It takes me a while to ‘get a book out’ and I thought outlining my process might help explain why:-)
From idea to the final draft of the manuscript
- Initial research
- Rough outline
- Additional research (and interviewing ‘experts’)
- Completed first draft
- Alpha readers (my special team of ninja readers who I can trust to give me feedback)
- Apply alpha reader changes.
- Alpha readers pass 2. Send back to the same alpha readers, or different ones from my pack to check changes and for a read through.
- Apply any changes from the alpha reader comments.
- Manuscript assessment with my editor Lara Colrain
- Apply the changes noted in the manuscript assessment (this can take a bit of time)
- Developmental edit with either Lara Colrain or Angela Stevens
- Apply developmental edits (this can take ages too!!!)
- Copy edit
- Apply copy edit changes (this doesn’t usually take too long)
- Beta readers and experts (beta readers are the other special readers who haven’t seen the book yet. And the experts are usually people I interviewed in the beginning, or one of their contacts so I have more than one set of eyes on it to check plausibility and facts one final time).
- Apply any last fact checking changes.
- Proof read
Once I’ve gone through this process, then I begin preparing the book for publication.
From manuscript to published book
Once I have the final draft, the publishing process begins, this is a rough outline of the steps involved with actually publishing the book.
- Cover design
- Formatting (for ebook and print)
- Identifying keywords (required so the book can be found on the digital publishing websites).
- Writing the blurb.
- Upload the book and organise the proof print copy (this can take a couple of weeks depending on where the book is printed and how long it takes to get to Australia).
- Check the formatting on the digital editions of the book (and links if any are included).
- Publish.
