Business Of Writing Archives - Lisa Hall-Wilson

How To Find Time To Write

July 30, 2018 by Lisa Hall-Wilson 1 Comment

Finding time to write when you’re already crazy busy is a challenge. I’ve been writing (with a mind to being published) since I was 27. I’ve raised three kids in that time, launching a journalism career, begun teaching writing online, and written several novels. Is it easy? No way.

So many writers tell me they are struggling to find time to write. And I get that. I’ve had seasons where I was trying to write while raising three close-in-age children and working part time, working full time, volunteering, etc.

So many try and fit writing into their free time, their spare time. The problem with this idea of spare time is that we look at our day and never see any consistent blocks of spare time. There’s a reason for that though — who likes to be bored? We find things to fill our time. So we look back on our day and can’t see anyplace where we could fit in writing.

**Stuff happens, life happens, I get that. Sometimes you just get swamped and all you can do is keep your head above water. I don’t write in those seasons either.**

“I want to challenge you on this idea of spare time…Redefine how you’ll spend your day. Some of you are spending one or two or three hours a day checking email – something that none of us did 25 years ago. Everyday, people manage to do a thing, a patterned thing, and think they have no spare time but their next door neighbour is training for a marathon and she’s still doing great at work…reprioritize what spare time means.”

…if you can dig deep and say yes, this is important to me, you’ll find the time.”

Seth Godin

If writing is something you want to be more than a hobby, you have to put in the time. You have to study, write, be critiqued, revise–all of it. Over and over again. That’s the only way I know of to move your craft to the next level. There’s always a next level.

A Spare Time Example

Many of you may not be in the season of life I’m about to describe, your situation may be different, but here’s how I redefined spare time when I was home with three close-in-age small children. I couldn’t get large chunks of time to write, I couldn’t even find a consistent time of day I could set aside a few minutes to write. I learned to make use of the inbetween moments.

When the kids were playing in the yard, I would bring a craft book and highlighter out and work on that. Something I could pick up and put down without getting upset, something I couldn’t get so engrossed in I couldn’t step in and prevent disaster when I needed to. This is also how I edited my mss. I printed it off, and each time we went outside, I’d grab another chunk of pages and get through as much as I could.

I read craft books and watched videos while I did dishes or folded laundry. I’d take the kids outside for an “adventure” which might have been a walk, a trip to the park, or a trip to the library. As long as they had a chance to run off some energy, they’d play quietly for an hour when we got home and I’d sit with my notebook (in the days before I had a laptop) and write another chapter.

At least once a week, I’d get an evening free (hubs did bedtime solo) and I could really dive deep into writing fiction, but those times were wasted if I hadn’t put the work into revising what I’d already written, researching the next section, or planning/brainstorming where the story would go next. Those inbetween moments meant I made the most of the time I did get to write.

I entered contests just to get the critique. A $20 entry fee is a cheap critique. I saved up in order to attend one writer’s conference a year. It was fairly local, so there weren’t many travel costs. It was a breath of fresh wind in my sails. It was a yearly deadline to aim for to have work ready to pitch or get critiqued.

You have time to write when you make time to write. Click To Tweet

Maybe you could get up an hour earlier every day, or stay up an hour later. Maybe you could use your hour long lunch break to do work – was it Mark Dawson who wrote his first bestseller using only his commute time on the train? Leave a craft book you want to read in the bathroom.

Reprioritize writing and you’ll find you have many “spare” moments where you can work on your writing.

Where could you find some “spare time” in your day to write? Could you give up something? Could you reprioritize so writing gets done before this or that? How would you set up some accountability?

How To Show Your Alpha Hero’s In Control Even When Writing In Deep Point Of View

April 6, 2018 by Lisa Hall-Wilson Leave a Comment

There people who have dominant personalities. We might call them an alpha. They don’t have to be abusive, arrogant, angry, or dismissive. In fact, when you combine the positive traits of alpha males and females with generosity, humility, and a few others, a compelling character can emerge.

Dominant Characters In Deep Point Of View

When you’re limited to only what the point of view character can see, know, feel, hear, etc. it becomes really important to learn what dominant body language looks like. Remember, in deep point of view you (the writer) can only present evidence to the reader (judge), and they make decisions on character mood, emotion, attitude, etc. So how do you do that? In your writer’s toolbox, you’ll have your own character’s posture and gestures, thoughts, physiology, and words. You also have how others respond and behave when with your point of view character (their posture, facial expressions, words, etc.) Your alpha character doesn’t have to put people down, be a jerk or abusive to show the reader they’re in control.

