5 steps to go through before you publish your work

I know you pretty well. You have dreamed of publishing a book for years, and maybe have started your manuscript. But you are scared of what's next, the actual publishing part. I imagine people around you aren't hopeful about your chances, and you don't blame them, it seems far fetched at best. I know you because I was you. I was in love with books and had a need to create my very own story and to share it with the world.

I was once you, but now I am published. I did mountains of unsuccessful things before I found the way to my book, so heres of list of things that did work. Because I want you to fulfill your dreams. Here we go! Stay with me now.

1) Know Your Genre

By knowing your genre, you can effectively "sale" your manuscript to Publishers. When you know your genre, your writing stays focused and clear, helping your story stay on track. So when you send off your manuscript to publishes, its easier for them to sell because its clear writing and has an obvious target group.

2) Never Stop Editing

Even when your done writing your story, there is never enough editing to be done to your story. I recommend editing up to the minute you submit to a publisher. You are never going to catch every mistake, nor will your story be perfectly thought out, but by continuing to edit you make sure that publishers see that they won't have to do as much to your story as other disorganized and unedited manuscripts they receive. This makes your manuscript more attractive to publishers.

3) Summaries

Before you even think about talking to a publisher, write a summary of your manuscript. Publishers receive so many manuscripts, they hardly have time to read them. If your summary isn't eye catching and interesting, let alone you not having one at all, they will decide your stories fate before they even read it. That is, if they read it at all. Make sure your summary not only describes your plot, but also has the same beautiful literary wording that your story has. Make it as good a read as your manuscript to give yourself a fair shake.

4) Avoid Vanity Publishers

Please, please, please do not work with vanity publishers. Vanity publishers are publishers that make you pay to publisher your book. It is no different than self-publishing, except a group of strangers benefit from your creativity. They have almost no standards for who they offer contracts to and they do not care about you and your writing making it to readers. This is a glorified scam, please don't be tricked. A real, traditional publisher will not ask you to pay a dime to sign with them if they think your manuscript is good. Take your time and find a place that genuinely loves your story like you do and wants to put it into the world as much as you do!

5) Work Hard, Dream Harder

The worst thing you can do is lose hope and stop trying. There is a zero percent chance of you fulfilling your dream if you don't work for it. You will get rejections. You will be disappointed. But it only takes one yes for your dream to come true. I worked on my manuscript for years before I got that yes. But I got it.

Work hard out there and make your dreams real! I believe in you and your writing!

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