How to write your own first book - experiences and opinions?

[solarsystem87]

I have been dreaming of writing my own first book for many years. Once upon a time I wrote a draft and the first two chapters, but then unfortunately I didn't have the time to continue my project.

I don't have much time now either, but I would love to read stories from a book I wrote to my child when he is older. That's why I've decided to continue writing my book.

The only thing is that I don't know how best to do it. I have free time now and then just for me, but not very much. I probably have to be very disciplined, but when I get myself together, I'm not very creative.

What are your experiences and opinions? What is the best way to go about it to have success with your endeavor?

The best way to do it is...to do it. That's all. Find a time that works and the motivation to write regularly, every day if possible- for me it was when my youngest was at nursery and I had a couple of hours after finishing the housework - it was a big motivation to get the chores done! Everyone has their own preferences but I mostly type straight onto laptop, and also keep a notebook in my handbag for ideas at random times. I do bits and pieces on my phone too. I wrote a detailed outline and then jumped about and wrote chapters here and there. Kept it all in Dropbox. It doesn't matter how you do it as long as you start and keep going until its done. Finding the discipline to write something however little, every day, is crucial, and I found that the more I wrote, the more I wanted to, so there was a virtuous circle. I heard and liked the idea of the first draft as "telling the story to yourself" so I did that and then thought about editing.

The idea of writing the first version just for yourself is great, that will help me. I often lose motivation because I want to write something great for future readers right away and of course I fail at it.Because I often lose motivation because I want to write something great for future readers right away and of course I fail at it.

I will resolve to write not only on the weekend, but every day, even if it is only a little.

How long did it take you to finish your book? And did you publish it then?

Treat it as a hobby and just write 200 or 300 words a day. Then after a year or two you will have a book. Don’t have any expectation because the chances of getting it published are very slim but as some people enjoyed playing the piano as a hobby and nobody hears them some people enjoy writing. You can always put it on the Internet. And Who knows?

It's a pity that you hardly get to write lately. I think it's a nice hobby which helps you to switch off well, and you can also be very creative. So you can also strengthen your creativity very well… there are also workshops where you can look for help. They consciously work with writer's block - or against it ;-) So what you can do against it. In any case, take the time you need. Are you going to publish the book?
Publishing a book is a lot of work, you have to be aware of that. But if it's your passion, then go for it! It's best to get help from a professional publisher if you're still an inexperienced author. They can help you with that too, even with writer's block. Look around for workshops would be my advice! :-)

You just need to write regularly. Reading a lot helps too. For my latest book I am using Living Writer. It's an app that makes it easier to get organized, write a plot, keep notes of your characters.
When you have finished the writing, it pays to get the book professionally edited. An editor will spot errors in plot, pace, characterization, that are hard for the author to see.
Good luck, it's a great hobby.

Reading is a must! Not just for writing, but for everything... for general knowledge and so on. And that's certainly where you can "pick up" good writing styles as well. Of course, it's also important to find your own. That should become your trademark somehow. And as Creativecrafts says, an editor is indispensable. I'm sure everyone of us knows this: You've read your text so many times already, and that's exactly why you overlook some mistakes, because you already know the text almost by heart... so also putting it aside for a few days and then revising it is a good tip. So you can also look more or less objectively at your own texts…

Of course, writing is a hobby for me, but even if you sew clothes as a hobby, you still want to see progress and eventually a result.

To write daily I have not managed lately, unfortunately, but I have been able to sit down more often than usual at the laptop and write a few lines. Fortunately, I have time to read regularly when my child takes a nap!

I'll check out the app for organizing writing, that sounds interesting. Can you use the app on the computer as well as the phone?

As for publishing, I know that's a lot of work for someone to do. I would definitely like to publish my book, but I won't think about that in more detail until my manuscript is finished.

that app sounds interesting... I'll have a look at that too. So this also helps to organize things better when writing?