Power Poses

Amy Cuddy’s TedTalks videos explore power poses. I’ve spent some time just watching people in innocuous situations — waiting at a bus stop, at the theater, at a restaurant, etc. and these power poses are actually used unconsciously all the time. A power pose is the body language of someone feeling powerful (in control, in authority) or victorious. You’ll often see athletes raise their arms up over their heads when they win. When you feel powerful, you’re more likely to feel uninhibited and adopt an open posture.

This often involves making yourself look bigger in some way:

arms raised up or spread wide
puffing out chests
keeping head up (like there’s a string attached at the ceiling to the top of the head)
putting feet up on a desk – lounging (though this really smacks of arrogance too)
hands on hips (think Wonder Woman)
standing upright or erect
chin up, chest out
legs spread apart
chests, crotches, necks exposed or on display (not in an indecent way)
elbows or knees spread wide
Foot or ankle resting on top of knee in a figure 4 position
looking down from a higher position or elevation
man-spreading, crowding the space of others

Submissive poses are the opposite. This body language seeks to make a person appear smaller and they adopt a posture that appears to protect their vulnerable bits – chests, hearts, necks, crotches, etc. Power and submission poses are practiced equally by men and women, though women are often culturally conditioned to strike these poses because men find these kinds of body language attractive.

Let’s look at a real-world example. At the Yalta Summit in 1945, a media photo was released of the three most-powerful men in the world at the time: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin.

Photo via Wiki Commons

This photo perhaps captures how each man feels about his place in the group or the outcome of the meetings. Churchill (left) is holding his hat in his lap covering his groin and appears to have his shoulders hunched. This is a submissive pose.

Roosevelt (center) isn’t covering either his neck, chest or crotch, but this isn’t a power pose. Rather, he’s confident. Stalin (far right) with his open display of chest, crotch and neck is striking a power pose. See how Stalin is spreading his elbows and knees wide. He’s not slouched but has a very rigid posture. He feels he’s in a position of power or is celebrating a victory perhaps.

Deferring To The Dominant Personality

When the dominant personality is speaking, the rest will listen. Those who aren’t dominant will unconsciously mimic the dominant person’s responses and posture. They’ll defer to that person when a question is asked.

Without the dominant personality, no one knows what to say. They are unwilling to meet anyone’s gaze. No one steps up. When a non-dominant personality exits a group, the conversation will continue and the circle will close in the gap like they weren’t there. When a dominant personality leaves, the conversation stops and people stare at the floor and they begin to shift and move about. They don’t know what to say.

Alpha or dominant male body posture.

Dominant In Specific Spheres

Dominance can be location or people specific. Someone could be the dominant personality in their own home, their work, their community, or social group. Their dominance may overlap with many spheres, or it could be limited to just one. Let their posture and body language shift between the spheres to show the loss or lack of dominance. You can really play with this. How would a contest for dominance look in a civilized setting? How would a good alpha assert his authority in public?

Consider the person who is dominant, but relinquishes that power to someone for a time, for a reason. The dominant personality in a meeting may temporarily give up their power in order to hear from an expert for instance. How would that affect their posture or body language? How will the “expert” react to having that power taken away again?

How Does All This Work In Fiction?

We know how things work in real life so how strictly do we need to stick to it in fiction? Let your character’s alpha-ness be a source of the conflict they feel internally or create externally. Many times in fiction, we’re writing about the outliers, those who don’t fit the society mold so there’s lots of freedom to depart from what’s above as long as you’re consistent.

In the age of #metoo, despite the popularity of the 50 Shades books and movies, your alpha hero can (and should) respect women and understand consent, etc. He can be an alpha without needing to dominate those closest to him. Your alpha doesn’t have to be a Wolverine when they could be Professor X. Not many writers are interested in creating those types of characters–or at least, avoid celebrating them.

Want to learn more about deep point of view? Heard about it and don’t know what it’s really about? Been told readers struggle to connect with your characters emotionally? Know about deep point of view, but stumped trying to find intermediate-level resources? Registration is now open for Method Acting For Writers: Learn To Write In Deep Point Of View. Class begins May 7 and the cost is $165CDN (approx $130USD).

Can You Make A Living Writing?

March 2, 2018 by Lisa Hall-Wilson Leave a Comment

Can you make a living writing? This is a question that came through to the blog last week. My short answer was yes – of course, but I’ve spent some time doing a completely unscientific anecdotal poll of the various writer’s groups I’m a part of so that I can answer this question outside of my own personal experience.

