When I speak at events or read emails from authors, a lot of people say: "I'm ready to publish." In fact, many of them are, but the lion's share of these folks really aren't. Wondering which category you fall into? Here's a list of some ways to know that you're just not ready and what to do to improve your publishing game.
- You haven't researched the (publishing) industry: This is pretty important. You need to understand your industry, what's going on and what changes are going to affect your book and publishing experience. How can you do that? Get to know the trades that report on publishing, read them, read blogs, know what is happening in the industry. Believe me, it's not only good to stay current but it could save you a lot of time and money. And who knows, you might even learn a thing or two about this often chaotic market!
Finally, let's talk about editing. This extremely important step is often overlooked by authors. Why? Because it's easy to find someone to edit a book, right? Wrong. Editing is a pretty specialized skill set; someone who can find "typos" isn't a good editor. You want someone to help you raise the bar on your work and create a final product that is something you can really be proud of. An editor will give you critical feedback (especially if you've hired a content editor, which I highly recommend), and often improve your work beyond what you might have been able to do on your own.
It's good to remember that publishing isn't just about finding the right place to print and publish your book. It's about a lot more than that. Publishing is a business, if you treat it as a business model you will always succeed.
So, ready to achieve success in publishing? Coming soon: 10 Ways to Succeed in Publishing!