Of course it has to be said that such gadgets can be quite useful, but you should not completely do without human help. :-) That's what you say, creativecrafts, that it's worth looking around for an editor....
Solarsystem87, a hobby is of course always about making progress. Then you stay with it and always want to learn new things. It is simply important that the interest keeps going on...

What does the writing process look like for you if you don't write every day... do you prefer to write longer at a stretch?

By the way, you could also get help from professional publishers while you're still writing the book... that way you'll know sooner which direction to go in and can fix problems sooner... often there are also workshops that can help writers.

I've since looked at the app and don't think it's right for me. I think I'll stick to writing and taking notes in Word and save my data in a folder in my cloud. That way I can access it from different devices and continue working when I feel like it.

It's completely obvious that technology can never replace the knowledge and sensitivity of editors and other professionals, especially when it comes to writing. How I'll publish my book when it's finished one day, I'm not sure yet. Right now, I'm thinking that having the book published with the assistance of an experienced service provider like Novum Publishing might be the best idea. Do any of you or authors in your circle have experience with such providers? Am I right in thinking that they bridge the gap between traditional book publishers and self-publishing?

I also think self-publishing is interesting and not impossible. But I already realize that even writing, which gives me a lot of pleasure, brings me to the limits of my free time. And I think that when my book is finished, I would rather start writing another book than do the work around publishing and gathering various service providers. After all, I want this to be less work and more of a hobby that I enjoy.

Avoid Novum or any so called publisher that asks for money. Self publishing on Amazon is popular and easy and you keep a larger per cent of any profits.

as I said, if you don't have any experience, self-publishing is already a huge effort. You shouldn't underestimate it. You're better off with a professional publisher. I also think it's good if you can choose which services you want to use and which you take on yourself... although I have to say that you also have to let yourself be helped with certain things (and also accept feedback!). Some authors are very “stuck” and never let anyone help them... that's not the purpose of it all. I just don't know what exactly you are looking for and what is important to you...

I think there's a correlation between offering services and the percentage you get to keep per book sold, right? Traditional publishers, where you don't have to pay anything at all, give authors the least per book sold. Service publishers give away more than traditional publishers but at the same time less than you would have with self-publishing. On the other hand, with self-publishing you have to look for and pay someone for editing, cover design and other services.

I'm aware that you can theoretically do everything yourself. But that would never meet my personal requirements in terms of quality. I will thoroughly check all the different options I have. And before I sign any contract read through what exactly I am signing and whether that fits my wishes and needs!

I really appreciate constructive feedback. And I would also seek some beta readers first before getting serious about publishing the book or having it published. Do you guys have any tips on how to find competent beta readers? My friends and family would be too biased, I think.

You sound confused, OP, and you’re coming at this from the wrong angle. First you talk about wanting to write a book so you can read from it to your child — so are you planning a children’s book? YA? Is it even a novel? Memoir? Short story collection? You make it sound as if you want this just as something between you and your child.

Then, you talk about wanting to publish it, which is a whole different enterprise. If you want to traditionally publish, you will need a complete MS which is as polished as you can make it, and a good pitch letter, and to send it out to agents who represent the type of thing you have produced and who are open to new submissions. If you want to self-publish, there is a lot of information available on here. I would avoid vanity presses like the plague.

But from what you say you haven’t really even got started yet. Write the book first and think about its publishability later. Good luck!
ability

Regarding the writing app. I use Living Writer. It has 'story elements ' where you can write notes on your characters and the setting amongst other elements. There are 3 different kinds of plot boards which you can move around as required. It all helps you to stay organized. The only problem I have found with it are the chapters. They are not easy to swap around. However, each time I contacted the developers they responded quickly and resolved my issues.
One of the main advantages is that it's cloud based and so works on my laptop, my ipad and my phone, with all changes saved automatically on all my devices.
It has been compared to Scrivener which many authors use, but I believe it is better than Scrivener because of its varied features and the fact that it's cloud based.