Freelancing, as a rule, is feast or famine. It’s unpredictable income. Of all the freelance work I’ve done, writing for non-profits was the most predictable, but only until donations are down or some executive thinks the admin working under them who did well in high school English can write “well enough” and my hours get significantly reduced or my contract cancelled. Yes, that’s happened. More than once. (Do they come back to me after a while because “well enough” didn’t bring in as many donations as my work did? Often.)

My point is, in these situations whether you’re blogging, doing direct mail, journalism, marketing campaigns–whatever, even if you’re on staff, the writing is the easiest to change and the first thing that gets cut. Sad truth.

Here’s a book on my wishlist – Scratch: Writers, Money And The Art Of Making A Living

Diversify

The answer to a reliable income as a writer is to diversify. Don’t rely on one source for your entire income, things you have no control over change too quickly. Here’s a sample of some of the replies I received (names removed).

“I’m getting close to making a living by writing, through advances, royalties, and some direct sales at events. (I’m traditionally published.)”

“I’m on my second career track. I’m making a living with writing books in my very specialized field … I have regular speaking engagements, do conferences, earn income on my membership website along with weekly TV programs. It’s taken 6 years to build but I’m seeing the fruit of my labor.”

“I diversify with freelancing, speaking, using my newsletter for advertising, subscriptions to a paid newsletter, and my novels.”

“For me, over the years, it’s been a mix of: (1) digital product sales, (2) consulting and editing services, (3) online teaching, (4) digital subscriptions, (5) book sales, (6) paid freelance writing, (7) Amazon affiliate marketing, and (8) speaking fees.”

“I was making a living wage from my editing, teaching, and non-fiction books combined for a lot of years. I don’t remember how long it took to get a full-time income from that because it was so long ago. I published my first novel in November 2016. In 2017, my income was nearly double what it was the year before, and I was doing that 99% from books. I currently sell ebooks and paperbacks, and last month I signed with an audiobook publisher…”

“It took me about 3 years of submitting myself to publications (including a non-paying column, so I could build up samples and experience) to make a living through writing. Diversifying has been vital for me, because I knew I wanted and planned to make a good income through writing. I think that’s another key: believing you can and aiming for it. Nurturing relationships with editors, publications, etc., is also helpful, I’ve found; some of my smallest gigs have led to the biggest. And applying our creativity to creating and pursuing writing work can go really far.”

Fantastic (and frightening) article about getting that coveted $100,000 cheque from a royalty publisher: Cheryl Strayed Was $85,000 In Debt When Her Memoir Wild Got Published

Over the years, I’ve diversified my income by freelance writing and editing for magazines and newspapers, schools, non-profits, and small businesses (marketing copy, event promotion, blogging, direct mail, articles, interviews, event coverage, etc.), syndicated column, consulting, teaching online, coordinating writer’s conferences, and writing fiction.

There are a lot of Indie writers making a living just off their fiction as well. Their version of diversifying is building a backlist, putting out work in multiple formats across many vendors, maybe monetizing a blog and affiliate sales, and some speaking.

Jane Friedman and Joanna Penn (The Creative Penn) talk money and making a living writing here.

Here’s some things to really think through either before jumping into the writing-as-a-living-pool or giving up on it.

Define what a living wage means to you. Does it mean six figures? Most people can get by on a lot less. Do you need to earn a full-time wage or are you just looking for a side income because your partner has a good job?
Freelancing offers the most freedom and opportunity but also comes with the most risk. There just aren’t many staff writer positions available any more. Be sure to set aside money in the good months for the lean months- and there will be lean months because of fluctuations you have no control over and won’t foresee.
Network!! This is the name of the game. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, marketing, blogging–doesn’t matter. Put out your best work with every job and build a reputation in whatever field you’re writing in. That’s how you get more work. Network with other writers. I’ve given away jobs I didn’t have time for, I’ve gotten jobs from other writers who needed a name to pass on to a client. Fiction writers are often sharing newsletter space, promoting others work to their own readers, etc. You’ll get farther faster by helping those around you and letting them help you.
Be patient. Most of the comments above are from people who’ve spent years building up a portfolio of work and networking and working really hard. Most Indie fiction authors are saying they needed 3 – 5 books out before they were making a good living from just their fiction. It’s the backlist that keeps you afloat with each new release promoting everything else you’ve written. This takes time.
Get really good at one or two things. I’ve spoken to so many editors who get frustrated with new writers who say they’ll write anything. While that may be true, editors are often looking for people already interested in or have knowledge of a specific sector. Get really good at book reviews and you’ll be trusted with something bigger, for instance. I got really good at interviews. When a celebrity or entertainer was in town or was coming to town (not even my town but across the country), often editors turned to me because I was able to navigate the maze of gatekeepers these people surround themselves with and get the interview, and asked questions their readers wanted answers to. Become the go-to person for that topic or kind of writing. (In my case, this involved a lot of stalking on social media, identifying and genuinely befriending mavens, unanswered emails, learning lingo, and backdoor networking–be creative in finding solutions.)
Change your mindset. Instead of cutting your rates or giving away work for free (unless part of a strategic marketing decision), weigh the work against your end goals. Is taking this work a good business move? How will this work help me get where I want to get? Give yourself freedom to say no.

