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Q: SD, Should I hire
an editor?
A: If you have the money and want your manuscript to be the
best it can be, than the answer is yes. Do you have to hire an editor, than the
answer is no. It’s just that simple. It’s alright to choose not to hire an
editor and learn how to do this polishing of your manuscript yourself. Will it
be better than having it done by a professional editor, no? However, working on
the skills that are possessed by an editor will help you immensely in three
ways. First, it will improve your storytelling. Secondly, it will reduce the
amount of general grammar errors that takes up most of your time during your
initial read through and edit. Third, but far from the only benefit from
learning editing skills, you can become an editor yourself and hire yourself
out to help others with their projects. Authors who are also editors learn just
as much from their experiences in this task as they do from those they help.
Q: SD, What is a
book designer and do I need one?
A: A
book designer is a person (or persons) who comes up the concept of how your
book would look best to your intended audience. They take into consideration what
your book is about and come up with a concept as to how it should look from the
inside out. Yes, even the fonts, page layout, and the cover is taken into consideration as to give the reader
a complete experience and not just a pretty wrapper. It’s been said not to
judge a book by its cover, but how will a reader choose what book to pick up if
it doesn’t look appealing? The answer to your question of do I need one is maybe.
If you are seeking an agent or publisher then the answer is no. however, if you are planning on self-publishing then the answer is a definite maybe. I know you were looking for a definitive answer, but there isn’t one. Self-Publishing is a Do-it-yourself or DIY project and depending on how much time you are willing to spend on the learning process of each discipline will determine for you if you need or want to work on this final step before going to the next step. Yes there is a next step and that advertising. This step usually starts a few months before your book is published. That old movie line of, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t get you sales and reviews. In order for your DIY to be successful you need to make an offer for someone to take and tell their friends. Think of it as that good old friend everyone had to suffer through called peer pressure. Advertisement is only a spark, but word of mouth is a fire. Book design gives them a target to set their sights on, but your story should have them burn bright for others to want what they have for their own. Remember that pretty sells and the prettiest sells the most.
If you are seeking an agent or publisher then the answer is no. however, if you are planning on self-publishing then the answer is a definite maybe. I know you were looking for a definitive answer, but there isn’t one. Self-Publishing is a Do-it-yourself or DIY project and depending on how much time you are willing to spend on the learning process of each discipline will determine for you if you need or want to work on this final step before going to the next step. Yes there is a next step and that advertising. This step usually starts a few months before your book is published. That old movie line of, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t get you sales and reviews. In order for your DIY to be successful you need to make an offer for someone to take and tell their friends. Think of it as that good old friend everyone had to suffer through called peer pressure. Advertisement is only a spark, but word of mouth is a fire. Book design gives them a target to set their sights on, but your story should have them burn bright for others to want what they have for their own. Remember that pretty sells and the prettiest sells the most.
Q: SD, I have this
great ending to a book idea, but I don’t know how it should start. Ideas?
A: Why don’t you just write the ending? I’m sure other
aspects of your story will fall into place on their own. Just think of it as
writing in reverse. Once you have this marvelous ending written then you can
think of all the things that led up to it. What are the trials and tribulations
your characters had to suffer through? Who is the person or what is the reason
and what were their choices or events that led them to make their choices for them.
Think of this as if you are taking apart an old clock. It is perfection with
all its scars and discoloration that give it character that other clocks don’t
have. As you slowly pull back each layer, it become harder and yet you can see
how each cog works with the other and how simple the concept is and yet when
you look at it in its entirety how beautiful complicated everything interacts
and support one another. It’s said that every journey begins with one step
forward. However, no one said that you can’t walk backwards.
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