Author
Advice Page
From Manuscript to Published Book
Paper Owl Publishing Adrianna J. Tetnowski
Anundae, le Bretaras et Setaras de on Lei!
(Welcome, Brothers and Sisters of the Night),
Due to high demand The Paper Owl Publishing team and I have joined forces to create this lovely, extensive page containing as much advice about writing and publishing that we could think of. So sit tight because there's a lot to get through.
Where do I start?!?!
Well, you can start with a cup of tea and a chill pill. Before you start panicking about what to write, how to write and thinking of reasons why you can't write a book, just remember - all authors started off somewhere.
The best thing to do is draw up all the things you like reading about; remember to write about something you're really passionate about. As tempting as it is to try and write a carbon copy of whatever book happens to be on trend at the time, please don't! No one likes rip offs of other books. There are only a certain amount of original ideas, it's true but, that's the fun part. Imagination has no limits and neither does fiction, so have fun with planning a story.
Research before you even think about planning your chapters
Every fiction story, whether it's a fantasy or historical period novel or set in the 21st Century, needs to be thoroughly researched. As an author, I find that at least 2/3 of my time is spent researching. What did people wear? What did they eat? What was society like? Even fictional worlds made up entirely by you, the author, needs to be based off something.
Here's a basic checklist to start you off:
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Target age group (Children - 12 and under/Ya - 13-18/Adult - 18+)
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Genre (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Romance, Action-Adventure, Horror etc.)
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Word Count (This doesn't need to be set in stone but, word counts vary per age group and should be looked into as a guideline.)
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Main protagonist (hero) and main antagonist (villain)
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What is the point of this book? (A quest, family feud, fighting against social injustice etc.)
Plan your novel - kind of obvious, am I right?
After you've researched like mad and your internet history is filled with the most bizarre searches ever (trust me, as an author of dark fantasy I don't think my browsing history is something for the faint hearted), the next obvious stage is to start putting an actual plan together for your novel.
Besides the standard beginning, middle and end, think about what you want the pinnacle event of your story to be. Does someone important die and need to be avenged? Are your main characters going to be caught up in a sudden war which they need to fight? Is someone in need of rescuing? And blah, blah, blah - you get the idea. Basically, something needs to go down and it needs to go down hard enough to make your characters go whaaat - we need to sort this out!
Take The Dark Maiden by Adrianna J. Tetnowski (meeee!) for example: Two nobles families are caught up in a feud which has been spanning for generations (start). The main heroine gets kidnapped after she is believed to be a Redbane Princess and one of the daughters of the Emperor of Iradas. She now needs to find a way to escape, with the help of some unexpected new companions, all whilst surviving in the court of her enemies (middle). Things don't go to plan and she ends up at square one again, with disastrous results. Her personal battle with her sadist captor continues (end).
Now that was very brief buuuut, I hope you get the idea.
So in other words:
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How does your novel start? Is it going to be all happy days at first, or are you going to start it off with tension straight away - boom, cutting straight to the chase?
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What happens that suddenly causes everything to go off track, which requires your heroes to take action? Also, why do your main characters have to be the ones to take action? (If you're thinking 'Because they're the Chosen One', I swear to God...)
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Does it all work out in the end? Do your characters do what they had set out to do? If not, why - what happened, how did it happen, where did it go wrong?
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Lastly, if you've left your first book at a cliffhanger, is there going to be a follow up? Are you going to write a duology, trilogy or series? Or are you just going to stick to a stand alone?
Editing:
Edit your manuscript like crazy, the success of your book depends on it. I know that after spending ages and ages on your book, the last thing you want to do is then go over it again but, this time paying attention to all the tiny details. Mistakes are pesky and your work could be filled with more of them than you think. I'd really recommend using a grammar checker, something like ProWritingAid, it's a lifesaver and makes editing so much easier.
In my case, my sister is my editor and even though we're related, when she edits my work she is not my sister; she's not even my friend. She's tough as nails and I love it, it does wonders to have someone look over your work who isn't afraid of telling you the truth - no matter how harsh it may seem at times. Remember, when you edit your work you need to be ruthless. I don't care if you loved a character whom you'd spent so much time on but, doesn't add anything to the story - get rid of them. You will find plot holes, that's the point of editing, to correct any mistakes. Once again, if you really like a part of your book that doesn't actually relate to the rest of the plot or add anything to it - sorry, it needs to go.