My Best Advice…

Finally, the best advice I know to give someone who wants to make a living as a writer is to keep learning. Strive to make every piece your best work, stay on top of trends and new styles and techniques, and push yourself to network and keep growing professionally.

Do you have a question you’d like to see me tackle on the blog? Usually I send a quick short answer and then explore it further here. Leave a comment here, send me an email (lisa(at)lisahallwilson(dot)com) or find me on Facebook.

Should You Write For Genre (and monetary success)?

February 22, 2018 by Lisa Hall-Wilson 3 Comments

Should you write for genre (and tied up in that is the expectation that genre fiction sells better than literary fiction so you’ll find more monetary success)? I don’t think writing to genre is bad nor do I think avoiding all discussion of genre wise either. You can write the best book in the world, but if don’t know how to sell it, if readers can’t find it – then what?

So, the core of this argument is – should you write to genre (staying within the creative limits set out by reader expectations) or just write whatever you want and then figure out what shelf it’ll go on. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer here, I know people who’ve been successful doing both. Writing genre fiction is not a ticket to financial freedom nor can you realistically write anything you want, call it literary, and make a million. Really, there’s only a right-for-you answer and ultimately it’s a marketing question.

Today I’m answering a reader question. Have one? Send it in!

Are you able to craft a story that fits within certain parameters? If you want to write for the Christian market, there are specific “rules” you must follow or readers will abandon you. But the same goes for romance, cozies, and a number of other genres.

I’m told if you’re writing cozies readers expect to find a recipe at the back. If you want to write a gritty crime novel, don’t market it as a cozy just because there’s a lot of readers for that genre. They’ll KNOW.

Writers, as a stereotype, dislike labels and boxes and rules. I know I do. We’re artistes after all. When I try to write to genre (which is a box with specific reader expectations, tropes, and outcomes) not only do I go outside the lines, I stomp all over the box. It’s not intentional – I actively plan on sticking to the rules. But in the middle of crafting the novel, I get caught up in the art of it and won’t this be cool and I love where this character is going and I’ll only bend the rule a little here and here and maybe here too.

It’s all happy birch trees and beaver tails until you hand a proposal to an agent for a specific genre and their eyes grow round as an owl’s and they … just … stare. You can see the emotions flicker across their faces – is this a serious proposal? They’re serious. The writing is good, but I’ll never sell this. I’m not sure I’d even read it. The proposal makes me feel dirty… (I’m paraphrasing what I believe likely goes through the minds of Christian agents when they’ve read my proposals).

It takes talent, I think, to make an agent lose the ability to speak for a few moments before they reject you face to face. It’s the church-polite equivalent to Hell No! I once asked an agent why he rejected my proposal thinking I might tweak it and get different results (months later at a different conference – no emotions on the line). What was it about the idea he didn’t like, was it the presentation or the hook, did he understand what the book was about (I mean, kudos that he remembered my proposal so vividly – I’m probably one of those cautionary tales he tells at writer’s conferences). He laughed. No, he rejected the book because the proposal was so good he knew exactly what the book was about. That’s something, right? o_o Maybe?

That’s when you know that you’ve not only missed the genre mark, you’ve flattened the box completely.

If you want to write to a specific genre, the trick is to employ some art without being artsy.

By artsy, I mean being too original or using art for the sake of art rather than to connect with our audience *cough* Fergie’s national anthem *cough*. Being artsy is fine if that’s what your audience is expecting, but if they have specific expectations and you decide now’s your time to be original and take risks–it’s going to fail.

