Do You Have a Book Inside?

It has been said that we all have a book inside of us. If you are one of those people who are motivated to explore this possibility, I recommend you first make the assumption that you don’t magically possess the skills and knowledge to become commercially successful. If you do that, you will be correct even though you may have proven writing experience. Passing this milestone, you need to realize this endeavor will be fraught with challenging but wonderfully rewarding experiences. Heck, if it weren't, why bother.

The undertaking will be a serious exploration into self, no matter what genre or story-line. If you have the will, drive, and resources, the process will yield the discovery of latent talents and capabilities you weren't aware you possessed. Ninety percent of the satisfaction in accomplishing any goal in life is in the process. Make sure you take the time to develop a plan, have the financial resources to execute the elements of the plan, and are committed to implementation. I've done it and so can you.

The Book Plan

Please be advised that my website, www.MarshallChamberlain.com, has a page of valuable resource links to get you started putting the writing, editing, publishing and promotion elements of a plan together. The resources are not a panacea; I've kept it brief on purpose. And, there’s always Google.

Efficiency is the goal when developing a book-writing plan. In order to arrive at your destination of a completed, quality manuscript that is published and effectively promoted, you need to acquire skills and knowledge in several areas as quickly and effectively as possible.

Writing

My advice is twofold: First, turbo-charge the accumulation of necessary writing skills and knowledge by hiring a competent and successful ghost writer the first time around. Through the work you do together, this mentor will teach you many of the practical writing skills you’ll need to become an accomplished author in your genre. It is a worthwhile up-front investment. Secondly, devour and memorize a great book on writing, thereby learning the principles of effective writing as you go along creating your book. In addition, invest in attending writing workshops.

Editing

Choose and hire a two-stage editor to tackle “developmental/content” and “copyediting” functions. This semi-partner should be experienced in your genre and successful in assisting other writers toward a successful publishing outcome. The working relationship will cast the lens of fresh talent onto your manuscript, sharpening your writing skills and increasing your knowledge base to new levels as you react to editorial recommendations.

Publishing

Don’t think it will be easy to acquire an agent or a publishing relationship on your own. It isn’t. But you should give the process your best shot. Like choosing a ghost writer, you’ll want to hire competent assistance in designing an effective query letter introducing your work to agents/publishers interested in your genre.

Alongside this effort, you would be well advised in the beginning to assume you will be independent publishing and start implementing the pieces of that plan. In this way you will continue to be self-motivated, regardless of the probable rejection slips you’ll receive from agent/publisher queries. Or maybe you’ll get lucky.

Looking at independent publishing, suffice it to say here that the major elements are learning how to format a manuscript, creating or employing a services provider to create a book cover, and selection of a digital printer/distributor. Thankfully, in this day and age these are all manageable tasks.

Promotion & Publicity

Hire a capable publicist six months before your manuscript is complete. Sit down with them and get comfortable with an eighteen month campaign to celebritize you and your works. The process is enlightening. Without this vital activity in your plan, you can forget about commercial success—if that is your goal.

Vocation or Avocation

I can almost guarantee you one thing: If you accomplish your goal of bringing the book inside to the outside, the process will unleash your mind to other writing projects. After all, you will have developed the skills and knowledge sets to do anything you want. You may suddenly find yourself in a new career. I did.

For those interested in fiction thrillers, the status of coming adventure-thrillers and other books under construction can be found on my website: www.marshallchamberlain.com.

Regards,
Marshall