So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? Formatting Your Book

So You’ve Written A Book. Now What?

Formatting Your Book

In the last part of this series, we spoke about the self-editing of your manuscript, something that is essential to getting your work accepted into the first layer of publishing—the acceptance by the agents or publishers who will take you through the process. DO NOT discount this vital part of your work. Whether you hire an editor to look over your work or you do it yourself, you must remember the mantra: “The very best you can make it.” With over 300,000 books being published every year now, what is going to make yours stand up and be noticed—even accepted in the very first place?

After the internal part of your work, self-editing, there is still the designing of your cover, the writing of your backmatter and the ultimate typesetting of the book. Even more important (to readers) than the story itself, your cover and backmatter are the parts that will get the book up to the cashier. They are critical, and yet we overlook these items so often.

If you’ve looked at self-publishing companies, you will notice that most of the really inexpensive ones have a template, or several, that is to become your cover. Many of them are, in general, nice, but you must ask the question, Will this cover really show my book off to its best advantage? Does the style reflect the mystery and suspense your book is about, or the peacefulness, or the happiness? Do the colors show off the book, or do they hide it? Is the title one-size-fits-all, or can it be changed? What about the color of the text? Do they show off well against the background color or scene? Does your name stand out or get hidden? Can you get a sub-title on the cover or just the main title name? My next book is entitled “The Lesser Evil” but it really needs the sub-title, “Comes the avenger executing wrath on those who practice evil” to really set off the intrigue in people’s minds as they see it for the first time.

All of this must be looked at carefully before you say, “It’s okay.”

What about the backmatter? That’s what is on the back cover of your book. Is it just words describing the story? Does it also have a picture of you and a short biography? Or do you need the whole back cover to describe enough of the story to get people’s interest? And, who will write your backmatter—your editor or you? If you are with a traditional publisher, you will likely have a full editor and usually they do that writing. However, who has the final approval? YOU. You must make sure it says what you want it to, that the words excite you as it must a buyer. Nothing wrong with having your picture there, but do you really want it and the bio to take up space? Do you really need that space to tell about the story properly? More things to consider.

Keep in mind this extremely important aspect of putting your ultimate book together: What will buyers see when they look at the bookstore shelves? Will your book stand out or just be lost in all the color? Can people read the words on the spine of the book (because that will likely be what is standing out to them)? IF they happen to pick the book off the shelf, what will the cover tell them? Will it excite them or cause them to put it back? IF the cover keeps them looking, what will they read on the back that causes them to consider opening it and reading a few words?

And then, what will the typesetting of the book do? IF they get past the cover and the backmatter, is the type too small and scrunched together? Do the margins get lost in the edge of the book so they have to “break” it to read it? Is the type so flowery that they have trouble reading it—and put it back on the shelf? Are the lines too close together? If you have pictures or charts and graphs, are they absolutely clean and readable? Does the color of the paper match the story and can you easily read the text against it? Again so much to consider as you work to make your book “the very best you can make it.”

Don’t get so enamoured over this magnificent creation you’ve put together that you run off to publishing land without spending considerable time considering all these aspects of your book. If you use a self-publishing company, YOU will be responsible for how this all looks and how it will be received by the reading public. If you use a traditional publisher, YOU will still be responsible, ultimately, for what your book will look like. I don’t necessarily mean to fight with your publisher for “your rights” on this, but again, ultimately, YOU have to be excited about what the end result is and YOU have to approve of it. It’s YOUR book—YOUR baby—YOUR creation. “The very best you can make it.”

Next time we’ll look at the actual publishers out there. What kind are there and what will they do, or not do, for you as you walk on through this mine field. So, look for the next edition or head right into the Website and get the mini-book, So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? at http://www.JimMagwood.com/index.php?p=1_20.

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Jim Magwood is the author of the international mystery novel, SANCTION. You can visit him at his site, http://www.jimmagwood.com/. He is also the webmaster of a site dedicated to showcasing authors and their works to readers everywhere at a cost any author can afford. Visit The Author’s Inn at http://www.the-authors-inn.com/.

So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? Self Editing

This is the second article in a series of articles written by Jim Magwood, author of So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? and the mystery novel, SANCTION.  (More on Jim below the article.)  As the editor-in-chief of Feathered Quill, I can tell you that Jim's advice is spot on. Editing is the single biggest problem we see with self-published books.  If you're going to spend the money to self-publish, PLEASE edit your book.  Read this column carefully!

Once you get your book into the hands of a publisher, you will get it edited (at least if your choice of publisher offers that function.) However, BEFORE it gets that far, even to ensure it DOES get that far, you must get it edited, and that will usually be done by YOU. You might hire a professional to do a major edit for you before you start sending it out, but even before you do that, you must Self-Edit. So here are the major items to look at to make your manuscript the very best it can be.

First, read all the way through your manuscript as if it was already a book using your red pencils to just make marks reminding you where to come back to. Don’t take the time to make all the corrections at this time; just mark them. Try to read through your book to get the “flow” of the work. Does it read well? Do the sentences make sense? Is it dry, dull and boring? Does a paragraph or chapter start out exciting but end strained and dull? Do you see words and sentences that just don’t make sense?

This first time through is just for you to get the feel of how the story flows and where there are obvious, major errors. What’s the “flow?” Ask yourself, Does the story go where I want it? Does it wander and twist too much? Do the conversations make sense? Are you comfortable reading the story or is it a strain sometimes to follow what’s going on? When you get to the end of the story, do you look back and say, Yes! or do you feel that it just didn’t get there?

If you have any question about how the story flows, read it out loud. We hear much different than we read, so if there are any questions, read it out loud.

Now I’m going to assume you have your work on a computer, not on typewritten or hand-written pages. If not, at all costs get it on a computer so you won’t be afraid to make changes. With a computer, changes are made in a nano-second with backup copies in case you want to go back.

So, how many times have you spell-checked? WITH the grammar checker turned on as well? Probably not enough times, so do it again – and again – and again. All an agent or publisher has to do is see ONE misspelled word and it likely goes into the circular file. That grammar checker may drive you crazy, but it’s there for a purpose, so use it.

And here’s a list to run through that covers further highlights of self-editing.

1.     Is there something in the immediate, opening sentences and paragraphs that reaches out and grabs the reader? It may not set up the full direction of the book, but there needs to be something that shocks or surprises or intrigues the reader.

2.     Who are your characters and how are they developed? Do your main characters quickly take their place in the story? Are they interesting? Does the dialogue flow to where you want it to go and is it natural? (Read it out loud to see if it sounds like a real conversation.)

3.     Does the dialogue between characters make the story flow, or does it become stilted or unnatural? If you have long pages of dialogue, descriptions or technical minutia, your reader may not get past them and into the fun or excitement you’ve created.

4.     Do the relations or situations between the characters work their way through the story and bring out agendas and conflicts or relations that keep the story moving, or do they just get confusing? Yes, you can have confusion and hidden agendas for some time, but eventually they must get resolved or the reader loses interest.

5.     For both characters and action, do you tell about them/it, or do you make it happen? Action scenes can be exciting; talking or thinking about the action can be just words. Action is action. Good writing shows or reveals things, it doesn’t just tell about them.

6.     Does the story describe events so your reader has an attachment to them? Do they “feel” it? Do they end with a mental image of your scenes? Does the story “flow” and hold the reader’s attention?

7.     Again, before you finalize your writing or your thoughts, read your story completely, OUT LOUD. If it doesn’t sound right to you, how is your reader going to feel it? Remember: “The very best we can make it.”

8.     Your ending can be anything you want. But, how many times have you read something where you said, “Okay. Same old ending.” Consider an ending that doesn’t work out just right for the heroes. The hero kisses his sweetie goodbye and steps outside—onto a land mine. End of story with that sentence. Shocking. Leave your reader crying, and screaming, “Nooooo!!!” Your reader may not agree with, or like, your ending, but they need to at least be left saying, “Man what a crazy, scary, weird (choose a word) ending. I want more of this.”

9.     Find a book or an author that has really left you panting for more and copy their work. (No, I didn’t mean copy. I really meant get your story, your ending, your style, to work the same as theirs.) Read and study what the best sellers look like, how they sound and how they’re laid out. After all, they are the best sellers.

Remember, there are some 300,000 titles published each year now. What’s going to make your work rise to the top of that list? “The very best you can make it.”

Next time we’ll look at Book Covers and the Back-matter, plus the actual formatting of your book, all subjects that can make or break your book. So, look for the next edition or head right into the Website and get the mini-book, So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? at http://www.JimMagwood.com/index.php?p=1_20.

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Jim Magwood is the author of the international mystery novel, SANCTION. You can visit him at his site, http://www.jimmagwood.com/. He is also the webmaster of a site dedicated to showcasing authors and their works to readers everywhere at a cost any author can afford. Visit The Author’s Inn at http://www.the-authors-inn.com.

So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? (The Beginning)

How do I write a book? I’ve got lots of ideas, but don’t really know how to put it all together. How do I make it readable, so people will really enjoy it? What about getting it published? I’ve heard horror stories about agents, editors and publishers.

Do these sound like your questions and concerns, or those of friends you know who are starting this agonizing process of writing and publishing? Whether you are writing a little table book for your family about your trip around the world or you’re planning to write a series of exciting murder mysteries, there are a number of things that will make you or break you, get your book published and into public view or sink it right from the beginning, or bring you success ($$$) or just cost you ($$$.) Let me share just a couple of them here and then, hopefully, direct you on to doing the very best you can do.

Before you begin, what do you want to write and who will it be for? A book about horses can be for adults or children. It can be with lots of illustrations or with none (again, children or adults either way.) There are mysteries for women or for a general audience. Ones that are higher that G-rated or those for a Christian market. So there are a lot of things to think about before you even get started.

Then, how do I write the very best book possible? This question is probably my mantra. What do I look for in self-editing, before it goes out to an audience of agents and publishers? What is the story flow? I think my story is exciting, but is it? I’m trying to tell about my heroes so people will understand them, but is it too much? Where can I get help on the actual style or format of my book?

And ultimately, what kind of publishers are there and how can I get my manuscript in front of them? What about marketing?

These are only a few of the questions you will face as you begin this process and work through to actually getting published. And they go and on and on.

I’ll be back next time with looking at beginning to put your work on paper and then beginning the process of making it the best you can, so come back for the next part, Self-Editing. Or, jump right into the Website and see the mini-book, So You’ve Written A Book. Now What? at http://www.JimMagwood.com/index.php?p=1_20.

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Jim Magwood is the author of the international mystery novel, SANCTION. You can visit him at his site, http://www.jimmagwood.com/. He is also the webmaster of a site dedicated to showcasing authors and their works to readers everywhere at a cost any author can afford. Visit The Author’s Inn at http://www.the-authors-inn.com.