My novel writing ritual

I wrote this 4 years ago, and came back across it again while I was stalling to edit my novel. Some things never change, I guess. 😉

2 thoughts on “My novel writing ritual”

    1. Crissi Langwell – Crissi Langwell writes romance, women's fiction, young adult novels, and more. Her passion is the story of the underdog, and her stories include ones of determined heroines, family issues, free spirits and more. Beyond writing, Crissi is an avid bookworm, loves to meditate, and has tiny muscles from weight lifting. You have to look closely. She pulls her inspiration from the ocean, and breathes freely among redwoods. Crissi and her husband are both Northern California authors with day jobs. Currently they are kicking their kids out the nest (2 down, 1 to go!), and can't help spoiling their beautiful, bratty Maine Coon cat.

      I self-published, so I can’t tell you who to go to for a publisher. If your plan is to use a traditional publisher, my advice is to write the best book possible, and make sure it’s free of all grammatical errors, plot holes, etc. Start working on your platform (building your fanbase on Facebook and Twitter, blog audience, and email list), because a larger platform is attractive to publishers. Then write a killer query letter that will make someone want to read your book (if your platform is substantial, be sure to mention that!). Then you can start the process of shopping your book to publishers (check out writersdigest.org. They have tons of resources for writers, including a long list of publishers looking for books). Be prepared for a lot of NOs. But you will have to endure all those NOs so that you can find the publisher that understands your book the way you do.

      Or, you can cut out the middle man and self-publish, like many authors are starting to do. You still need to write an awesome book. And you’ll end up shelling out money for editing, formatting, and cover design (at the minimum). But you’ll have 100% control over your novel, and get to keep a larger portion of the profits (which will actually mean something if your book finds its audience).

      Good luck!

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