Write a Novel that Sells
Before you even organize the framework to start writing your manuscript, there is one very important factor to consider. As in any industry, to succeed you must have a quality product to sell that will attract enough customers to buy it. To create a marketable product—in this case, a salable manuscript that will motivate a book publisher to offer you a publishing contract —you need to follow these basic steps. Step 1: Read other writers’ work before you start writing. Read everything you can lay your hands on – magazine features, classics, comics, science fiction, biographies, and romance and fiction books — and see how they do it, just like a novice crafts person that works as an apprentice and studies the master. Become an avid reader. Carry a book with you wherever you go. Spend every spare moment learning your craft. You will learn different writing genres when you read. In brief, a genre is a form of text that uses a particular format and structure. Once you recognize that there are different genres, you will discover how to navigate through each kind of text to find the information you seek. In this way, you learn that how-to text often includes a list of materials and a list of steps; biographies are generally organized in chronological order; and persuasive text often has attention-grabbing features to attract a reader’s interest. In-depth knowledge of different genres will help you to recognize what you are reading and help you to quickly identify pertinent information. Step 2: Start writing. You’ll know intuitively if it is good. If it’s not, delete and start again. Editors and publishers urge authors to be aware of their target readership and to focus on a typical reader profile when writing. This approach will give you a good chance of selling your manuscript and publish books aimed at a solid fan base. The style of writing publishers generally look for is ‘relentlessly commercial’; familiarize yourself with publishers’ title lists to gain access to the right publisher to have your manuscript considered. Read books and magazines on the genre you are interested in. Pay attention to emerging target markets and trends. If you don’t work hard at the business end of your writing, you’re just setting yourself up for rejection. Don’t write in a genre unless you enjoy it. Step 3: Write for yourself. This instruction sounds as if it contradicts the course of action suggested in step 2, but it doesn’t really. Writing to please your target market and writing for yourself can co-exist. It’s a fine line however, but it is important that you know how to blend both elements. The writer must shape the writing process ‘on the inside’ to be believable to the reader. Writing with integrity requires a great depth of skill; you need to combine what you like to read with what sells. Be true to what you want to write; if you have a novel in mind, you should write the best story possible. If you write about something you’re really interested in, it’s going to show. Step 4: Learn how to write well. You might be an avid reader and feel confident to write a manuscript, but writing a manuscript for publication demands much more than a personal desire to tell your story. It is important to know how to bring your work up to professional publishable standards before submitting it for consideration. Writing a manuscript is not something that happens instantly, even if you are an avid reader. Learning the craft of writing is an ongoing process: HOW-TO BOOKS are the textbooks of...
Read MorePromote Your Book
To publish and market your book by yourself can be a bit overwhelming, but it is not as daunting as you might imagine. A good place to start is to have a review professionally written to use as a marketing tool to generate publicity and organize a possible book signing. It is wise to promote your book at least one year before it lands in the book stores; start by establishing a Web site to showcase extracts from the book and to run a blog; build your social network community. Post content that will inspire people to ‘spread the word’ about your forthcoming publication, so that they will want to buy your book when it is launched. Always keep your publisher and editor in the loop as to your marketing efforts. Other PR activities: Put together a press kit (synopsis, author biography, photo of author holding the book, invitation to launch) that is distributed to media representatives to set up newspaper, magazine and radio interviews; Print and distribute leaflets or chapbooks (to publish a image of the book cover, photo and bio of the author); Display size A3 contact posters in retail stores that agree to stock copies of your book; Run a compact mail order advertorial in a community newspaper; Have an edition of bookmarks printed that feature an image of the book cover, brief outline of the content, retail price and list of outlets where the book is available for purchase. Leave bookmarks at libraries and stores that stock the book; Showcase the book on a dedicated web site. Provide online payment facilities that makes ordering easy; Create a video where you discuss your book (tell your audience about yourself, why you wrote the book, what the book is about, mention who the target audience is, why readers will benefit from reading this book) and post it on your site; Post the video on your social media links; List your book online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kalahari, Bidorbuy and Loot; Negotiate with Book Clubs like Leisure Books to review your book for inclusion in their catalogue that are mailed to members; Depending on the type of book, you could run seminars or workshops on the subject and sell copies to delegates; Use social media to attract users to your web site; Include a free gift when packaging your book, such as a bookmark, plantable seed-embedded paper cut-out, printed post card). Contact Theresa (ecottage@gmail.com) to write a review, compile a press kit, design and print leaflets, chapbooks, posters, bookmarks, post cards; Web design and content; or create seeded paper...
Read MoreAbout Theresa
I’m a published author of four business books and have written a number of self-study tutorials [creative writing; editing and proofreading; business writing; and self-publishing] and an eBook [Workplace Harmony]. I am an experienced writer, editor and publisher. 
Infographics
Bizculture
