Writing a book:

The journey for writing and publishing a book has many milestones. This article captures some of the essential steps.

The first step for a good book is to prepare the manuscript. Many authors will vouch for the effort that this takes and seldom it is a collaboration unlike the other milestones on the roadmap to realizing a book. It is also an opportunity for the author to find their true voice as she articulates it in the book. Planning for the book writing is an essential step because it consumes several hours at least. There are quite a few incentives available to write a book. The famous author Alexander Chee described his love of writing while on the train and his wish that Amtrak would provide residencies for that very purpose. Amtrak established its residency program to that effect in 2014.

The next step for the author is to decide between self-publishing or utilizing a white glove full service from a publishing house. This affects planning for such things as an ISBN number which must be purchased and can be used with a book only when it has been applied and paid for. Many publishing companies offer several advantages such as working with graphic designers to create the book cover.

The beginning and end of a book have several sections and language necessary for the proper branding and compliance that can only come from experience. It is better to hire a publisher at least for the first book.

The choices between publishing houses vary quite a bit. Some can be based on reputation, precedence or simply affiliation but did you know there are negotiations involved that can often make one better than the other among equals. The art of negotiation is in full swing when it comes to compensation.

There are shops that will help companies enable authors to self-publish their book that allow you to keep 100% of the royalties but these take a while.

Editing, book-designing, and selling are all essential considerations for the publishing of the book. These include several aspects that the publishers can help with, and some might take the author more time if she were to do it herself. Selling channels and advertising is immensely dependent on how sellers perceive the book more than what the author may want to say. Positioning and branding the book to proper selling channels is just as important as the royalty discussion.

There are many creative aspects in which competitors differentiate themselves from each other in the book publishing industry but following the well-trodden path comes with some predictability.

Lastly, authors must explore the opportunities to read the book for audio and books on tapes because these sell just as well as the books.