I’ve long harboured the ambition to write a serious novel and have it published. I’m in the midst of trying to finish a book I’ve been putting together for off and on (mostly off) for the last four years.
Finally the manuscript is nearing completion. As I’m able to put in about twelve hours a week on it (commuting by train does have its benefits), I’m hoping to have it done by Christmas. Then I need to start getting serious with it.
First up – will it be any good? I’ve been advised that once I finish it, I should set it aside for a month and then go back and read it end to end, to see if I really think it’s a genuinely good story or not.
Second – editing. I’ve got to trawl through it and fix typos, bad grammar, poor sentence construction, dodgy dialogue, plot holes, trim for size etc.
Third – Prep the formatting. Sort the line spacing, fonts, borders etc.
Fourth – Then I need to get it proof-read by some critics, who will give me an honest opinion on the story overall, roll those changes back in and see if it still hangs together.
Only then will I have a finished manuscript!
And then to publish…
I could go the ‘vanity publishing’ route. Which is effectively where you pay someone to publish your book. You stump up all the money upfront and hope that people will buy it. Guarantees that your book gets out there, but it sort of fees like ‘cheating’.
You can use the ‘publish on demand’ route. I’ve already used this for my ‘free’ books. Effectively you submit your story and if anyone wants to buy it, it’s produced on demand. Cafepress and Lulu are good examples.
Third is the ‘proper’ route. Find an agent, get them interested and they will find you a publisher and you’re off. Easier said than done of course!
I want to go the third route, so I’m going to have to put in the graft to polish up my story as much as a I can before I go hunting for an agent.
Even if I’m successful, and the book does get published, will I make a lot of money? Probably not. The absolute best I can realistically hope for is that the book sells a few hundred copies, perhaps a thousand or two. At that rate the likely income would probably be around the £5,000 mark, not much return on the effort invested.
So why bother?
Why does any writer bother? We have a story to tell, and it wont let us rest until it’s told.
I’ll keep you posted with my progress! Wish me luck!
If you need help, just ask. I can give you a hand with the third and fourth point.
If you want to go with the third points on your own keep the following points in mind (Ok, you might know them already, so don’t feel offended if I’m telling you old news):
Line spacing 1 1/2; Line length 11-12cm; A ten or eleven point serif font, preferably Garamont; First paragraph of a series with some extra spacing above, but no indentation; Followoup paragraphs without extra linespace but a small indentation.
If you print that on A4, you get a) a good approximation on the number of pages in a normal paperback publication, and b) you have sufficient interline space and right margin for all the blood red corrections that WILL come with point four
“Payment” for my services would be a copy of the cover, signed and with dedication for my wall of fame (Hey, you’ll end up somewhere between Terry Prattchet and Arthur C. Clarke!).
All in all I wish you the best for your novel!
Yours, Christian
Thanks Christian,
I’ll check out the font suggestions!
And a copy of the eventually cover will wing its way to you… can’t resist the opportunity to be placed on a wall between two of the ‘greats’!
Cheers,
Drew.
I’ve harboured ambitions of writing myself, but never taken the plunge. Maybe one day!
In the meantime, I have to say I really enjoyed Status Quo and Mutablis, so I’d been keen to help proof read if you need some extra man power!
Regards,
Rich