How to publish creative fiction
4 - Creative Storytelling Best Practices & Minor Project
If you're here, you likely share the dream of getting your work published, whether it's seeing it on bookshelves in your favorite store, or in the hands of readers on the train. I have a personal journey in publishing to share with you.
Overcoming doubt and naivety
At university, I had a lecturer tell our class of aspiring writers that we would never publish our work, even before she had read any of it. This initially crushed our dreams but also ignited a fire within us to persevere. Some of us have since published, some on our own and some via the more traditional routes with publishing houses.
I'd like to share my experience, which includes both the joys and pitfalls of publishing.
The painful early offer
After finishing my novel, Golden Boy, I eagerly sent it to agents and publishing houses. While most went unanswered, one offer seemed like a dream come true. However, upon reading the contract, I discovered they wanted me to pay for publishing and surrender most of my royalties.
I didn't proceed, but this experience taught me to read contracts carefully and research publishing houses' reputations. There are a lot of scam businesses out there looking to make a quick buck out of our blinkered egos.
Navigating the publishing landscape
I started with an indie publishing house, which handled logistics but favored more popular authors. It became clear that without a promotional plan, my book wouldn't sell itself. This was also tricky for me, living in Barcelona and trying to promote a book in English. I wasn't able to do the more traditional author tours that writers living in their native-language country are.
If you're not going the traditional route, I'd highly consider self-publishing. This way, you retain 100% of the rights and split earnings with the print and delivery provider—if you choose one. It can be a big fear, having piles of unsold books lying in your garage; but print-on-demand services are great to conquer this. Sure, they mean you'll take a smaller cut, however, for the sake of logistics and waste, I believe they're a better option.
Resources for self-publishing
To self-publish successfully, consider these key resources:
- Beta readers: friends and family who provide feedback on your work
- An Editor: A professional to review and edit your manuscript
- Interior designer: Ensures your book's formatting is professional and easy to read
- Cover designer: Creates an eye-catching cover. Remember: people do judge a book by its cover.
Things to keep in mind:
- Tell your story: every day to establish yourself as a writer and engage your community. This is a huge nut to crack, and imposter syndrome plays a big role here. But, the only person holding you back from saying you're a writer is you.
- Stay organized: keep track of interested readers, and encourage reviews. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool, but you'll need to be doing the following up. I had a spreadsheet to help me keep tabs on my first batch of readers.
- Use social media and marketing: even if you're not an expert. Leverage personal accounts and ask friends and family to help spread the word for you.
- Don't hesitate to ask for help; your community wants to support you, but let them know how.
With this, we conclude the module on writing for novels.
See you in the next module: Brand Storytelling Best Practices—Tips on Writing for Businesses.
Thank you for your time, and see you soon!