Navigate the Publishing Process. A Guide for New Writers

Publishing a book can be daunting and feel like you are driving blind on a wet road, but this blog will help you navigate the publishing process. Whether you dream of signing with a big publisher or decide to self-publish, here’s an easy guide to help you understand the process. Keep in mind that it takes time to become a published author.

Start and Finish your Manuscript

• Complete your draft — Concentrate on writing that first draft. It won't be perfect, but enough to give you a point to start.

• Rewrite — rewrite and revise the draft several times. I sometimes do ten redrafts before I'm happy to send the manuscript out to beta readers. Beta readers are trusted friends or colleagues who will give you constructive feedback.

• Proofread — Fix grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Beta readers can give you feedback as well.

• Professional edit — Hiring a professional editor for developmental editing, copyediting, or proofreading will help you to publish the best book you can. There are many editors available, check with industry websites such as the Australian Society of Authors or your state writing centre, they will have lists of services available for authors.

The Decision They Made, my debut historical fiction, was published in November 2019. I had already decided to self-publish when I finished this manuscript.

You can go the Traditional route or Self-publish

Traditional Publishing

This is a difficult way to publish a book, however, if your manuscript is accepted by a publisher or agent, they handle everything from editing, cover design, printing, and distribution. They will also handle a portion of your marketing, but you still need to do your own too.

There are no upfront costs. In fact, you may receive a retainer, which is then used to help publish your book. You will have a professional team behind you and distribution is easier and included in the contract.

This is a very competitive market with long wait times, less royalties and authors have less control over the look and feel of their book.

It takes time to become a published author.

Self-Publishing

I started my self-publishing journey back in 2019 and have learned a lot since then. It is a steep learning curve, but once you publish one book, the ones that follow are easier.

There are platforms specifically for self-publishing, the top three include –

Amazon KDP

This is the platform I started with and have been using since 2019. I publish eBooks and print books on this site. Some of my books are on Kindle Unlimited, which means they are exclusive to Amazon but are free for readers with a KU account.

IngramSpark

I publish print books on this platform and have sold a few books over the years. This platform distributes wide giving your book a wider audience.

Draft2Digital

I published eBooks on this platform—or I did for some years. I no longer use D2D because my books are on KU, i.e., exclusive to Amazon.

The advantages of self-publishing are that you have full creative control, you set the deadlines, and the royalties are higher (due to no fees going to a traditional publisher). The disadvantages are that you do it all and pay for publishing and printing.

The Traditional Publishing Path

Step 1: Write a query letter — A one-page pitch to agents or publishers. This is you selling your story to them. Making yourself noticed above all the other submissions they receive is the hard part. However, if the traditional route is your preferred way to publish, then make it the best query letter possible.

Step 2: Prepare a synopsis of your book — Check guidelines on agents' and publishers' websites for the word count for a synopsis. They can range from one to three pages or chapters.

Step 3: Research agents and/or publishers — This is important as the best way to have your pitch placed in the slush pile is to send them a story in a genre they don’t publish. You will find lists of agents and publishers online, and whether they are open for submissions.

Step 4: Submit — Check your pitch and send it in an email according to their guidelines. Don’t send a full manuscript with a first pitch, if they want it they will ask you for it in a separate email.

Step 5: It’s a waiting game — This is the hard part because unless your submission is exactly what they are looking for, it can take months or up to a year before you hear anything. Any longer than that and it is unlikely your pitch was successful.

Step 6: If accepted — In the event you are accepted, you’ll receive an offer of representation from an agent or a publishing contract from a publisher. This is only the beginning of being published, there is a lot of work to be done from this point.

Step 7: Negotiate the contract — Have a lawyer, preferably one who deals with publishing and literary law, look at your offer. This goes for both an agent’s or a publisher’s offer, neither has enough of an understanding of the legal side of contracts.

Step 8: Work with their team — If an agent takes you on, then they will help you find a publisher. Once a publisher is found, you will work with their team of publishing professionals – editors, salespeople, publicists and marketing personnel.

Note: Even if you are traditionally published, marketing your books is also your responsibility; your publisher will do some of the work, the rest is up to you.

The Self-Publishing Path

As mentioned above, the self-publishing route gives you all the creative control, but you will need a team behind you and this is where writing groups and fellow authors can help.

