vital research tools. Use them.

The best advice I could give is to remember why you’re doing this. For myself, it’s because I love books, everything about them. This community suits me and my goals.

What about you? Why do you write?

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