This is the difference between literary fiction and genre fiction. In literary novels, there are few conventions. Writers are free to experiment and get real artsy and readers embrace that. Write an entire novel using only one period if you want – have at it. Being artsy doesn’t mean people will love your ideas (see above example). There’s this perception that literary novels don’t sell well. They’re definitely harder to market, but if a good book lands in the hands of enough readers they’ll tell their friends about it.

In genre fiction, readers come with pre-loaded expectations of what they’re going to get and if you violate those “rules” readers will hate you. In literary fiction, the hero can die after a novel-length romantic story. If the hero dies in a romance novel, your readers will send you hate mail.

If You Must Be Original…

If you must be original, and I confess that I’m really terrible with rules, write the story in your heart. Just get it out. Polish it up. Get it professionally edited. Then sit down and figure out which shelf (or shelves) you can slide it onto where the readers that love your kind of story hang out.

When we consider novels that smash genre rules, I always think of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It’s a time travel novel, no–it’s a historical, no–it’s romance, no–it’s fantasy — ARGH!! It’s actually all of those things and yet, none of those things. Gabaldon admits that at book signings when people asked what genre the book was, she’d consider the age and gender of the reader asking and then pick the genre they’d be more likely to read. An older gentleman – it’s a historical. A younger woman – it’s a romance. A younger man – it’s a fantasy or a time travel novel. But once her novels hit the bestseller lists, genre didn’t matter. Nobody cared.

But that question of genre meant Outlander almost wasn’t published at all. Gabaldon says her publisher sat on the manuscript for 18 months because they didn’t know what shelf to put it on (the shelf/genre determines which readers will immediately dismiss it, the cover art used, the length, etc.).

Here’s what she said: “Whenever you’re dealing with something that’s difficult to describe, that you can’t get across to someone in a sound bite, it sounds like the normal default is to pick what’s easiest, and in the case of fiction written by women, fiction involving women, fiction involving any sort of relationship, the word that comes to mind is romance. It’s canned stuff: “It’s steamy, it’s stirring, it’s sizzling, it’s a bodice ripper.” And as I say, in romance novels, those are courtship stories. Once the couple is married, that’s the end of the story. And in our story, that means we would have stopped at episode seven. I’ve never seen anyone deal in a literary way with what it takes to stay married for more than 50 years, and that seemed like a worthy goal.” (read the whole interview here)

So, that’s a longish answer to a short question. Sort of. Write the story that’s got you excited. Be as creative and artsy as you want or know the intricacies of the genre you love and write within those boundaries. Define your chaos, as Gabaldon says. Then when you’ve finished, sit back and figure out the marketing. Which shelf should it go on? Where do you want it to fit and what will you have to change to make it work?

Don’t forget, nothing is written in stone if you’re Indie. If a story falls flat on one shelf, all things being equal, give it a new cover and maybe a new title (these must primarily be marketing decisions) and see if it attracts those readers better. Once readers get a hold of it and start telling their friends, the genre stops mattering so much.

Dive Deep!

Gifts For Writers

November 14, 2017 by Lisa Hall-Wilson Leave a Comment

What do you buy the writer on your Christmas list with too many notebooks already? Here’s a list of fun ideas to get you started.

It’s that time of year again when people want to give a writer a meaningful gift. The go-to gift is always a notebook and pen, and notebooks are always handy–especially pretty ones (not knocking that) but sometimes you want something different. I fell down the Etsy, Amazon, Red Bubble rabbit hole so you don’t have to! Here’s some fun ideas I found (none of these are affiliate links) that you can either buy or use as a stepping stone to another idea:

Journals

OK – so journals and notebooks are a great idea, especially if you haven’t given one before. I don’t know a single writer who wouldn’t love a supple leather journal. This one is a cool journal PLUS you can pick a quote or whatever you want laser etched onto the cover. This is refillable, so the leather cover can just keep on giving. Cool beans. Find it here.

By MemoriesMadeCustom on Etsy

Jewelry

Lots of fun ideas here for writer-inspired jewelry. I’ve only listed necklaces here, but there’s earrings, rings, and bracelets available too. Many sellers on sites like Etsy will customize designs too. See a silver bangle your friend would love? Get it laser etched with a quote or saying to personalize it.

Book Nerd. Another popular variant would be Word Nerd. Find this necklace here.

From OxfordBright on Etsy

For the DIY writer, or the writer who loves upcycled stuff, these pendants are made from old typewriter keys. Lots of variety on Etsy on this theme if you like this idea but are looking for a different key or decorative frame, rings, etc.