Step 1: Hire professionals — You should consider hiring an editor, especially if it’s your first book. You may also want to consider a proofreader or use beta readers to give you feedback on your work. The cover design is important too, consider hiring a graphic designer or use visual suite software like Canva. There is a free version of Canva available if your budget is tight.

Step 2: Format your book — There are different ways of formatting a book, Kindle Direct Publishing has guidelines available as does IngramSpark. There is also formatting software like Vellum but a search for formatting software will give you a list you can research to find the one that suits you.

Step 3: Design a cover — This step is important, as mentioned before. Whether you use software or a graphic designer, be sure to follow the guidelines for each site. KDP has measurements for covers, follow these instructions and you should not have issues uploading your cover.

Step 4: Buy ISBNs — These are an International Standard Book Number and is a unique 10 or 13-digit number that identifies your book. In Australia, you can buy ISBNs from Thorpe-Bowker Australia and these are yours exclusively. Many sites offer free ISBNs but these belong to the site not to the author.

Note: I prefer to buy 10 ISBNs at a time because you can save some money, they are cheaper than buying them individually. This is good if you know you are publishing multiple books. Also, use one ISBN per version of the book.

Step 5: Upload your manuscript — You will need an epub format for eBooks and a PDF version for print books. Again, the KDP site has guidelines for this. Also, Vellum software produces formats for all sites.

Step 6: Set your price — Deciding on what to price your book at depends on your genre. For example, a children’s picture book will be a different price to an epic novel. Also, research what books are selling for online, both eBooks and print, and set your price accordingly. For print books, you will need to factor in printing your books if you want copies to sell yourself.

Step 7: Upload and publish — Follow the guidelines of the site you are publishing with to upload your files. They will let you know if there are any issues.

Note: I had a few issues when I published my debut novel but was able to resolve them easily by contacting support.

Step 8: Print your books — Most of the sites do print on demand (POD), which means when someone buys your print version, the site prints a copy and sends it to the buyer. You can also purchase author copies or copies you can sell yourself from the sites.

Note: I purchased copies of my debut novel from Amazon when I first published it, but the delivery charge made it uneconomical. Since then I have used local Australian printers and have benefitted from supporting local businesses. You will pay more to print in Australia but you won’t be hit with an OS delivery charge and fees.

Step 9: Promote your book — This step can happen once you have a cover. Use it as a teaser to generate some interest in your book. Most of the marketing is done after you publish though, but pre-promotion is a good thing to consider.

Books I have self-published since 2019.

Marketing Tips for Pre and Post Publishing

The following tips are useful for any author, whether traditionally or self-published.

1.     Build an author website — There are many sites online that will help you with building a website. Do your research and choose the site you find easiest to use. Many sites have free hosting and services to help you,

2.     Join a writer’s group — This is a way of ‘building your tribe’ or finding others with the same passion for writing as yours. This is not marketing per se, but you will help each other to market your books by sharing tips on how to market books. Apart from being a social group, this ‘tribe’ will support each other along the publishing journey.

3.     Grow an email newsletter — If you want to, go ahead. I have found writing a blog works better for me.

4.     Connect on social media — Join as many social media sites as you can handle, it doesn’t have to be every one of them. If your budget allows it, hire a social media marketer in your area.

Sites — Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Threads, X, Bluesky, Goodreads, and more. Do a search to find the ones you want to open an account with. It takes time to gain followers and you do need to post regularly. See what other authors are doing then plan your strategy. A social media marketer will help with this.

Note: Canva is good for designing book posts and they can be resized for each social site. I use it to produce my posts for Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Threads.

5.     Organise a book launch — These help you with your author profile and to sell your book. Ask your local bookshops if they do book launches and whether they charge. There are many places to do a book launch, some cafes, especially book-themed ones, are willing to do them for free if you bring in a crowd.

6.     Find book reviewers/get reviews — Goodreads is a good place to receive book reviews and there are many people on social media willing to give reviews in exchange for a free book.

7.     Attend Book Events — such as book fairs, writer events and conferences. Make yourself seen and known. This is a big part of marketing yourself as an author and is a good way to meet other authors.

There is so much involved with publishing a book, but I do hope these tips to 'Navigate the Publishing Process. A Guide for New Writers' will help you in publishing your book. I wish you good luck in your writing and publishing journey, enjoy the ride.

Happy writing,

Maria P Frino