Oh, I do love a good list - anyway, check for:
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Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, punctuation errors etc.
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Plot holes - anything that doesn't make sense needs to be fixed ASAP.
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The descriptions of characters and places - this is important. Does your main character have blue eyes on page five and then brown eyes on page 100? Or is your heroes castle made of stone on page 10 and then suddenly it's made of marble on page 15? Check for mistakes like this, readers pick up on things like this, trust me.
NOTE: Complete as many drafts of your manuscript as it takes, until, your work is as good as it can be. There's no point in rushing this process just because you want to see your book out in the world and make loads of money (haha, nice joke. Writing takes time, it's a passion as well as a business and you should always respect yourself by writing for pleasure FIRST. The thought of making money should always come second).
After your manuscript is complete:
You've finished the final draft, congratulations! Now it's time to format it for submission or publication.
Route 1- Traditional Publishing:
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The layout of your manuscript. If you're submitting it to a Literary Agent for traditional publication, it needs to be size 12, Arial or Times New Roman Font and double spaced. Each chapter needs to start on a new page (obviously) and don't forget indents at the start of each new paragraph.
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Literary Agents will ask for a cover letter (where you will need to introduce yourself, give the title of your book/word count/age category/genre. Then a brief description - like a blurb - of your book.
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After that, you'll need to write the much hated synopsis. A synopsis is just an extended explanation of what happens in your book, from start to finish (yes, you need to ruin the ending). It should only be 1-2 pages but, I think 2 might be pushing it. The synopsis is incredibly hard to write and get right but, it's sooooo important so don't rush it or skip it entirely. There are loads of blogs which can help you write the perfect synopsis and covering letter.
Route 2 - Self (a.k.a Indie) Publishing: NOTE - for 18+ year olds ONLY!
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If you're going to go the good old self-publishing route, you can follow the same layout for a traditional manuscript when you or your editor - if you're lucky enough to have one - need to edit it. Then when you're ready to turn it into a book (either on something like Createspace, Blurb or Lightning Source/Ingram), you'll need to decide on the following,
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Trim size - the standard size for a fiction paperback is 5x8 inches.
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Paper colour - cream is easier on the eyes.
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Font - this is for inside your actual book when it's in print - the standard fonts used are Times New Roman, Georgia or Garamond, because they're the easiest to read.
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If you're self publishing, you'll also need to look into getting a cover artist and an illustrator; if you intend to have pictures like maps in your book. The book cover for The Dark Maiden was designed by the brilliant Tom Edwards and the maps inside were illustrated by the awesome Takayo Akiyama (you can can check them out on the Artwork page of this website).
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Price - the price of a book can be very competitive. If you want to publish it on Amazon Kindle, then £2.99/$3.99 is the best price to start off with. If your book becomes a success, you can be a bit cheeky and raise the price a little later on. The price of a paperback depends on the size of your book; which plays an important part in deciding how much it costs to make a book. The costs vary with each printing company.
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ISBN - your book will then need an ISBN number (an identification/product code located on the bar code of your book) in order to be sold online and in shops. You can buy them on www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk (you will need to register for this).
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Then the rest of the set up for your book depends on the company you're printing with, so you should definitely check out and compare the rule and regulations, as well costs, of each printing company to decide which one would be best for you.
Good luck with your journey towards publication. work hard, have fun and never give up.
Paper Owl Publishing PRESENTS
Unseen and unheard, Serendipity Valdar feels safest that way. Especially after learning what she really is - cursed. Or so she's been led to believe. Yet when a sadist attacks her sleepy home in Anderaith and takes her hostage, she learns one thing – she’s not who she thinks she is.
Believed to be a Redbane and a lost Princess of Iradas, Serendipity finds herself a pawn in a very dangerous game and her supposed curse might just be the key to her survival. Only her captivity may work in her favour too, offering her a chance to play spy to her enemies; to the very man holding her hostage with evil intentions against her. Just like that, she could change the fate of The Allied Kingdoms and the war which has plagued them for too long.
A group of young nobles trying to find their place in a world of chaos and family feuds; The Dark Maiden is a (dark fantasy) story of love, betrayal and coming of age; whilst also exploring the darker capabilities of the human mind and heart.