It’s been a long time coming, but you’ve finally decided to take that next step and get that book you finished out into the world! You want others to love your story as much as you do, and for your writing to make its way into the lives of others by publishing it for the masses. And also to maybe make a little money while you’re at it! But how do you start?

Decide how you’re publishing it

There are many different ways to get your book published, including traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. Take some time to research the pros and cons of each option to determine which is best for you.

Do your research on the process

Depending on the route you choose, the publishing process can be complex. Make sure you understand the steps involved, including editing, design, printing, and distribution. Self publishing will mean that you have to do all of these steps yourself, but if you go the more traditional route, you may be able to pass some of this off onto your publishing team.

If you choose to pursue traditional publishing, you may need to find an agent to represent you. Agents can help you get your book in front of the right publishers, negotiate a contract on your behalf, and provide guidance throughout the publishing process.

Edit your manuscript

Whether you’re self-publishing or submitting to an agent or publisher, it’s important to present your manuscript in the best possible light. Make sure your book is edited and formatted according to industry standards, and that the story is the best it can possibly be before your share it with anyone who might have some say in whether or not another person reads it, whether that’s an agent or your first reviewer.

Put together your marketing plan

Once your book is published, it’s up to you to get the word out, regardless of whether you have gone traditional or not. Figure out the best ways to promote your book, whether that’s reaching out to book reviewers and bloggers, participating in local events and book festivals, or just getting active on social media.

Write another book!

Even after you’ve published your first novel, it’s important to keep writing. Not only is it going to help you get better at writing and telling stories, but the more books you have to read the happier your audience will be!

As I’m sure you’re already very aware if you have plans to be an author, you need to treat it like a business. But what exactly does that mean? Is that just filing the paperwork? Creating the books and figuring out how to sell them?

It’s a lot of different things, but the whole idea of being a business can be incredibly overwhelming. What you need at the start is not to just jump in and do it all. You need a business plan. Which… is also very daunting. But not to worry, I have an outline that you can use to help guide you through the process!

Author business plan

Publishing name

The name you will publish under.

The pitch

In the days of office jobs and elevators, there was a concept known as the “elevator pitch” or the sales pitch you could give to someone important as you took the elevator to your floor. What you are looking for here is about a tweet-length (240 characters) description of what you as an author bring to your audience that is different from anyone else and why they should read your books.

Description

This is a longer explanation of that pitch. Pretend you have 5 minutes to explain who you are and why someone should check out your books. You might also be able to look at this as your biography.

This is ultimately a description of what you as an author and your books are, what they stand for, and what that pitch you wrote really means.

Product description

Here is where you talk specifically about the books you’re writing. What makes them different and unique. Why would someone want to read them? What do they have in common and why will someone who picks up one want to read all of them?

This is also a good place to talk about the audience that you are looking to attract. Be specific, and do feel free to talk about the books in the context of the people who will read them and how your words will satisfy their needs.

You may also want to consider some specifics, such as format (ePub, paperback, audiobook) and what the price point might be for each of those formats.

Release schedule

Have at least a general idea of when you want to release books and how often. Knowing this can help you not only with planning your marketing efforts, but give you a more realistic timeline of when you need edits in, how quickly you need to write, and a general understanding of what it is you’re going to need to do monthly, weekly, and even daily!

Competitive analysis

Though you are unique, it is good to have a few people who are like you. Find other authors who your ideal audience also like and take a good look at what they’re doing. How they are marketing their books, how often, and even what their fans love about their books. You can use this to figure out how to market your own books and use it in your marketing as well! After all, if you can say someone will like your book if they already like another popular author’s book, then it’s a lot easier to find your audience.

Finances

Money! It is an important part to include as part of a plan. You want to split this into two sections:

What you make

What you expect to be getting from the sales of the books. You can start with a general estimate at first, but be sure to be realistic about what you think you can actually sell. Do feel free to do projections and what you think you will make in your first few months, your first year, next three years, and next five!

What you spend

This number should not be more than what you make for too long! You can expect to spend more than you make at first, but you should be able to make that up sooner than later. **You are a business, after all, and businesses should be profitable! But do include any expenses you think you’ll have, from marketing to editing to the little things like office supplies. That notebook and fancy pen habit? That’s a business expense now!

General author marketing strategy

With all the information that you already have, this should now be a lot more straightforward. You know what your books value proposition is (Pitch and description), how other authors like you do their marketing (Competitive analysis) and what you can afford to do (Finances) so put that all together into a high level plan to figure out how you want to present yourself to the world.

This is also a good time to look at potentially creating some kind of branding guide. Some kind of general guideline around fonts, colours, and the voice that you use (Not your physical voice, just the way you talk and phrase things) that you can lean back on when you are doing all of your marketing.

And those are the basics for you as an author! The books are another plan that we can tackle another day. Did I miss anything here? Or have you done this already, and did it help you?

One of the best ways to ensure that you are able to have someone who reads your book is to, well, write for someone who is looking for your book! Your ideal reader, or your target audience, should be the person you are focusing your content, your writing, and your marketing on. But have you considered some basic elements of a great target audience?

Does your audience exist?

This is a mistake I have absolutely made in the past. You can craft this ideal person that would read your books, but when you take a step back you realize that this is not an audience that actually exists. It’s always good to look and see if there is actually demand for your stories outside of your social circle and in the wider market. Do the themes and genre and topics in your stories resonate with a lot of people? Are you telling a story that can be enjoyed by a lot of people, and specifically enough people that it could sustain your career?

Can your audience purchase your stories?

Simply put, your audience should be able to pay for your stories on their own. It is much easier to find a new reader if they do not have to get approval for the purchase from someone else. If you’re writing young adult, for instance, those kids may not have the ability to actually support you, no matter how much your story might resonate with them.

This isn’t to say you can’t write books for those younger audiences! It just means that you are going to have to be mindful that your marketing will be more about getting the parents and people in their lives with money to purchase your stories for them.

What does that audience actually expect?

This is a tricky question, but an important one to look at. When you have an audience that is seeking out your stories, it’s important to leave them satisfied and wanting more content when they are done. That means you need to fulfill their expectations, so it’s worth spending some time getting a good understanding of what they are actually looking for and, more importantly, why. That will give you the context to know if you want to try and subvert their expectations without making it a dissatisfying read.

How does that audience find out about new stories to check out?

This is so that you can let them know about your stories! If you know about your audience, and you know what they expect, then you should also know where they hang out and how they find new stories. Once you know where they are, then you can make sure you are also there, ready to help and possibly even give them a recommendation at just the right time!