GETTING ORGANIZED
Are you writing your very first manuscript? How exciting this must be for you, but if you are like many of the other potential writers, you have no idea how to get started. Here is a nice little list compiled by our Lead Publisher Tonya Reed, a 4 time Author and publisher since 2007.
Organize Your Thoughts
The first thing is to be determined. That's right. You have to be determined to take your thoughts from your mind to your book, whether it is in printed form or digital. You have to make it up in your mind that your thoughts are the seeds to your book, and these seeds need to be nurtured so that they can grow into your finished product; your book.
There are several tips that I can give you to organize your thoughts, but I think the best one that works for me is described in one word; NOTES. The best thing way to organize your thoughts is to right them down as they come to you. What I like to do AFTER I have an idea of what my book is going to be about, is to keep a notepad on my desk, in my car, and by my bed. I create a few topics on each page that could possibly turn into a chapter in my book. As thoughts come to me regarding the contents of my book, I write them down in the respective category or topic header. I don't try to make my notes perfect. I don't go back over them to check for spelling. I simply write the thoughts down as they come to my mind.
Get Enough Rest
When you have a hot idea for a book, most likely you will spend many hours creating content for your manuscript. The excitement of finishing your story can be overwhelming, and before you know it, you are over worked. I know that this is easier said than done, but I sincerely advice you to set yourself a certain times during the day to spend working on your manuscript. Set a deadline of when you will stop working so that you don’t find yourself fatigue. It is a known fact that when you are tired, you will make more mistakes on your manuscript so do yourself a favor and schedule your rest periods.
Try to stay focused on your book project - Take it from me, I am the champion at multitasking, but even in that, it has done me more harm than good. If you are like me, you have several different events going on in your life. Everything from raising my children to hosting a radio show and running several businesses. Things can get very hectic. Remember what I said in the last point about getting enough rest? Well, during the time that you have designated for you to work on your manuscript, don't do any other activities. Make it a point to not multitask during your private time or rest period.
Take Breaks
I would sit at my desk for hours working on my manuscript. Time flies when you are focused, but if you want to work on your manuscript with a clear head, take a few breaks in between working on your manuscript. I personally adopted a game on my phone that relaxes me or break the monotony. What I love about my game is that once you have lost all of your 5 lives, you have to wait an hour before your lives are reset. This is very helpful to me so that I don't find myself stuck playing the game more than I am working on my manuscript.
Set your Goals
Goals have their place, but sometimes they are not met. It is good to set a deadline for your book to be published, but don't get discouraged if you do not make it. Just keep chipping away at that egg and eventually it will crack and reveal the treasure. Set your goals, work hard at making them, and rejoice when you do.
Have a good backup plan for your manuscript
Organize Your Thoughts
The first thing is to be determined. That's right. You have to be determined to take your thoughts from your mind to your book, whether it is in printed form or digital. You have to make it up in your mind that your thoughts are the seeds to your book, and these seeds need to be nurtured so that they can grow into your finished product; your book.
There are several tips that I can give you to organize your thoughts, but I think the best one that works for me is described in one word; NOTES. The best thing way to organize your thoughts is to right them down as they come to you. What I like to do AFTER I have an idea of what my book is going to be about, is to keep a notepad on my desk, in my car, and by my bed. I create a few topics on each page that could possibly turn into a chapter in my book. As thoughts come to me regarding the contents of my book, I write them down in the respective category or topic header. I don't try to make my notes perfect. I don't go back over them to check for spelling. I simply write the thoughts down as they come to my mind.
Get Enough Rest
When you have a hot idea for a book, most likely you will spend many hours creating content for your manuscript. The excitement of finishing your story can be overwhelming, and before you know it, you are over worked. I know that this is easier said than done, but I sincerely advice you to set yourself a certain times during the day to spend working on your manuscript. Set a deadline of when you will stop working so that you don’t find yourself fatigue. It is a known fact that when you are tired, you will make more mistakes on your manuscript so do yourself a favor and schedule your rest periods.
Try to stay focused on your book project - Take it from me, I am the champion at multitasking, but even in that, it has done me more harm than good. If you are like me, you have several different events going on in your life. Everything from raising my children to hosting a radio show and running several businesses. Things can get very hectic. Remember what I said in the last point about getting enough rest? Well, during the time that you have designated for you to work on your manuscript, don't do any other activities. Make it a point to not multitask during your private time or rest period.
