Start the New Year by Improving Your Manuscript / Prep for Publication Series

 After the Fall Writing Challenge, we have a completed manuscript. What happens next?

1st, January 1 falls outside the parameters by offering a freebie. 

Introduction to "Godriana's Font" by Remi Black, part of the Fae Mark'd World series.

Dark Fae care nothing for human wants and desires. Sharp-clawed monsters view humans as prey. How can the mentor Lilias build noblesse oblige in an insouciant Fae?

Click here for the episode.

Story Start @ 1:35

Regular Episodes 

January 5 Resolve to Be a Writer

Project Planning and More

3:2 Episode 91 / 14:51 minutes

• Set Priorities 1:25
• The Writing Life 2:15
• Writing Resolutions 2:40
• Writing Goals ~ 6 Stages of Writing 3:38
• Writing Biz Goals 7:00
• Promo Goals 8:45
• Project Schedule onto the Calendar 10:00
• SMART Goals 11:10
• Next Up 13:10
• Inspiration / Pearl Buck 13:28

Flexibility / Adaptability, these are key!

Writer's Block: 3 episodes. This link takes you to the first episode:

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2bs2c-f82b1a

January 12 Revision Is a Process

The manuscript is finished ... yet hold up on publication. We have revisions first. This week, the goal of Revision is to improve the manuscript. We have several stages. We discuss the first 4 of the 5.

3:3 Episode 92 / 20 minutes

• Revision ~ the Next Project Goal 1:28
• Is the Manuscript Complete? 2:14
• The Goal of Revision 3:57
• Objective Distance 4:55
• 1^st Step 7:15
• 2^nd Step 8:12
• 3^rd Step 10:17
• 4^th Step 13:31
• Examples of Strong Voice 17:00
• Coming Next 17:44
• Inspiration for the Week / Bernard Malamud 18:40

Mentioned Works

• Dean Koontz Velocity
• Martha Wells Murderbot
• Patricia Briggs The Hob's Bargain
• T. Kingfisher A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
• Lindsey Buroker The Emperor's Edge
• Meljean Brooks Frozen (no, it's not the Disney film)

January 19

Edit and Correct are harsh-sounding words that can strike fear in writers. They think, “I know nothing about grammar. I can’t edit. Let me hire someone.” And I retort, “Yes, but not yet.”

What do I mean by “not yet”? Why am I implying that we can do most of the editing and correction ourselves? Because we can. Be Brave and Try.

•  1:00 Never Fear Proofreading
• 2:25 You are in Control
• 3:35 Proofreaders & Line Editors
• 5:20 Objective Distance / 1^st Editing Round = Full Speed Ahead.
• 6:12 2^nd Editing Round = Segment the MS
• 6:45 3^rd Editing Round = Reverse Engines
• 7:15 4^th Editing Round = Full Steam Ahead w/ Many Eyes & Real-Life Awkward Example from a Seminar (Names not given, a few details changed to protect the innocent, main details untouched)
• 11:17 Can’t Afford a Proofreader?
• 13:39 Next Week
• 14:00 Inspiration / Elinor Fuchs

January 24

We have the MS finished. We’ve revised. Our first readers cry and gush over our story. They think it’s great. We’ve received the cover from the professional designer, and it’s glorious: it captures the reader’s imagination and the story and the genre.

We are ready to publish.

It’s a simple matter of clicking a few buttons, right?

Not quite.

We have business details to gather. We have to format the MS. Then we can publish and plan our promotions.

•  1:20 Coming Next: Enhancements
• 2:25 Introduction
• 2:35 Business Details ~ Blurb (long info) / Tax ID / ISBN / Copyright
• 9:52 Formatting ~ headings / table of contents / front matter / back matter
• 11:50 Publishing on KDP and D2D ~ Metadata / Content / Previewer / Pricing
• 13:37 Promotions ~ Media presence / types of posts / Ads and ROI / Launch
• 16:30 Think Outside the Box.
• 17:32 Next Week
• 17:45 Inspiration / Isabelle Allende

Resources for this Episode

Fiction Sales Copy from Dean Wesley Smith

Kindle Book Description Tool from Kindlepreneur

Internal Revenue Service / Tax Identification Number

Bowker / ISBN

Copyright / US Copyright Office

Amazon Key Word Descriptors :: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201298500

Resources and Links

Writer's Block: 3 episodes. This link takes you to the first episode:

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2bs2c-f82b1a