Last week we talked about how successful pre-publishing can optimize your self-publishing outcome. We also mentioned and defined the three important areas of pre-publishing–manuscript preparation, cover art creation, and market research. In today’s post we’ll get started with the first, and most familiar, pre-publishing activity–manuscript preparation.

Manuscript & Content Preparation

Your manuscript is your baby. It’s the product of days, months, or even years of blood, sweat and tears that you’ve willingly (or begrudgingly) crafted into a final version of heartfelt prose. There’s no doubt that it’s the most important aspect of your book.

As you might guess, however, there’s more to your book’s interior content than your manuscript. When I work with a new author it’s not uncommon for the manuscript to be incomplete, and it’s very common for other content pieces–Table of Contents, Title Page, Author Bio, etc–to be missing.  As a matter of fact, I’ve found that the general rule is that 80% of my authors have their content 80% complete at the start of our relationship. At this early stage there’s certainly nothing wrong with key areas to be missing–which is why I’m here to help you fill in the gaps!

Usually, to get the pre-publishing ball rolling, I’ll generally ask a new author a series of questions regarding their manuscript activities thus far, and their thoughts about how their book should be presented. First, we want to document where we are now so that we can properly plan and schedule upcoming tasks. Second, we need to determine what’s necessary to complete the book’s interior, including not only the manuscript (in case it’s not finished) but all of the other interior areas–Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction, etc, that will complete the book’s interior. The third aspect is to optimize the presentation of the content as a book–things like font and font size selection, margins, chapter headings, etc.  Whether it’s a print book or ebook, fiction or non-fiction, text-based or image-based, it’s important that your readers feel comfortable with–and even enjoy–the way your book is presented. If not, your book is at a disadvantage before the first word is even read!

Below are a few of the questions I’ll usually ask:

Part 1: Where are we now? Recording the initial thoughts about your manuscript.

Time & Effort:
How long have you been working on your manuscript? Weeks, months, years? Have you met your own expectations with regards to how long it’s taken you to reach this point? If it has taken longer than you’d hoped, why is that (time constraints, research needs, etc)?

In general, I’ve found that the time spent on a manuscript is related to an author’s emotional investment in their project. It also impacts the level of seriousness that they bring to the publishing endeavor. And, of course, that first book always takes the longest since we’re learning as we go!

Satisfaction:
Are you satisfied with the overall result of your manuscript thus far? Is there something more that it needs, and if so what is that something?

I’ve always found it helpful to ask the author to assess how pleased they are with their manuscript at this point. A large degree of satisfaction upfront typically means fewer revisions down the road. If, however, the author has a strong feeling that something is missing we’ll possibly plan for 1) early reader feedback, 2) in-depth manuscript analysis/co-authoring, or 3) a longer publishing timeline.

Unexpected Problems:
Did you encounter any unexpected problems related to writing your manuscript? If so, how much did these set you back? What can you improve on for your next book?

Writing is a learning process, and now is as good a time as any to document what problems were encountered and how to avoid them in future projects.

Part 2: Necessary Steps for manuscript completion.

Assessing Completeness:
How complete is your basic manuscript (in percentage)? If it’s not finished, what needs to be done to complete your manuscript for publishing, and when do you want it, expect it, or need it to be completed? Do you need significantly more time to add or revise content, or do you just need to perform some minor changes along with some proof-reading?

In order to properly put together a publishing timeline it’s important that we know what’s needed to get your manuscript finished. For example, are you so confident that you’re just looking at a few more proof-readings or do you know of specific activities still required to complete your manuscript? It’s also useful to know about any external or self-imposed publishing deadlines that exist.

Getting Help–Co-Authoring:
Do you need assistance in finishing your manuscript? If so, do you need a ghost writer or research assistant? Is there a need for legal expertise to make sure all references are acceptable, accurate and properly attributed? Please specify any external activities needed to finish your manuscript, or highlight your thoughts on this area if you’re not sure.

As most of us know, it’s easy to start a book but it’s often difficult to finish it. Sometimes, especially with your first book, you may not even know how to finish it. The co-authors I work with are experts at helping authors take that final step in completing their manuscript, and I’ve found them to be worth their weight in gold.

Getting Help- Editing:
Have you found an editor for your book? Will your book need light (line editing, typos) or more extensive editing? Please specify your editing needs, and the name/contact information of your editor if you have one.

Editing is another area that can make or break a book, and whether it’s in-depth editing or just line-editing we need 1) to make sure that you and your editor can work together well and 2) that your editor has experience editing in your genre. I can’t count the number of times that authors have come to me after experiencing several frustrating editing attempts, usually the result of receiving “free” editing help from friends or just by working with editors that they couldn’t “connect” with. Although it’s not always true, I’ve often found that you can’t pay too much for the right editor.

So as you can see, self-publishing is more than just uploading your just-finished manuscript to Lulu or Createspace and crossing your fingers. You should take your time and answer some key questions upfront,  for your answers will dictate not only your upcoming publishing decisions but will also impact your book’s overall success.  You owe it to yourself to do it right.

Our next post will cover the series of questions for “putting all the content pieces together”–Table of Contents, Introduction, Author Bio, etc–along with the additional requirements for proper content formatting.  Remember, our job is to present your book in a way that makes reading it as enjoyable and rewarding as possible!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions by contacting me at hhutton@publishandsell.com, or call me at 919-247-1832. I hope you find this information helpful, and till next time–keep publishing!

Henry Hutton
PublishandSell.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
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