My first book was published at the end of 2018. I am now reviewing and incorporating the comments I received from my beta readers into my fourth book. I could never imagine that I would find myself addicted to the book-writing process. However, it has been a lot of fun and quite a learning adventure.
Each phase of the process has been a puzzle to work out. I have been doing a lot of research on the overall process by reading and listening to podcasts. Ultimately, I have put together a system that has worked for me. It is a system that I continue to refine. Here is my plan, from research to marketing.
Research
My book-writing process begins with research. First, I gather as much information as possible on a topic. This enables me to thoroughly understand the subject, spot potential issues or areas of interest, and locate reliable information sources.
Mind Map – I start with a topic I want to write about. Once I have a topic, I create a mind map based on everything I know. MindMeister is my tool of choice. I will then create a keyword list to help facilitate my search. The Google the Alphabet technique allows me to flesh out this list.
MindMeister
Google Scholar and Zotero – With a keyword list in hand, I head over to Google Scholar to search for articles that meet my needs. I save articles that hold promise into Zotero. Zotero will also keep an actual copy of the article to Zotero, which I can access later. Next, I search the library databases for articles not automatically uploaded to Zotero.
Zotero
Bing and Microsoft Edge – This tip I just added to my system during the last couple of days. I learned it from Dr. Andy Stapleton. Please take a look at the video below. I open each article in Microsoft Edge, and open Bing in the browser’s sidebar. I then apply five prompts to the article:
- Summarize the main arguments in this article.
- Create bullet points of the key points of this article.
- Identify the key findings and implications of this article.
- Provide a bulleted list of keywords from this article.
- Identify potential areas for future research in the context of this article.
Bing and Microsoft Edge
I picked these prompts up from Dr. Stapleton. Once I run all five prompts, I add the notes and tags to Zotero for the relevant article. I have sped up this process by adding the prompts to my TextExpander. I then made it even quicker by programming five buttons on my StreamDeck. It has increased the speed of my research.
I use the notes I have collected to flesh out the mind map. This part of the process may yield new ideas and topics to research. Eventually, the research process slows down, and I can focus on writing.
Writing
The act of writing involves putting your thoughts into words. I capture my first draft by dictating what is in my mind map.
Otter.ai – Otter.ai is my tool of choice when writing my first draft. I focus on a small section of the mind map and start speaking about each item. I can talk much faster than I can type. This is a quick way to capture my thoughts. I can “write 3000-5000 words per hour. Additionally, I can separate my writing brain from my editing brain. Once I finish dictating a section, I will move it to Scrivener.
Otter.AI
Scrivener – Scrivener is where I organize my transcripts. As you can imagine, transcripts are not perfect. I clean up the language and break the transcribed notes into smaller parts. I will then clean up the language, move them into what I believe to be a logical position and add citations as necessary. Scrivener makes it easy to move parts around. I like Scrivener because I can focus on different elements from different levels, such as an entire chapter or just a paragraph. I can also keep track of which parts I have finished for each writing stage.
Scrivener
Once I have finished my first clean-up, I will print out the entire manuscript. Next, I will cut up each section with scissors. I then reorganize the document on a large table to see if I can create a better organization. Finally, I will return to Scrivener and make adjustments based on my new observations. I picked up this strategy from Stuart Horwitz’s book, Blueprint Your Bestseller: Organize and Revise Any Manuscript with the Book Architecture Method. I believe it has helped me put together better books.
Once I have the book organized, I move to the editing process.
Editing
Editing is the process of reviewing and making changes to your writing to raise its quality. It entails locating and fixing grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes and improving your text’s organization and clarity. As a result, your writing can be polished and professionally written, suitable for publishing, with the help of sound editing.
My editing process goes through many different phases.
- Read-through
- Grammarly check
- Beta read
- Read through
- Grammarly check
- Editor
- Read-through
- Grammarly check
Read-through – When the manuscript is organized the way I want, I print it out again and read through it. I read through it out loud to see if it sounds natural. It also helps me identify rough areas that I need to fix. I write notes throughout the manuscript. In the end, I will make adjustments in Scrivener.
Grammarly Check – The next phase of my editing process is to run the manuscript through Grammarly. I learned about a method that works with Scrivener. When I make the edit in the Grammarly application, I can sync the changes back to Scrivener.
Grammarly
Beta Read-through – The next phase of the editing process is sending the manuscript as a Microsoft Word document to beta readers. I ask my newsletter followers, LinkedIn followers, and, if appropriate, ATD chapter members to volunteer to be beta readers. I have been delighted with what I have learned through this process. I include them in the acknowledgments and send them a signed copy of the book’s printed version.
