I’ve been attending a lot of writing programs at my local library to help learn more about the craft and publishing process. This past Saturday was the first 2 parts of a series called “The Authorpreneur” led by post apocalyptic author and “The Career Author Podcast” cohost, J. Thorn. I wanted to share what I learned.
Each session was 2 hours long. The first one was called “Write A Lot” and part 2 was called “Look Professional.”
Part 1 focused on getting past the excuses and into a productive mindset. He started it off with a scene from the Matrix where Neo is offered the blue pill or the red pill. Our choices in this instance were this: Blue Pill- Continue to live life with your excuses why we can’t be a writer. “I’m too old.” “I’m too young.” “It’s too hard.” “It’s too technical.” “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t have time.” Red Pill- Listen to what he has to say and discover the steps to being, not only a published author, a successful author. One of those steps is figuring out why we do what we do. Everyone has a different reason. And, if that reason is to make it rich quick, well, you’re in the wrong profession. Not everyone can reach JK Rowling status in a week, or even a year. It takes a long time, tons of trial and error, to be able to have the financial stability to go full time and even after you reach it, you can’t just stop. You have to keep going, writing, working.
He also talked about how it doesn’t take any expensive tools to get started. You can use a computer, typewriter, even a pen and paper and longhand your first draft. As long as you’re getting it down in some form, you can go from there.
You also have to view writing books as a business. You are creating a product for the world to see and enjoy and you want it to be the best it can be so be prepared to put the work into it. This may mean purging a few things from your life in 3 categories: 1) Time- How much time do you spend on YouTube or binging that Netflix series you’ve watched 4 times. You could easily use that time to write and edit your work and, later, promote it. 2) Energy- Getting rid of the people holding you back and filling your head with all those excuses. Those who roll their eyes and say you’re wasting your time. 3) Clutter- Mainly physical clutter. Getting the junk out of your workspace. Making sure all your chores are done before you start writing.
Once you’ve mastered the mindset, it’s time to sit down and actually start writing. If you’re just starting out or have other commitments (family, job, volunteer commitments), plan your writing time around that. Set aside a specific time every day and a word count goal to reach during that time. I’ll use this April Camp NaNoWriMo count as an example. My first draft I’m setting a total goal for my manuscript to be 30,000 words. It might end up being more but I’m starting low and going from there. So, 30 days in a month, I have to sit down and try to write no less than 1000 words each day that month. I look at my schedule each week, figure out my work schedule, appointments, classes, other obligations and plan my writing time. Even if that means getting up at 4 in the morning to work before everything else.
Part 2 of this series was “Look Professional.” Mostly directed toward self-published authors. It focused on what to do once that first draft is written to go from a Word Doc on your computer to a completed book available for sale that competes with the quality of traditionally published books.
J. explained that there are 3 things you cannot skimp on when it comes to the quality of your books. This is definitely a “You Get What You Pay For” scenario for editing, proofreading, and cover design. This is where research is involved to find good quality and good prices in these services. There are many scammers out there so you need to be on the lookout.
Now, my editing process includes a series of self edits. But, this isn’t enough. I’m too close to my project and there’s still stuff I’ve probably missed. My critique partners help with the technical side. If I misspelled a word or I have a wonky sentence. Beta readers help me see if the story is coherent and enjoyable. They can tell me if my plot twist isn’t subtle enough. If there’s a hint for something in a coming book that is a bit too glaring. But, this doesn’t replace a professional edit.
Cover design is another service you have to invest in. No matter how good you are at Photoshop. You need someone who specializes in covers. The purpose of a cover is to convey your genre. And, there are certain criteria for genre. He had us look on Amazon at the top 100 books in our genre to see what similarities the covers had. Color- Lots of greens, blues, blacks, and reds. Actual items on the cover of new adult fantasy, there were a lot of covers with the image of the character on the front. If the character’s a witch, she’s holding a ball of fire or a book covered in runes or an ancient language. I saw a lot of covers with the full moon shining bright on the cover. If there’s another supernatural creature besides a witch, maybe a wolf is prowling in the background or a handsome man with black or eyes and pale skin- obviously a vampire.
J. kept reiterating the importance of genre. Someone browsing on Amazon looks at a page about a book for about 6 seconds. So, your book cover, title, and synopsis have to scream your genre in order for someone to click “add to cart.” And then, once they get the book, either physical copy or on their device, they can make other judgments about the writing and appearance of the book. Is your formatting okay? Is the story gripping and interesting? Anything else they might put into their review.
That’s the end of the first half of these courses. I’ll fill you in same time next week after I attend the second 2- “Understand Amazon” and “Build Your Audience.”
If you’re interested, check out J. Thorn’s website and the Author Copilot for more information and resources.
Check your local library for writing events in your area. They’re almost always free and are incredibly helpful.