By iamnotsocool on Etsy

Pendant with quote from Lord Byron: If I Don’t Write To Empty My Mind I Go Crazy. (etsy)

By LiteraryLaneBoutique on Etsy

Pendant: Women Who Write Are Dangerous (etsy)

By RosiesPendants on Etsy

Mugs

Sometimes mugs fall into the same category as journals. Can a writer really have enough? But if you haven’t given your writer a fun mug yet, here’s some ideas:

When your writer could use a shot of encouragement with their coffee. “I never dreamed I would be a super cool writer, but here I am killing it!”

By MikaMugs on Etsy

I Am A Writer. Anything You Say Or Do May Be Used In A Story. (from etsy)

For The Writer Who Loves Star Wars (etsy)

Only The Strongest Women Become Writers (etsy)

Tears Of My Readers mug (etsy)

T-Shirts

Clothing is tricky, but these are fun!

From boredwalk on Etsy

Do you know a writer who would wear this tshirt with some sass? Find it here on RedFrog.

By SingleDadLaughing on RedFrog

Lots of variety on this idea with American and British writers. This shirt features Canadian writers.

By UpShirtsCreek on Etsy

This is a safe design that probably any fiction writer would love.

By PixelChicksDesign on Etsy

Have a Pride and Prejudice fan? This may not be a strictly writer gift, but writers are readers too! This is a fun design, but there are a TON of Jane Austen quotes on RedBubble and RedFrog to choose from.

By LarkLane on RedBubble

This is a cool tshirt for those who write edgier stuff (or who appreciate a kick in the pants)!

By HelloFriday on Society 6

Pretty Up The Laptop

Lots of fun sticker-like decals for a writer’s most beloved tool – the laptop. Lots of sellers offering custom vinyl decals too if you knew the size you wanted. This is one that caught my eye. Lots that will go on the back of a laptop and around an apple logo as well. Also – cell phone cases. Lots of the designs you’re for laptops and t-shirts come on cell phone cases, travel mugs, art prints, etc.

By FixateDesigns on Etsy

Fake it til you make it. 😀

By iwriteromance on RedBubble

This one might come in handy for those who like to write in coffee shops. 😀

By elmbiart on Red Bubble

Pretty Up The Writing Cave

A fun pillow to jazz up the old writing cave is another idea for guys or girls. Here are a couple I found that I love. There are some sellers on Etsy who will print a custom design or quote on a pillowcase as well.

By IDefineMeProject on Etsy

Maybe you’re more of a Stephen King fan (either his fiction or his books on writing). You can save on shipping by buying the pillow case and finding your own pillow locally.

By Kadwell on RedBubble

Know a children’s writer/author? This might be fun.

By A Little Leafy on Society 6

Wall art can be fun if you know a writer’s personal tastes well. This is one of my favorite quotes. I would hang this in my writing cave. 😀

By Razvan Dragomirica on Red Bubble

Now – help me out. Which writing books are on your Christmas wish list this year? Can we generate a wish list to share with each other?

How To Publish A Book In Canada

January 1, 2017 by Lisa Hall-Wilson 4 Comments

I’ve had several people ask me what steps I went through to self-publish (Indie publish) my debut novel The Watched. I published on a shoestring budget ($400-$500 total). If you can hire a more experienced professional, always up your game that way.

There are many vanity presses out there who say they’re publishers. They will take your manuscript and “publish” it for a fee. That base fee may or may not include cover design and professional editing, and then they up-sell you on marketing packages. This is usually vastly overpriced. You’ll have to pay retail or nearly full retail price to get copies of your own book. This is an option, but not a great option. It’s an outright terrible option if you want to actually make a living as a writer.

Step 1: Write

I know, this should be intuitive but this is where most people who say they want to write a book or novel fall away. Do your research. Know what the “rules” or conventions for your genre. If you’re writing romance, the hero and heroine must end up together at the end and if they don’t, it’s not a romance. Every genre label comes with reader expectations. You can play around with a lot of things when you self-publish but the 3-act structure and genre expectations/rules are inviolable IMHO.

Some of my favourite writing teachers are James Scott Bell, Jeff Gerke, Stephen King, Donald Maas, Marcy Kennedy and a few others (none of those links are affiliate links). Some great websites that provide great info for free are Kristen Lamb’s blog – Warrior Writers. Becca and Angela run Writers Helping Writers. Brian’s website the Positive Writer (this post links to a bunch of the best writing websites on the interwebs). I love The Creative Penn.