Take Breaks
I would sit at my desk for hours working on my manuscript. Time flies when you are focused, but if you want to work on your manuscript with a clear head, take a few breaks in between working on your manuscript. I personally adopted a game on my phone that relaxes me or break the monotony. What I love about my game is that once you have lost all of your 5 lives, you have to wait an hour before your lives are reset. This is very helpful to me so that I don't find myself stuck playing the game more than I am working on my manuscript.
Set your Goals
Goals have their place, but sometimes they are not met. It is good to set a deadline for your book to be published, but don't get discouraged if you do not make it. Just keep chipping away at that egg and eventually it will crack and reveal the treasure. Set your goals, work hard at making them, and rejoice when you do.
Have a good backup plan for your manuscript
I can't say this enough. Backup, Backup, Backup. As a publisher, I have former clients who will contact me and ask if I still had a copy of their manuscript from 5 years prior. It just makes sense to backup your book's files so that you will have access to them whenever you need them. Spend $10 on a flash drive., store your files in a cloud, or copy them to a CD. There are many tools available for backing up your files, so save yourself a possible headache in the future and back your files up.
Taking care of book title business
Just because you don't have a title for your book does not mean you don't have a book idea. I have written 6 books and published 4, and I can tell you from experience that I didn't always have a title picked out. Sometimes I would have a title and then by the time I reached the end of my manuscript, the title of the book changed. Your title will come to you if it hasn't already, so take notes as I stated before and watch that awesome title of your new book come to you.
Who's your publisher?
Hopefully Griot Publishing that's who! But, if you haven't decided on a publisher just yet, that's okay. On your down time, start searching the internet, or maybe even ask someone on your facebook list who has published a book to recommend to you a good publisher. This is something that you want to take care of towards the beginning of your manuscript writing. Having a good publisher will be available for you to answer any questions that you may have, help you through your writer's block mode, and/or give you tips that will make your writing experience easier. As a publisher, I see myself (and so do others) as a midwife to Authors. They will contact me any day of the week at any time if they need assistance. This is not a service that all publishers offer but we do here at Griot Publishing (shameless plug).
Sketches if you wish
If you have an idea of how you want your cover to be, then sketch it to the best of your ability. When you are ready to create your cover, you can rely on your sketch to assist whoever is creating your cover.
Create an outline
I personally have never been big on outlines, but I can not lie; when I did create and use my outline, it was very effective in helping me to remember key information that I did not want to miss in preparing my manuscript. So I do recommend using an outline but it is totally up to you and whatever feels comfortable for you during your manuscript preparation.
Jot it down
I know that I said it before, but i feel the need to reiterate. Keep a pen & pad handy to jot down thoughts that come to your mind. You will be thankful in the long run.
I hope that this list has helped you as you embark upon your journey to becoming a published Author. Make sure that you join me once a month for a special conference meeting as I discuss these tips and more to assist you on your writing endeavors.
Malkia Zuri
Lead Publisher
Taking care of book title business
Just because you don't have a title for your book does not mean you don't have a book idea. I have written 6 books and published 4, and I can tell you from experience that I didn't always have a title picked out. Sometimes I would have a title and then by the time I reached the end of my manuscript, the title of the book changed. Your title will come to you if it hasn't already, so take notes as I stated before and watch that awesome title of your new book come to you.
Who's your publisher?
Hopefully Griot Publishing that's who! But, if you haven't decided on a publisher just yet, that's okay. On your down time, start searching the internet, or maybe even ask someone on your facebook list who has published a book to recommend to you a good publisher. This is something that you want to take care of towards the beginning of your manuscript writing. Having a good publisher will be available for you to answer any questions that you may have, help you through your writer's block mode, and/or give you tips that will make your writing experience easier. As a publisher, I see myself (and so do others) as a midwife to Authors. They will contact me any day of the week at any time if they need assistance. This is not a service that all publishers offer but we do here at Griot Publishing (shameless plug).
Sketches if you wish
If you have an idea of how you want your cover to be, then sketch it to the best of your ability. When you are ready to create your cover, you can rely on your sketch to assist whoever is creating your cover.
Create an outline
I personally have never been big on outlines, but I can not lie; when I did create and use my outline, it was very effective in helping me to remember key information that I did not want to miss in preparing my manuscript. So I do recommend using an outline but it is totally up to you and whatever feels comfortable for you during your manuscript preparation.
Jot it down
I know that I said it before, but i feel the need to reiterate. Keep a pen & pad handy to jot down thoughts that come to your mind. You will be thankful in the long run.
I hope that this list has helped you as you embark upon your journey to becoming a published Author. Make sure that you join me once a month for a special conference meeting as I discuss these tips and more to assist you on your writing endeavors.
Malkia Zuri
Lead Publisher