I started writing my book a few years before my child was born. It will definitely not be a book for small children, but rather for older children or younger teenagers. And yes, I would love to read the book to my child and his future siblings when it is finished one day. But I'm not writing exclusively for my family; I'm also writing because I'd like to publish my story for a larger audience. I haven't made a decision yet about how I want to publish my book. I'm reading up on the different options and their respective pros and cons. And then will decide when the time comes. But I don't know where I would find the time to self-publish. It sounds incredibly time consuming.

@ Veggieburgers The app and that the developers respond quickly to concerns sounds good!

It is also good that you have found out what suits most people. Of course, that is also an important insight. Just try out different things, or notice which things you get along best with. And it's also important to get experiences - but also to make your own experiences! Have you already asked for opinions? It is important that you get constructive feedback here. It's best not to say that it's YOUR story. :-)

Making your own experiences is enormously important. I can see this with my little son how important it is for him not only to observe and have things explained to him, but also to be able to gain practical experience himself. And here, too, you can see very clearly that you get better and better with practice. Even if you are still awkward and clumsy at the first attempts.

For my book, which is still being written, I have so far only received feedback from my husband and my mom. Both are enthusiastic, but they certainly don't have a neutral point of view.

If you don't try something, you can't make progress... and then life is boring ;-)
You should definitely give the book to "strangers" to read... so that you get neutral feedback... have you also already obtained information from publishers?

Yeah, you're probably right and I should give my book, even if it's not finished yet, to more people to read. I'm a little afraid of the feedback, but then again, I do decide what to accept. And feedback also gives the opportunity to get better.

I haven't made any contact with publishers yet. What would I tell them, that I have an unfinished book and if they would publish it? So far, I'm gathering information every now and then and making a list of pros and cons for myself.

I'm a published author, so I have some advice that could help. Most of the big publishers won't accept novel submissions directly from the author – you need to get an agent first. Some digital-only publishers do accept unagented novels, you'll just need to check on their websites for submission rules. I suggest investing in a copy of the Writers & Artists Handbook because it has all the details you could need about publishers and agents and the submission process.

Whichever path you choose, as a first-time author you'll need to have a completed novel first, no question. So you need to finish yours before you think about taking any next steps. And the draft that you are writing now shouldn't be the draft you submit – it will almost certainly need editing into shape to make it publishable. Some of the best advice I had was to keep reading other novels in the genre you're writing – read and study the bestsellers so you understand their structure and pace and what makes the beats of the story.

Finally, join a writing group, either online – there are lots on FB – or in person. There really is little point showing relatives and friends your work unless they are published authors and know what they're talking – they're not going to be objective and won't want to hurt your feelings, when what you want is constructive feedback. It can be daunting having others critique your work but it's also invaluable. I'm quite a few books in and I still send mine to beta readers to tear apart before I sent them to my editor!

I meant Writers & Artists Yearbook, not handbook! There's one specifically for children's authors.

First finish the novel. Then revise it multiple times till it is absolutely as good as you can make it. Have it critiqued. Read as widely as possible in your genre. While you’re working on it, research agents who represent the kind of book you are writing and whose lists are open. Work on your pitch letter. Then start sending it to those agents, making sure that you submit exactly what each requires from a submission — they won’t all necessarily be the same. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip about the yearbook. Maybe after Christmas I'll get around to buying it and reading it.

Why is it so important to many publishers that manuscripts are submitted via agents? Because agents ensure that there is a certain minimum level of quality? I suppose the agents have to be paid, though, or given a share of the revenue per book sold?

Do you think it makes sense to enter writing contests to have a better chance of getting published?

Agents are gatekeepers. They get sent enormous amounts of work and will only take on an author whose work they think they can sell. Agent representation is a guarantee of a certain level of quality for editors, like a shortlist, plus agents will pitch work to editors whose tastes and wishes they know. They get their 15% from the author’s advance.

What is the next step in your project? Have you already thought about concrete steps? Writing contests like this could also help you to get a taste of the world of literature and you can also make contacts who can help you further. Everyone has to start at some point and more experienced authors can also help you... they must have started from scratch. :-) I think you can get information before you have finished writing your book. I even think it's good because it motivates you at the same time, I think. :-)