Things people don’t tell you about self-publishing Pt 1

I’ve titled this part one, as I’m not really anywhere near publication yet, so I’m fairly sure I will come across more things I didn’t realise I didn’t know about this process.

So, things I didn’t know before now. And I feel like here I should say I have googled A LOT. And I’ve read hundreds of blog posts and articles, Q&A sessions with self-published authors and joined a few book sites. I’ve learnt a lot of random facts about self publishing. For instance, I know that the word count of a young adult novel can be anywhere from 40,000 words to 120,000 words. Apparently the first Harry Potter was around 67,000 and Twilight was around 120,000. It was a blog post (cant remember which one, I think I googled ‘I’ve written a book.’ and it popped up) that made me realise I needed an editor. Luckily, and thanks in part to my lovely husband, I found a pretty awesome one in the shape of CJ Laurence (author of Sex,Lies and Demon Ties.) She has been amazingly helpful, and I couldn’t be more grateful. But, I digress.

So, the things I didn’t learn from all my compulsive googling. I didn’t learn that you are supposed to use the exclamation mark sparingly. I feel a bit cheated by this! I think I pretty much talk in exclamation marks all the time so I over-used them slightly! Or a lot. Possibly in every other sentence. I now know not to do this. Makes book two easier to edit already! However, I do reserve the right to over use the exclamation mark wherever else I choose to!!!!!! 🙂

Did you know that you shouldn’t start too many sentences with the same word? Like if I was to start every sentence with the same word. Like I am doing now. Like using the word like at the start. I wasn’t even aware that I had done it, until it was pointed out.

I’ve also recently come to the realisation that simply writing a book isn’t enough. I will happily admit to holding the quite naïve belief that when I had finished my book, all I had to do was get a cover made and upload the lot onto something like Createspace, and that would be that. Not so. You have to really work hard on it. I’m just now starting on the journey of getting the editing right on my manuscript, and I can already tell it’s going to be a long slog to get to where I want it to be. But I can also tell that it’s going to be worth it. If I ever get back to writing it that is. Which brings me to the last thing I have recently learnt.

When you’ve finished your book, the feeling is amazing. You feel like you have really achieved something quite amazing. Or I did, anyway! So please explain to me why, instead of cracking on with the editing process like a good little writer, I am doing everything but? Writing this blog post, watching re-runs of the Gilmore Girls (in my defence I need to watch the whole thing again ready for the new reboot in November!) and just to clarify, I’m definitely #teamlogan. Again, I have gone off on a tangent. My point was, I am seriously procrastinating. And I have learnt that the internet is my worst enemy when it comes to getting on with the work I should be doing. There is just so much stuff at your fingertips to distract you!

Anyway, to wrap this post up, I have also learnt something really positive from this, and hopefully remembering it will send me back to work. The last thing I have to put here, that I couldn’t possibly have learnt from reading someone else’s blog, is just how much I want to do this. To see my name on the front of my very own book. It was always a little bit of a daydream, something I’ve always wanted to do. A bit like sky diving. I always think, I want to do that, but then know I probably never will. But now I’ve done it. And I’m so close to actually having that dream. And that feels pretty damn amazing!

 

 

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