If you want to be a successful author, you will want to work on a book that will actually sell. In other words, you will want to focus on creating a salable product. The question is how to write a book that will sell in the marketplace and reach the hands of your ideal readers?
There are certain rules that all aspiring writers should follow at the start of their writing career. Despite the fact that some rules are obvious – many writers ignore them.
To help you kick-start your writing career, we have jotted the top three steps below that will help you craft a book that sells.
Keep reading!
Be an Avid Reader
Before you start getting serious about your writing career and working on your book, you will want to be an avid reader first. You will want to read what others have written. And ideally, you shouldn’t only be reading the books of the genres that you like.
You will want to read everything and anything that you can get your hands on – read classics, read horror, read good stuff and the bad stuff – trash, gold – whatever you can. While you are reading everything and anything, you will want to assess how the writers have written their work and how they have done it.
Essentially, you are starting off as an apprentice – you will be studying the great masters. Read and absorb whatever you can.
Once you have read many books, you will want to start the writing process. If you will be writing well – you will know. If not – throw the work out of the window and start new.
The simple rule is that if you don’t have the time to read – you won’t have the time to write either. By reading the work of other writers, you will understand the tools that you will need to write and work on your own project.
Also, you will want to read plenty about the genre that you intend to write in. For instance, if you want to write a science book, you will want to read plenty of scientific books first. Of course, you will hire one of the best scientific editors later after you have completed your manuscript or the first copy of your manuscript.
Nonetheless, you get the point. You will want to read, read, and read more every day to better understand what is out there. While reading, you will want to assess the style, content, and technique.
You will also want to assess the marketplace and see where your writing will be able to fit in. If you fall in love with a particular book, you will want to take it and dissect it – not literally – but you will want to see how things are structured and how the author has used their storytelling technique in their writing.
Determine the Market
Irrespective of whether you are self-publishing or whether you are opting for the traditional route of publishing a book – you will always want to write for the market. You will need to be able to advertise your book and make it sellable so that it can actually be sold.
You will want to aim to write a book selling hundreds of copies. You will want your books to fly off the shelves, so your book is relentlessly commercial. If you opt for traditional publishing, you will want to familiarize yourself with the books the publisher publishes.
There are certain formulas that publishers follow, and as an aspiring writer, you will want to be aware of the formulas as well as the publisher’s guidelines. You will want to be familiar with the clichés of your chosen genre before submitting your manuscript.
At this time, you might be wondering about how you can successfully write for the market. And the simple answer is that you will want to read weekly publications and magazines that are relevant to your genre.
You will want to carefully study the markets so you are updated on what is happening. Later, after you have landed a deal with a publication house, you can rely on your literary agent, who will be keeping track of the latest market trends. They will give you valuable feedback and suggestions about how to make your work more interesting.
Nonetheless, as a novice writer, you will want to do your research on the latest market trends for your chosen genre.
Learn the Craft of Writing
While this seems like the most obvious thing to do, mentioning it is still crucial. The thing is that many aspiring writers want to write and get published – but – many of them tend to overlook the step of actually making an effort to learn the writing craft.
Although you might have been a passionate reader your entire life and you might be ready to start the writing process – it is still not enough to be a good writer and produce a manuscript worth publishing.
The craft of learning how to write is not something that will happen overnight. It is important to take classes and try your hand at different ways of expression. You can sign up for writing classes, or you could invest in a couple of books that teach newbie writers about how they can write.
Countless sources available online, such as e-books, teach all aspects of writing. You can find sources that comprise the basics of writing a novel. You will also find tutorials covering specific topics, including how to write dialogue, incorporate different narrative styles, integrate conflict in your novel, etc.
Also, you will want to understand all aspects of grammar. You should be able to edit your own work before sending it out to a professional editor or proofreader. All good writers are good editors of their work too.
You can also learn plenty of things by joining support groups – many writers depend on the feedback of critiques and beta readers. Of course, it is difficult to improve your writing skills on your own. You will need the right support throughout your writing process.
