Writing a book

jsmoke

jsmoke

jsmoke

Soldato
Joined
17 Jun 2012
Posts
11,259
Always fancied writing a book. Anyone done this, any tips, how long does it take, did you pay for proof readers, advertising etc. I suppose it helps if your an avid book reader which I am not. Read plenty of technical docs, news, articles and source code but not many books, especially novels.

Nothing to lose though and may make a few quid in process. It would also help if you had a topic you were pretty knowledgeable and passionate about again which I don't really. I am interested on how people are offended though, thought I could title the book, The Art of Offence.
 
I'm currently writing my third so hopefully I can advise a little. You have two options: self-publish or find a publisher. Both are double-edged swords.

If you self-publish you will need to do everything yourself, or find people who can. You will need copyright-free artwork executed to a high standard (people very much do judge books by their covers), and you will need to market your book yourself, which can result in more work than the writing side, believe it or not. If you have an extant 'fan-base' already it will make marketing easier. Many self-published authors, especially first-timers, do not employ editors or proofreaders and this is usually a huge mistake. I don't care if you're William Shakespeare, you will make mistakes in your copy and might not see them yourself - it's simply how our brains work. Fresh eyes are invaluable in this regard and can save your entire project (also, writers are usually cheaper than most people expect). The pay-off to all of this is total control of your book and much higher royalties. I get about 75% for each book sold and my children will continue to get that until 75 years after my death.

A publisher will do all of the above for you. It will advise at every stage, provide proofreaders, editors, marketing, artwork - you name it. All the things that make self-publishing hard barely exist if you find a publisher. However, you will need an agent to even be noticed by a publisher unless you are extremely lucky. Unsolicited manuscripts (those from authors without agents) are mostly binned without being read. Non-celebrity, first-time authors are not paid much at all by publishers and some I know have received virtually nothing despite their books seeming to be quite successful. Contracts are a minefield and some are downright scams - even from big publishers. It's not uncommon for authors to receive 10% or under in royalties.

Hope that helps - post more questions if you have any.
 
I've always wanted to write a book but just for me, I enjoy reading but have never found a book about a subject that is specifically what I want it to be.

Never started but I have formulated the idea and a basic character list and rough story but it's sitting on one of my HDDs gathering dust until I get to actually writing it - self publishing a free book could be an option but again it's probably something only a very select few might read if they saw it so the point is probably lost, I'll just continue to day dream it myself for now.
 
If you go the self publishing route, avoid kindle unlimited. They have a fixed pot per month that is shared by all authors with page views. You will earn less than peanuts.

Friends and family can be free proof readers for grammar and typos but don't expect a decent critique from them as they likely won't want to be brutally honesty enough with you to say when its bad.
 
Not much help for OP genre but here is what i have to say about fantasy genre.

I read a lot. Mainly high fantasy and similar genres like lit-rpg. I get through about 1 - 2 books a week and have come to the conclusion that first and foremost what makes books entertaining for me is a writing style. Doesn't necessarily mean its written comically or articulated thoroughly but rather the writing has character, finesse or wit. Without that, good story and characters are wasted.

As for characters i am often put off by the never failing hero that has not got a bad bone in their body. When i see the main character is one of those types, the story tends mirror most other white knight stories. IMO a main character with a flawed personality, limitations and the world against him is far more interesting than the white knight type.

Story personally for me comes last. I think if you have good writing and good characters, the story writes itself.

There are internet sites which focus on certain genres for amateurs to post their books on. The ones i check focus more on Epic fantasy and Lit-RPG genres, like RoyalRoad. The are some absolute gems on that site which are as entertaining as professionally published books. There people post chapter by chapter, whcih is great as you tend to see how people react to developments and the momentum your gaining. The good ones tend to publish on amazon and even get picked up for an audiobook, authors tend to then remove everything beyond a certain set of chapters after they publish at that point.
 
jsmoke said:
Always fancied writing a book. Anyone done this, any tips, how long does it take, did you pay for proof readers, advertising etc. I suppose it helps if your an avid book reader which I am not. Read plenty of technical docs, news, articles and source code but not many books, especially novels.

Nothing to lose though and may make a few quid in process. It would also help if you had a topic you were pretty knowledgeable and passionate about again which I don't really. I am interested on how people are offended though, thought I could title the book, The Art of Offence.
Click to expand...

You probably ought to pay.
 
Many years ago my manager wrote a book. All self published. He made no money and lost plenty, but was overwhelmed to see his name on the cover.
 
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