The simple answer to how to turn your book idea into a reality is obviously to write. It’s one thing to come up with a great idea, it’s another thing altogether to actually get it down on paper.
If you come up with an idea for a book, you should start by setting some writing goals. Will you write for a certain amount of time each day? Will you write a certain number of words per day? Where will you write? Do you prefer to work on a laptop in a coffee shop? Can you work from home?
Next do any research necessary for your book. Is there any information you’ll need to know when you’re writing? If you’ve already got the details handy, you won’t need to stop writing in the middle of your book to look something up. Will you be interviewing anyone? Get the interviews done before you start writing. You can always get additional information later, but the more you have to start with, the easier it will be to just fill in details.
Many writers start with an outline. Do you have a rough idea of characters, opening and closing, and plot development? If you get an outline written down, you can use it to keep yourself from going astray while you’re working.
What helped you turn your book idea into a reality?
Please share your tips here or at http://www.jexbo.com/. Thanks!
How to Motivate Yourself to Finish Your Book
Writing a book is hard work and it takes time. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re halfway through something and you just can’t think of the next thing to write, or you just can’t face sitting in front of the computer (or opening a notebook, if you’re writing your book longhand) for one more minute. Some ideas that might help are take a break, work according to a schedule, or give yourself a deadline.
If you’ve been working so long on your book that you just can’t face another minute on it, rather than give up on it completely, take a break. If you don’t want to take a break from writing completely, how about starting work on a new book? Maybe write a short story, or an article for a magazine or blog. Writing can be great fun, and if you give yourself something else to work on, when you’re ready to get back to writing your book, you’ll be refreshed.
Another thing to try is set a schedule and stick to it. Give yourself a goal of a certain number of words per day, or a certain amount of time to write, and then do it. Every day you’ll be a step closer to finishing your book!
Last, give yourself a deadline to finish your book. Are you close enough to the end that you can finish it in a month if you work hard? How about by the end of the year? If it helps you stick to the deadline, tell someone and have him or her hold you accountable. If I know someone’s going to be checking on me, I’m much more motivated to do things I said I’d do.
Do you have any tips to keep yourself motivated? I’d love to hear them! Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/!
If you’ve been working so long on your book that you just can’t face another minute on it, rather than give up on it completely, take a break. If you don’t want to take a break from writing completely, how about starting work on a new book? Maybe write a short story, or an article for a magazine or blog. Writing can be great fun, and if you give yourself something else to work on, when you’re ready to get back to writing your book, you’ll be refreshed.
Another thing to try is set a schedule and stick to it. Give yourself a goal of a certain number of words per day, or a certain amount of time to write, and then do it. Every day you’ll be a step closer to finishing your book!
Last, give yourself a deadline to finish your book. Are you close enough to the end that you can finish it in a month if you work hard? How about by the end of the year? If it helps you stick to the deadline, tell someone and have him or her hold you accountable. If I know someone’s going to be checking on me, I’m much more motivated to do things I said I’d do.
Do you have any tips to keep yourself motivated? I’d love to hear them! Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/!
Top 3 Reasons to Self-Publish
There are lots of great reasons to self-publish your book, but I think these are the top three: control, time, and convenience.
First of all, if you self-publish your book you get to control all aspects of it. How much will you charge for each book, where will you market your book, what sort of cover art will you choose, even what font your book will be printed in! If you choose to self-publish, every decision will be yours.
Second, you will not have to wait for a publisher to get your manuscript, read through it, and get back to you. If you go through a traditional publishing route, it could be weeks or months before you even know if your book will be published, whereas if you self-publish, your book will be published on your schedule.
Third, it is convenient to self-publish your book. You can buy software to prepare your book for you, step by step. You could choose one of the many online self-publishing firms that provide a variety of services, from editing to marketing your book. There are lots of great self-publishing firms out there just waiting for your book!
Do you have questions about self-publishing? Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/!
First of all, if you self-publish your book you get to control all aspects of it. How much will you charge for each book, where will you market your book, what sort of cover art will you choose, even what font your book will be printed in! If you choose to self-publish, every decision will be yours.
Second, you will not have to wait for a publisher to get your manuscript, read through it, and get back to you. If you go through a traditional publishing route, it could be weeks or months before you even know if your book will be published, whereas if you self-publish, your book will be published on your schedule.
Third, it is convenient to self-publish your book. You can buy software to prepare your book for you, step by step. You could choose one of the many online self-publishing firms that provide a variety of services, from editing to marketing your book. There are lots of great self-publishing firms out there just waiting for your book!
Do you have questions about self-publishing? Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/!
How to Deal with Publisher Rejection
No one likes rejection, let’s start by getting that out of the way. But you need to remind yourself there’s a huge difference between rejection and failure. Your book might have been rejected by someone, but unless you give up, you have not failed.
Keep in mind is there’s a world of publishers out there, and just because your book has been rejected by one (or by a hundred), it has not been rejected by all publishers. Go to your local library to find other publishers where you could send your manuscript, or check online for publishers looking for new talents. It’s a set-back to have been rejected, but you need to remind yourself it’s just that you haven’t found the right publisher yet. Make a list of publishers and work your way right through it if you have to, until you find the one who is right for you.
If the rejection letter came with any comments, see if you can make that work to your advantage. For example, if you were entering your manuscript in a writing contest, the publisher might like to see your work again at a different time, when you won’t be in competition with other writers. Could you re-submit it? Did the publisher think the material was too short or too long? If so, consider editing your manuscript with that in mind.
Finally, you might just need to take a break from sending out your manuscript to publishers. Sometimes the stress of waiting for an answer can be overwhelming. Give yourself some time before you send your manuscript to another publisher, then when you’re ready, get right back into things and keep looking for the right fit for your book!
Do you have questions about self-publishing? Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/! Thanks!
Keep in mind is there’s a world of publishers out there, and just because your book has been rejected by one (or by a hundred), it has not been rejected by all publishers. Go to your local library to find other publishers where you could send your manuscript, or check online for publishers looking for new talents. It’s a set-back to have been rejected, but you need to remind yourself it’s just that you haven’t found the right publisher yet. Make a list of publishers and work your way right through it if you have to, until you find the one who is right for you.
If the rejection letter came with any comments, see if you can make that work to your advantage. For example, if you were entering your manuscript in a writing contest, the publisher might like to see your work again at a different time, when you won’t be in competition with other writers. Could you re-submit it? Did the publisher think the material was too short or too long? If so, consider editing your manuscript with that in mind.
Finally, you might just need to take a break from sending out your manuscript to publishers. Sometimes the stress of waiting for an answer can be overwhelming. Give yourself some time before you send your manuscript to another publisher, then when you’re ready, get right back into things and keep looking for the right fit for your book!
Do you have questions about self-publishing? Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/! Thanks!
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