6 Steps to Becoming a Published Writer
Millions of people write stories they are proud of and decide to publish their works, growing from aspiring writers to celebrated published ones. To become a published writer, you must hone your writing skills and build a writing routine; however, this process is never a walk in the park. It requires your due diligence, passion, discipline and persistence.
Having good writing skills is a ticket to getting your work accepted by publishers, and the better you write, the better your chances of being published.
Let’s walk you through the essential steps of publishing your works.
- Develop Your Writing Skill
This is where it all begins. There is more to writing than just penning your thoughts in a journal or typing on your laptop. What differentiates good writing from bad writing is the effort you put into it – the resources you consume to improve.
Also, knowing the basics of grammar is crucial in developing your writing skills. Published writers are known for excellent writing; you can’t become a published writer when you still make some basic writing mistakes. You must be savvy with the mechanics and rules of language.
Aside from learning basic grammar, you must learn to organise your thoughts coherently so your readers understand your message.
- Set Achievable Writing Goals
Most writers set big, lovely goals that never see the light of the day. They may look outstanding and reasonable, but you get stuck when you try to work on them. There are two reasons for this: either the goals are too big and unrealistic, or they are not just the right writing goals for you at that time.
In other words, set specific and attainable writing goals if you desire to be a published writer.
- Create a Writing Routine
What is becoming a published writer without first building a writing routine? Of course, when you have a writing routine, you’re one step towards your goal of publishing your works. Finding a routine that works for you can be difficult, especially if you have a busy schedule. But the nice thing is that your writing routine could be setting aside five to ten minutes of your day to write a specific word count.
Establishing a writing routine for yourself helps you improve your productivity, enhance your writing skills, meet deadlines, and have more exposure to writers, thereby helping you learn from other creatives and boost your creativity.
- Write and Edit Your Manuscript
With a writing goal and routine comes more production of quality work. Becoming a published writer starts with conceiving an idea and beginning the writing process. After you finish writing, the next process is to self-edit to improve the manuscript’s clarity, consistency, and quality. Afterwards, you can pass it on to a professional editor to review the overall structure and provide feedback where necessary.
- Research Different Publishing Options
At this point, you need to decide what publishing option to take. Would you love to go the traditional way or self-publish your works? Traditionally-published means submitting your manuscript to a publisher for publication, while self-published means publishing your book independently.
So, if you opt for the traditional method, research publishing houses, read their submission guidelines, and send your manuscript. If you want to go the self-publishing route, learn about platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and other publishing platforms. Whatever route you take ends with making your work publicly available and increasing your readership.
- Market and Promote Your Book
Marketing and promoting your work is critical to building your brand as a writer. This also involves getting acquainted with your readers and knowing their preferences. That way, they get involved in the release process when your writing is ready. Whether it’s your book or an article published in a magazine, creating a marketing plan around your work helps you reach a wide audience and stamps you as an authority in your niche.
Conclusion
Overall, the journey to becoming a published writer is exciting and with consistency and discipline, you can achieve your dream. Regardless of what challenge you’re facing in your career, don’t stop honing your craft and seeking publishing opportunities. Someday, your hard work will pay off in good time.
BookSpider will be here to take you to the finish line when that day comes. Follow us on social media, @bookspiderng, to keep yourself updated on publishing offers.