Step 2: Self-Edit

Learn how to self-edit. The more editing you can do for yourself the better your writing will become over time. Take a break between the first and second draft and learn to be objective. There are a lot of great books and blog posts out there on how to do this well.

Learn about hooks and leads, scenes and sequels, pacing, voice, and conflict. Study how to write a synopsis. Skimping on this step will hinder your success as a writer more than any other step further down.

Step 3: Find Beta Readers

A beta reader is someone who is willing to read a polished first draft of a manuscript. Jami Gold has a fabulous post about what to look for in a beta reader. **Tip: If you’re writing horror, asking your romance-loving friend to read your story may not provide the most valuable feedback. Find people who enjoy reading the kinds of stories you’re writing. Make sure they’re willing to give you honest feedback, otherwise the process won’t help you improve your story.

Step 4: More Self-Editing

Beta readers will offer advice like: I didn’t like that character. It was hard to get into. They won’t tell you how to fix a problem and they may not be able to articulate exactly what the problem is. It’s your job as the writer to take their feedback and diagnose the problem. A patient comes to a doctor with a complaint – my elbow hurts. The doctor must sort out the possible problems and then ask intelligent questions to narrow down a diagnosis.

Not all advice from the beta readers will mean you need to make a change. Editing by committee creates a story that no one really likes. This discernment comes with experience so keep at it.

Step 5: Hire an Editor

If a writer is the pane of glass through which a world is seen, the editor is the glass cleaner. Their job is not to rewrite a story, but removes the streaks and cracks and other blemishes in the glass so the reader sees the picture or world the author intended. Skip this step at your peril!

What you need at this point is a big picture edit. Some editors give this different labels, typically it’s called a substantive edit. The editor will look at character arcs, conflict, turning points, pacing, voice, worldbuilding, inconsistencies, etc. You’ll receive a marked up Word document with all of their suggestions. Often, a good editor will explain or give a brief reason about why they’re making that suggestion. Learn as much as you can.

Editing typically is charged on a per-word basis. Depending on the depth of the edit, the price goes up with more time invested. There are different levels of substantive editing and I’ve seen prices vary from .01 cents a word to .25 cents a word. At the higher end of that scale, I would be hiring an experienced editor who has worked with traditional publishing houses and can point to successful books they’ve edited in my genre, there will often be some form of back and forth consultation, and advice on marketability and so on. If you were to sign with a traditional publisher, these are the editors they would hire.

Step 6: Self-Edit Again

Step 7: (optional) More beta readers.

Step 8: Cover Design

Spend money on this step. If you don’t spend money on any other step, spend money here. A bad cover will ensure no one reads your book. Know what kind of cover you’re looking for. Look at other covers in your genre. The going rate, based on my research, is $99 for an ebook cover design for Indie authors. If you want a print cover also, there’s an additional cost for that. If you want social media headers or book marks, etc. those would all be an additional cost.

Be sure to budget for any artwork you’ll use for your cover. As an artist, always respect the copyrights of other artists. If you want a fancy or specific font, there may be a fee for the rights to use that as well. Ask around and get recommendations. Most cover designers post a portfolio on their websites. Are they already being hired to do covers in your genre? Do you like those covers? My designer turned around a finished design inside two weeks.

Step 9: ISBN

If you want to sell your book online or in a physical book store, you need an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). In Canada, ISBNs are free. You do need to create/apply for an account with Library and Archives Canada (website link here). There is no fee, but allow at least 2 weeks for login information and from there you can request an ISBN. Allow about 10 days to receive an ISBN.

Step 10: Self Edit and Format

By now you should have received feedback from your beta readers and been able to do a final draft of your project. This is not the final product yet.

I use Scrivener to write because it will create digital files for me. Whatever program you’re using, this is where you get the book looking just right. Your titles, table of contents, author notes or acknowledgements (front matter), etc. Get it looking the way a reader would see it as much as possible even within Word.

Step 11: Hire a Proofreader

If you know someone who is very good with grammar and spelling, you may be able to save a few dollars here. Online retailers will remove your book if readers report typos and grammatical mistakes.

A proofreader will look at everything: the spacing, spelling, grammar, titles, verify sources and table of contents. They’re the last set of eyes on your work. Proofreading is generally cheaper than substantive editing, but you will receive a quote based on the submission of the first few pages of your work. If you are horrible at spelling and grammar, expect to pay more than if you were sending them a mostly clean manuscript to look at. Which seems fair to me.

