Writing Your Dreams
Writing your dreams, I don’t mean the mental pictures while you were dozing. I mean the dreams you have related to your writing. How do you plan for your writing to impact the world?
Since some are you’re over halfway mark, it might be a good idea to take a few moments and write out a game plan for the next phases. You’re not editing now, but it’s not a bad idea to formulate a game plan for that next step. As well as the steps that follow after.
Here is an outline that might help. You can tweak it for your needs. It can be a jumping off point to plan the rest of your project.
- Writing/Rough Draft
- Editing/1st Draft
- Rewriting/2nd Draft
- Input/Feedback
- Tweaks/Final Draft
- Publishing Options
- Book Layout/Cover Design
- Marketing
While you may choose to pursue a traditional publisher, since I’m aquainted with the self publishing market, I will speak to that. Since markets change, regarding the group, I personally use Amazon, preferring their business model and ease of use.
What will not change are the need for both a quality design, and a marketing plan. The time you have to pursue both will depend on your season of life. However, you do need to spend time on the cover.
The cover is the face of your book. Make it as desirable as possible. I would recommend a cover that is both elegant, and not oversold. It needs to grab attention, but at the same time, not to hurt the eyes.
Also, don’t be so in love with your design that you miss the home made look problem. I have made this mistake. You want your book to look as professional as possible. Even if you have to go with a less intricate design. Understated and simple, yet professional, can be a classic look.
Don’t be afraid to revamp covers over time. The design you choose today, may be out of date two years from now. Your words may be enduring, but not all book covers hold up that well.
I’m not a genuis in marketing, but I do know that strategy always oversells chance. Whether your campaign is social media, word of mouth, or a combination, have a strategy.
Like your book cover, revisit your strategy regularly. Make adjustments, increasing or decreasing one market as the traffic changes. Have a social media presence, but have something beyond social media.
Most experts recommend having your own website. A central hub that you can send everyone to, that is yours. This means when social media sites change their algorhytm, you’ll still have a digital corner that they can’t control. The long term goal should be to build a site where your traffic flows into, and an email list that is growing.
I’m no expert on marketing, but I do read what the experts say. Keeping yourself plugged in, and learning from those who know more than you or I do, is a wonderful way to enhance both your marketing, and your writing. The two should go hand in hand, as in any successful endeavor.
Whether writing for you is a hobby or a business, if you have a message you believe in, then you need a strategy to share it. Your strategy will change overtime, but that’s a good thing. Writing your dreams means investing the time it takes, to make them a reality.