As we close in on the release of my debut novel, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned about the publishing process so far. I’m saying so far because this is my debut novel. I’m no expert. I just have a lot of rambling thoughts. This is what I’ve learned.
Querying is a lot of work. Wording that cover letter—making it catchy but not braggy. Okay, maybe a little braggy. Beefing up your CV because you may or may not have any publishing credits to your name. Making sure you’ve closely followed all of the publisher’s directions for submission. Copy editing the entire submission package! Funny that the simple word “query” just means to ask a question, but in traditional publishing, it’s so much more than a question.
Querying is also a waiting game. Since typically publishers ask you to wait 3 to 6 months for a response. I don’t have much else to say about this, to be honest. In my querying experience, I had one publisher ask for the full manuscript the same day I sent the query. And I had several who didn’t even respond at all.
So I chose the indie author route. I figured I could do this. And I can. But also:
Typesetting your interior is a lot of work, some of which is actually quite tedious. But paying attention to all that detail is so worth it.
Self-editing isn’t that easy—having an editor you trust is a super valuable resource! That being said, I wrote a whole post with my tips for self-editing.
Creating an aesthetically pleasing e-book requires a completely different interior than the paperback. I did not know this before deciding I need an e-book version of my novel. But I’m so glad I went through the trouble because I’m proud of how it turned out, and I know it’ll reach more readers that way.
Creating your own cover is more fun in theory than on paper (pun intended). Mine would not be what it is without the help I had.
Doing all your own marketing is time consuming. Sometimes it feels like it’s not even making a dent, but you have to keep at it because results take time.
Having support is a wonderful thing. Writer friends, beta readers, an editor, even just someone who’ll listen to your crazy ideas and tell you to go for it.
One last thing: writing the novel in the first place is the fun and easy part!
Enjoy this little visual snapshot of who my MC Grace is. Finding Grace releases March 20!