How to Be An Author – Part One

In my biography found in the About section of this website, I explained how eight years ago I sat down to write the great American novel. Page after page filled my computer screen and in less than a year’s time I had what I thought was a pretty good manuscript.

Numerous friends encouraged me to self-publish. Most of them have no idea what that entails, but they know you can get Amazon to put your book on their website and it can be downloaded for use on a Kindle. This sounds like a simple solution to what had been traditionally an arduous task. What most of these friends fail to take into consideration is how much publicity and marketing savvy goes into selling even the first hundred copies of a book. Even assuming all your friends are willing to fork over a few dollars to download a copy, you still have to find the first group. Then, if you’re really fortunate they tell their friends, which happen to be mutually exclusive of your friends and the market for the novel expands exponentially.

At the Southern California Writers Association (SCWA) meetings–a group I also mentioned in my bio (see About)–I met a number of self and independent published authors. They proudly talk about their books and often have copies to share and sell at the monthly meetings. Using only moderate investigative skill (that’s why I don’t write crime or mystery), I discovered most of them have spent a considerable amount of money getting an initial print run. Even those who maintain only a digital footprint have spent more capital than I deem worthwhile.

I have determined for myself, the best solution is to do it the old-fashioned way. One, write a great novel. Two, find an agent to represent me (hopefully, somebody who is amiable and walks me through the process). Three, work with the agent to find a publisher with a long track record of selling tens of thousands of books. Four, work with the publisher’s editors to get the book to market. Five, help promote the book both prior and once the book is released. Six, repeat steps one four and five with the help of the agent.

In the weeks and months ahead I hope to use this blog to keep you informed of my progress. Please feel free to comment and come back often.