Step 12: Banking and Taxes

You could really do this at any stage in the process. Think through how online retailers will pay you for any books sold. Understand that every online retailer will take a “cut” of the profit. On Amazon, your royalties are determined by the book price – read more about that here. You can use Paypal or have money deposited directly into a bank account depending on the retailer. These retailers will handle any sales tax and just send you the remaining profit on a designated basis (often quarterly). Then I pay tax to the Canadian government as I normally would for my writing business.

As a Canadian, I can sell books through Kobo without any problem because Kobo is a Canadian company. To sell books through Amazon (because it’s based in the USA) I had to contact the IRS and apply for a tax identification number. I wanted to invoke the treaty between Canada and the United States that says I only have to pay taxes in my country of residence not both countries (or some such language). Without this number, Amazon and other American retailers will withhold 30% of my earnings. So, even if your plan is to self-publish through Bookbaby, Draft2Digital or Createspace, this same tax info will be required.

It was difficult getting information online about exactly what form I needed (a W-8BEN or an ITIN or an EIN) and I’m not an accountant so I’m reluctant to give specific information here. Take note of the date on the information you’re reading and keep in mind that tax laws change so find the most up to date info you can. Most online retailers have detailed instructions on what to do. Be sure that all your tax ducks are in a row with the Canadian government as a self-employed artist (there are specific tax laws in Canada regarding artists – we don’t need to make a profit year over year for instance). Do you need a business number? All that jazz.

I dreaded this step, but once I sat down to figure it out it was actually pretty painless. I will say that I was on hold for about 15 minutes with the IRS. I spoke with Mrs. Cunningham who was tremendously helpful and charming and carefully explained each step. I had my tax number at the end of that 15 minute conversation which I could use immediately and was sent official documentation via mail. I’ve had no problems using that number with online retailers. I was able to complete the tax forms online with each retailer. Some of my writing friends said they had to send in paper copies of the various forms but I was happy to be given an online option. If there was an error I knew immediately and could fix it.

Contact an accountant familiar with tax laws for artists.

Step 13: Interior Book Design

Go ahead and make the changes suggested by your proofreader. Now, you need to format the inside of your book also known as interior design. I use Scrivener – a program that cost me $40 and allows me to make changes as needed and export the appropriate digital file. Amazon requires .mobi files and all other retailers require .epub files.

You can pay someone to do this for you, and if you are including photos or want special graphics for chapter headings or charts and graphs, this is likely a wise choice. You could purchase software like Adobe InDesign and do it yourself. I have no experience with the conversion software used by websites like Smashwords (the meat grinder), but that’s also an option. There are different requirements for print and ebook files, so if you’re doing the formatting yourself make sure you do a bit of research on that. If you are doing a print book, your cover designer will need to know the width of the spine and the cover size to create a design so you might have to rearrange a few steps.

Marcy Kennedy sent this link to a great blog post from Janice Hardy: Understanding Your Ebook Formatting.

I did price out having the internal formatting done professionally and for a simple ebook (no graphics, photos, graphs, etc) I was quoted a price of $99. There would be additional fees for any changes after the initial file was delivered, I’d expect.

Step 14: Publish

Now you have a completed manuscript in mobi and epub file formats. Create accounts on the various retailers you want to use and upload them. You’ll have to include your tax and banking info.

Because I don’t have a Mac, I used Draft 2 Digital to get my book on iBooks. I used Draft 2 Digital to list my book on Nook (Barnes & Noble), Scribd (no romance titles allowed), and a couple of others. I uploaded directly to Amazon (and then listed it in the Canadian, British, and Australian stores also) and Kobo. Don’t forget to create an author account on Goodreads.

I would also offer a reminder to follow through on the legal deposit of the print book and/or digital file to Library and Archives Canada. (You’ll be sent instructions about this when you request an ISBN.) They will want an epub file of your ebook or a print copy if your ISBN was for a print version. I do believe they can fine you or have some other method to compel you to submit a copy of your book at your own expense. In my case it was a simple email and stating whether this book was to be archived with open or restricted access (details in link above).

Marcy Kennedy sent the following tip: “One thing that I would add is to read the Terms of Service for each distributor carefully, especially for Amazon. They have unique, specific requirements for many elements, such as where in your book your Table of Contents needs to appear and what you’re allowed to put in your book description. If you violate their terms of service, they will take action–anything from a simple warning email, to suspending sales of your book, to closing your account entirely (though usually that’s reserved for major infractions).”

Marketing is a whole other set of steps which I haven’t touched on here.

If you have published a book in Canada and have found your experience to differ from mine, please leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to collect as much expertise as possible in one place as a resource.