How To Become an Author in 4 steps

How To Become an Author
  1. Necessary Homework to Be Done Before Writing

You have a great idea in your mind and you’re anxious to pen it down. You have heard of authors who hit the jackpot on their very first try. But what you may not have heard is their preparations and struggles to reach that point of success. It is necessary to do a lot of homework before writing down your future bestseller.

  • You must study the craft

Even if you have a great idea, it won’t flow out of your pen as a full-fledged script on the first try. You have to watch and learn from successful authors of your genre to understand the basics.

  • Write things shorter than a book You should start with small steps, like writing articles, blogs, short stories, etc. Get familiar with steps like editing, proofreading, etc. before putting your feet forward for a novel.
  • Join a community of writers Don’t try to be the lone wolf. Writing a book can be more frustrating and discouraging than you think, if you venture alone on the path. But if you have a supportive peer group, who understands your struggles, it will be of great help. Find a mentor and be open to criticism. Find a writer’s community in which at least one person is a well-published author.
  • Build A Platform Start a blog. Share your thoughts and ideas there and interact with your followers. If you want to opt for traditional publishing, then already having a handsome number of followers on a popular social media platform will increase your chances.
  1. Writing Your Book

Procrastination can be a huge obstacle when it comes to actually writing the book. You need to be consistent, patient and hard-working to make it to your final page of the manuscript.

  • Create a Writing Schedule and Stick to it Devote at least six hours a week to write. It may sound easy, but it is not. Make this six hours a priority.
  • Identify Your Target Audience : It is important to identify who your target audience is and what their expectations are. Go through the recent bestsellers in your genre to identify the popular trends. This will also help you to identify some tropes in your genre which might have become a cliché.
  • Research: Whatever be the genre, a book can never be too accurate. The reader will be able to connect with your narration only if they think it is logical and accurate. Even if you are writing a sci-fi, establish facts that are accurate in their own world. Research should not be limited to Wikipedia, but you can sprawl it across encyclopedias, reliable YouTube channels, etc.
  • Become a ruthless self-editor : You are done with the manuscript. Now can you take it straight to a publisher or agent. Big NO. You have to self-edit your book to remove digressions in the narrative, illogical plot twists and discrepancies of facts. Self-editing can be a difficult task because you believe that what you have written is right. Take a break of a few days from your book once the manuscript is completed and come back with a fresh mind.
  1. Trying to Land a Publishing Contract

After you have self-edited your manuscript up to your manuscript, it is time to find a publisher. Most traditional publishers consider manuscripts that are recommended by literary agents. If you want to approach a publisher without an agent, you must be equipped with a thoroughly edited manuscript and a personalized cover letter. Clever Fox Publishing is one of India’s leading publishing companies that help authors across India to get their dream work get published. Clever Fox offers a handful of publishing models like Guided Self-Publishing and Partnered Publishing.

In traditional publishing, the publisher will take care of all expenses and you might even get an advance along with royalties. But you will have to wait a long time to get your book even noticed by a publisher. In self-publishing, even though you could skip all the hurdles of traditional publishing, the cost of publishing which must be borne by the author might become burdensome. This is where Partnered Publishing, which is similar to traditional publishing but provides more control to the author, becomes relevant. Both the risks and benefits are shared between the author and Clever Fox. This publishing model offers several packages which you can choose from according to your needs and budget. The packages take care of processes like distribution and marketing strategies.

  1. Should You Self-Publish?

Self-Publishing is gradually becoming the new normal in the publishing industry. Gone are the days when you had to wait for months, perhaps a year, to be accepted by even a literary agent. Even after the agent starts to pitch your book to traditional publishers, it might take another couple of months to get their attention. But with self-publishing, you can publish your book without the wait.

One of the most promising advantages of self-publishing over traditional publishing is retaining your freedom. From writing the manuscript to marketing, your discretion is final. But this can also be scary for some authors, especially beginners, because more freedom means more responsibilities. Clever Fox offers the publishing model of Guided Self-Publishing in which you can self-publish your book with assistance from experts at Clever Fox at all stages of publication. Clever Fox offers several publishing packages from which you can choose one according to your book type, goals and budget. You can also customize the packages the way you want it to be. This enables you to avail all the professional services you need once you complete your manuscript from a single package, while retaining your freedom. Guided Self-Publishing offers promising marketing strategies according to the package you have chosen and 100% royalty rates (irrespective of the package). This publishing model also enables you to set your own publishing timeline which you can’t even dream of in traditional publishing.

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