11 Essentials to Follow When Writing Your First Book

486
Your First Book
source (istockphoto.com)

Being a newbie writer doesn’t mean that your first book has to be boring and stale. If you develop a proper plan, you will be able to write a book that fascinates your readers and makes more sales. Here are some tips that will allow you to organize your journey as a newbie writer and get your desired results.

1. Don’t Design the Cover Yourself

Designing the cover of your book might seem like a great option when writing your first book. You might think you can portray your book better in the cover design as a writer. However, unless you really understand how designing works, you won’t be able to create a book cover that persuades your readers.

It’s better to get help from local designers to get a book cover instead of drawing one yourself. For example, if you live in the UK, you can get help from book cover designers in the UK to get a book cover that resonates with locals.

2. Grow Your Network

Networking is one of the most important things for newbie writers. When starting your journey in the writing industry, you will constantly need guidance to ensure you don’t make any mistakes. Having professionals related to the writing industry will allow you to get advice right away.

You don’t have to spend hours and hours in your local library hoping to find skilled writers, editors, and publication professionals. If you have a tight routine, you can consider exploring online channels to grow your network in a short time.

3. Explore Different Genres

Having a favorite genre can help you write confidently. However, to express your creative side when writing, you need to explore different genres to find new ideas. For example, if you’ve never read a romantic comedy novel before, you should consider reading one before writing your book.

You don’t need to spend a lot to buy various books. It’s better to borrow books from your local library instead of filling up your book library with books of different genres.

4. Use Your Writer’s Voice

Being a newbie writer shouldn’t trick you into thinking that you must imitate famous writers to sell more copies of your book. Instead of forcing yourself to write like others, you must allow your inner creativity to shine through your writing.

Using your writer’s voice will allow you to set yourself apart from other writers and help you build a deeper connection with your readers.

A simple way you unlock your writer’s voice is by rewriting some paragraphs from your favorite book in your own words. You can also enroll in a writing class to learn how to express your writer’s voice.

5. Research Your Audience

Getting down to the writing process without knowing about people who will read your book is a foolish mistake you can make. Remember that if you want to keep your readers engaged, you must know about your target audience so you can persuade them correctly.

Researching your target audience is not a difficult process. You can consider using audience analysis tools to create audience personas in a short time. Use different tools to develop different audience personas and increase your chances of knowing about your target readership.

6. Understand the Publication Process

Many newbie writers make the mistake of ignoring the publication process when getting started on their writing journey. Contrary to what many people think, if you don’t understand how the publication process works, you won’t be able to get your book published easily.

You need to set some time aside to learn how you will get your books published when you finish writing them. The best way of understanding the publication process is by relying on people in your network.

However, if you don’t have any publication experts in your network, you should consider reading online guides to learn about the publication process in detail.

7. Focus on Reading More Books

You don’t have to keep writing 24/7 to write a persuasive book. Instead of thinking that you know everything about writing, you should be willing to learn more about writing techniques and frameworks.

The best way of enhancing your knowledge about writing itself is by reading more books. You should set some time aside from your daily routine to read books regularly. As mentioned above, you should read books from different genres to expand your horizons.

You should ask professional writers in your network to find books that can help you learn more about writing quickly.

8. Develop Your Writing Routine

Writing sporadically won’t allow you to achieve your writing goals and finish your first draft. Instead of developing the habit of writing “whenever you want,” you should try building a routine that allows you to set writing goals.

Your writing routine doesn’t have to be rigid and boring. You don’t have to invest hours and hours daily in writing. Instead of forcing yourself to write all the time, you should identify the time you feel the freshest in a day and utilize that short period for writing.

9. Use Simple Words

It won’t be easy for you to keep your writing persuasive if you always use jargon and difficult terms. To make your writing flow better and sound natural, you should avoid using technical terms and incorporate simple words.

10. Grow Your Social Presence

Having a good number of followers on social media will allow you to better understand your target audience and sell more copies of your book. Contrary to the popular misconception, you don’t necessarily need to hire a digital agency to get followers on your social accounts.

Posting relevant content on your socials will allow you to get followers in a short time. You can use a content calendar to schedule your social media posts and save time.

11. Build Your Website

A website will allow you to portray a professional image and market your book correctly. You can also use your website’s “Blog” section to keep your readers updated about your writing goals.

It’s better to depend on digital sources to learn how to develop a website without hiring professional website developers.