If your book is fiction, you’ll need to understand the novel writing genre. Do you have a good story to tell? Does your book have a beginning, middle and end? Is there dramatic conflict? Have you created a compelling character or characters? If you’re not sure about any of these key storytelling prerequisites, it may be a good idea to take a beginning novel writing course to brush up on your storytelling techniques. 

  Don’t just sit down and start writing your novel. Before doing anything, make an extensive outline detailing your story and characters.

  If you want to write a non-fiction book with the exception of a personal memoir, you will have to thoroughly research your topic and quote your sources. As with the novel, you will also need to write an outline of your chapters.

   If want to write a poetry book, remember that publishers tend to give contracts to poets with large followings. Despite this, you can still get your poetry out to the public through self-publishing.                             

Whether you’re writing a novel, non-fiction or poetry book, always have someone critique your first draft. Don’t ask friends or relatives who love you and don’t want to hurt your feelings. Get someone neutral- a teacher or editor to do the critique.

Next, you’ll need to hire a good graphic designer to design the book’s cover and layout.

Even before finishing your book, start looking for a good printing company. Many can now offer low costs because of print-on-demand capabilities. Utilizing the benefits of technology, these specialized printers will print the exact number of copies that you need- one to 1,000 or more copies. Ultimately, this will cut down on costs and also prevent you from having to store large quantities of books in your apartment or home.           

When selecting a printing company, you will find those outside of New York often have the best prices. To locate one, use an Internet search engine.

Today, many printers have taken on the role of mini-publishers. They will promise you the world in terms of marketing and selling your book. In actuality, they don’t have the capability to take publishing projects beyond the printing of books. To many authors’ dismay, some have taken most of their book’s heaping profits without doing any marketing or selling. In fact, these authors only receive monies in the form of very small royalty payments.                                                 

If you are willing to work on marketing and selling your book, you can keep every dime of the sales minus printing costs. With the advent of online booksellers, your own Web site and other technology, you can do everything yourself.

Once your book is published, be ready to promote it. Use your imagination to reach your target audience. Write a blog. Join a user group. Market, promote and watch the profits add up.

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