Once I get their comments back, I adjust the content in Scrivener as appropriate. Of course, I do not always accept every suggestion, but most make it into the book.
After making the beta changes, I will do another printed read-through and Grammarly check. Then it is off to my editor.
Editor – I have an editor who I like to work with. He provides me with great feedback. I have always been pleased with the results. He will have the book in his hands for a month to six weeks. It provides me with an opportunity to forget about the project. This allows me to look at it with fresh eyes when I get it back.
Once I get his comments back, I will weave them into Scrivener. I then do one last printed read-through and Grammarly check. I will also double-check all my citations to ensure they are in the correct format. Finally, I will export the manuscript as a Microsoft Word document to import it into my layout program.
Layout
Layout describes how your writing is displayed on the page. It has formatting, typeface, and spacing components. Your writing will be easier to read and more enticing to your audience if it is laid out effectively. Also, it might be helpful to draw attention to essential details and improve the visual appeal of your text.
Atticus – Atticus is my program of choice for laying out my books. With Atticus, I can format my text for both print and ebook. In addition, it enables me to set page sizes. It also has several different templates to help with the look and feel. You can edit these templates to fit your needs.
Atticus
When you first copy and paste your content, you must clean up headings and other emphasized content to get the desired look. You’ll also need to format your citations and add all the front and back matter.
When ready, export the books in the desired formats. Then, I print out the paperback version for yet another read-through to ensure everything is how I want it. I will also review the ebook version in a program called Calibre.
ISBN Numbers – To ensure I am ready for my different formats, I purchase ISBN numbers for the different versions I will distribute. I get these numbers from Bowkers.
Book Covers – At this time, I am also having book covers made. Fortunately, I am married to an excellent graphic designer. I ask to have paperback and ebook covers made for
- Amazon
- Lulu
- Ingramspark
Publishing
Making your writing available to the public is the act of publishing. To do this, you might submit your writing to a journal, publish it on a website or blog, or self-publish a book. Understanding the publishing industry, including the various platforms accessible, the submission processes, and the marketing techniques required to promote your work, is necessary for effective publishing.
I have bought into the philosophy of publishing wide. This means I try to get my books into the hands of others based on their preferences. I try to have both a print and an ebook. If appropriate, also an audiobook. Publishing widely also means publishing in different retail locations such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, and countless others.
Book Description – To prepare for publishing, you must craft a book description for all the sites where you list your book.
Images – I also commission a number of images to be created. These images will be used during the marketing phase. Here are the different images I ask for
- LinkedIn Showcase Page
- 4-6 Facebook Ad Images
- Banner Images
- LinkedIn Post Images
- 3d Cover Image
Each image type has its own dimensions. Therefore, it is best to research the best size for each class because they constantly change.
Advance Reader Copies – This is an area where I need to do better. The idea of having advanced reader copies (ARC) is to get your book into the hands of others so they will pre-read it and write reviews on the first day the book is released. Ideally, get your book into the hands of your ARC team before the book is published. This is something I am going to work on for my upcoming books. An excellent tool to use is BookFunnel. You can control the release of virtual books.
Publishers – When I publish my books, I am publishing to the following distributors:
- Amazon (print, ebook, audio)
- Draft2Digital (ebook) – Sends to Smashwords and Kobo. Also, redirects to Books2Read links
- Google Play – (ebook)
- IngramSpark – (print)
- Lulu (print) – Used for direct selling
Marketing
Presenting your content to your intended audience is referred to as marketing. It entails creating a marketing strategy, figuring out who your target market is, and promoting your work through various outlets. You may raise your visibility in your selected niche by using effective marketing to grow your audience, develop your brand, and grow your audience. It is crucial to developing a fruitful writing career.
Promotion – Once my book is scheduled to be published, I then do the following:
- Create a website landing page.
- Create an announcement on Goodreads.
- Add the book as a “job” on LinkedIn.
- Create a LinkedIn Showcase page.
- Post to my Facebook Author page.
- Create some Twitter posts.
- Add a book to my email signature block.
- Update Mailerlite by creating an automated campaign and updating signature blocks.
- Email my newsletter list to announce the new book.
- Create a postcard with a BookFunnel link for distributing free books.
Advertising – I will create Amazon ads and Facebook creative ads.
Well, that is my process for now. As I learn more, I keep adjusting by adding new strategies and discarding methods that do not work. If you want to learn more, please contact me and I will happily answer questions.
In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, which means that if you purchase this item through my link, I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.
Plus, when you order through my link, it helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. 🙂 Thank you in advance for your support!
Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash
