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Of course I can write a book! I’ll just do that tonight.

What are the steps to writing a book?

I can’t tell you at the people when they find out I’m a writer will say to me, “Oh, I thought I’d write a book someday.” They have this idea that any mindless person can crank out a story, send it to a publisher and the next thing you know it’s on the New York Times Best Seller list. Then you get a spot on NPR, PBS, or Oprah to talk about your book. Hopefully, you enjoy fantasy because this line of thinking is exactly that.

Today I’d like to share with you what it takes to be a writer. Granted, this will vary somewhat from person to person, but the basics are the same for everyone. I’m just going to show you the steps I go through with each project. Some of the steps move quicker than others.

Have a story idea
Jot down ideas you’d like to cover or create
Break down the book (I use a journal for this.) in chunks. I’ll tell you more about this in another blog post.
Decide if you’re a Plotter or Panster. (Plotter outlines a lot. Pansters just sit down and write. I do a little of both so I’m considered a Plantser.)
Begin writing, writing, writing, writing.

How many words do I need to write for my story?

Novel – 80,000-100,000 words and 40,000-50,000 words are considered the minimum novel length. Let’s break it down a little further.

Thriller – 70,000-90,000
Science fiction & Fantasy: 90,000-120,000
Romance – 50,000 (high-end romance novel may be 100,000)
Historical Fiction – 100,000

Novella – This is a story that is shorter than a novel and longer than a short story. 10,000-40,000.

Novelette – 7,500- 17,000

Short Story – 5,000-10,000

There are different lengths for children’s books and young adults so if that’s what you intend to write you can find out the word count online.

Complete the first draft of your book.
Do a second draft. That means you go back through and find the potholes, mistakes, things you want to add and cut. The third draft goes to my Beta readers who tell me if there is something missing, or it isn’t clear what I’m trying to say. I don’t have them edit. Just give me a temperature rating of how I’ve done. Currently, I have two Beta readers that I trust to do this. They are pretty quick about it too.
Time to send to the editor. Hopefully you already have one or one has accepted you. PLEASE DON’T USE YOUR FAMILY, BUDDY, OR SOMEONE WHO JUST LIKES TO READ. They cannot be objective and may not have the skills it takes to slice and dice your work. As much time and effort I put into my book before I send it off, it still comes back to me and looks like my editor opened a vein over it. That’s how you know you have a good editor. My editor and I have established a friendship over the years (although we’ve never met in person) and she gets me. She also teaches me along the way.
Get first round of edits. Fix & return.
Second round edits. Fix & return.
Third round edits. Fix & most likely you’re done.

Cover Design: While you are waiting for those edits to come back and most likely, make you cry, there are few things you can do.

Find a designer to create the cover of your book. Have an idea of what you want and also the money you are willing to pay for it. If you are going to traditionally publish then you won’t have a fee. I’m indie so I pay a designer to create my covers.
Write your blurb for the book. I always hate to write these. This is what goes on the back of your book and the description on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever books are sold.
Create these pages: Dedication, Acknowledgments, biography, social media links.

Format: You can format your book yourself or hire an indie assist publisher who will do it for you. Traditionally published books are done for you and no fee involved.
Upload and order a proof
Go over your proof to make sure it’s just exactly like you want. I also send out a few Advanced Reader Copies (ARC) to make sure I haven’t missed something. I send them a PDF of the book.
Publish

I write and publish several books a year. I can do that because I’m an indie author. I have a team that helps me at the end get it all ready, editor, publisher, designer, and beta readers. If you are traditionally published, remember if it takes you six months to write the book before you send it off to your publisher, then it will be another 12-24 months before it will be ready. Depending on which series I’m working on will determine how long it takes to go to final print. Since I write several series, I can produce them in different lengths and get several out a year.