By Jodie Lane

 

We all know that being an author these days isn’t as simple as sending off your manuscript to a publisher then waiting for the royalties to roll in.

Not that it ever was, but today even traditionally published authors are expected to promote themselves in the marketing sphere, and then independent authors have even more work cut out for them in the administration of publishing in the first place.

What it takes to bring your manuscript from rough draft to fully fledged book involves a variety of skills that include:

     • editing/working with editors and beta readers   
     • formatting/layout/proofing
     • designing a cover (concept/commissioning/working with graphic designers)
     • organising printing
     • distribution

Whipping your manuscript into shape

Revising and refining your manuscript should include multiple edits and ideally feedback from a variety of skilled, external parties.

A structural editor looks at the overall story arc, the plot pacing, individual character arcs and any other major themes or elements of the manuscript.

A line editor looks at consistency in tense, point of view and description of characters and settings. Line editing falls under the remit of copyediting, which can also include grammar, spelling and punctuation. Proofreading comes later as the final check for any errors that remain.

There are a variety of software programs (including but not limited to Grammarly, Hemmingway and ProwritingAid) that can assist with spelling, grammar and punctuation, but it’s a risk to rely completely on these.

Making it presentable

Once the manuscript is finalized, it needs to be formatted. This can be done in Word, or programs such as Vellum (Mac only), Atticus or Scrivener.

Front and back matter needs to be considered and included. Once everything is formatted a page count can be ascertained for print books (required for a full-wrap cover). Some cover designers offer formatting services as well, so be specific about what you need.

Making it pretty

Whether your cover designer formats your book or not, it’s worth making sure they are familiar with your genre and understand your requirements. An ebook only needs a front cover, rather than the full wrap, and you will likely need these in different formats, depending on the requirements of your printing/distribution platforms. A checklist can be valuable!

Printing it

In Australia, there are boutique printing companies, and there are Amazon and Ingram Spark for Print On Demand. Printing overseas may be more economical for large batches, depending on how much stock you wish to carry. Amazon and Ingram Spark also offer distribution services for print books, and there are a variety of online platforms for ebooks, which can assist in reaching an overseas audience:

     - Kindle (Amazon)
     - Draft2Digital (Smashwords, Kobo, Book, AppleBooks and others)
     - GoogleBooks

There are also legal requirements in Australia for submitting a copy of your book to the National Library, and benefits in being listed with library suppliers such as James Bennett and PeterPal.

Your book is now for sale! After this it is marketing and that’s a whole different skillset!