This is how to write and publish a book without giving up your day job

Think you have at least one good book in you? Here's how to write a killer manuscript without abandoning your 9-5
Shutterstock / YUTTANA HONGTANSAWAT
Liz Connor18 July 2017

Unless you're David Cameron, a Kardashian or just extremely lucky, the romantic idea of quitting your job and holing up for months on end to pen your first book is probably just a pipe dream.

London is an expensive city, and so many first-time writers have to make do with putting pen to paper in their spare time outside of the office.

If you’ve got a burning ambition to write and publish a novel, but somehow work, life and episodes of Love Island always seem to get in the way - it's time to get yourself focused.

Here, Emmanuel Nataf, co-founder of publishing website Reedsy, has the following tips to help you stay on track and publish your manuscript.

1. Develop your own style

Budding writers often finish reading a great book and think: ‘If I wrote in a similar style, my novel could be as successful’. Rather than copying a style that has already been done, however, it’s important to be original and true to yourself. As self-published author Dom Cutrupi says: “We tend to follow the artists we love and recreate their style. But those artists weren’t copying other people; they were inspired by others, but created their own stories. Once you let yourself go and write what you really love, you’ll see a different story, the real one you want to tell, and you’ll enjoy the process like you never have before.”

2. Find the time

If you want to write a book, don’t think about the final version or the fact that you want it to be a bestseller, as this will immediately overwhelm you. Instead, break the process down into small manageable chunks and just start writing. Think about where and when you could fit writing into your schedule: for example, this could be 30 minutes on your way to work and 30 minutes on your way home. On average, Londoners spend around two hours commuting daily, which if you write say a couple of hundred words during that time, by the end of the week you will have written around 1000. One year of that and you will be well on your way to a finished first draft.

3. Do your research

Wherever or whenever your novel is set, you’ll probably need to do a certain amount of research to make it sound authentic, even if it’s a fantasy or science fiction story. As historical novelist Amy Arden advises: “Misplaced or inaccurate details may pose at best a distraction and at worst a reason for a reader to abandon a book. A distracted reader may quickly become a frustrated reader. Frustrated readers stop reading. As a novelist, my job is to build a world that immerses the reader in a way that feels rich, deep, and most of all, true.”

Shutterstock / Rawpixel.com

4. Ask an expert

As any experienced writer knows, the first draft is only the beginning and it will probably go through many more iterations before it’s transformed into the finished product. Once an initial draft is complete, you’ll need to take the plunge and get someone impartial — ideally a professional editor — to read over your work. This will save you time and help you rethink the parts of the manuscript that need further effort. Hiring a professional doesn’t need to be a daunting process either, as there are many affordable, freelance options available.

The best books to read this summer - in pictures

1/9

5. Consider self-publishing

Once you’ve written and edited your draft, you’ll then need to start thinking about publishing options. The good news is, it’s not all about traditional book deals any more — many very successful authors choose to self-publish which can be a great option to quickly and easily get your work ‘out there’. Also, if you’re savvy you can get ten times more royalties by self-publishing and keep full creative control of your work.

6. Don’t blow it with a bad cover

They say never judge a book by its cover but hasn’t everyone? Unless you’re experienced in designing book covers, always hire a professional — this will not only save you time but will also ensure your novel looks the part and speaks to your target audience. As award-winning author Christina Hamlett says: “ Far too many indie authors seem to feel that the investment in a professional designer isn’t worth the money, that what’s on the inside will be so fabulous that readers will forgive an amateurish-looking cover. But if you’ve taken the time to write a book, why wouldn’t you want it to look like a professional product?”

Shutterstock / Vadim Georgiev

7. Start building your audience

Before publishing your novel, you’ll need to start building your audience and find readers who’ll review it during the first week that it’s on sale. Then you can look into price promotions or whether to give your book away for free initially, as full time writer Brent Jones did: “There’s no better advertising for my book than allowing customers to sample my product for free. In the end, 685 people entered my Goodreads giveaway, but more importantly, 300+ users added my book to their to-read shelf. And when a user adds a book to one of his or her shelves, it appears as an update in their feed, meaning their friends on Goodreads can see that they have added my book.”

8. Don’t give up

It takes a great deal of time and effort for a writer to finish a manuscript, publish it and build their audience and there is likely to be many bumps along the way. But don’t give up — it’s often said that while talent helps, the writers who make a success of publishing their work are also the ones that just keep going. The great thing about writing is that there’s always ways to improve and new things to learn about the craft itself.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in