Whatever form it takes, a book you create is awesome.
While writing comes relatively easily to me – I know it is harder for others.
This includes people who have a story to tell and desire to see their words in print. It may take a long time, a whole lot of effort, and tremendous work to create a final product.
That’s not a bad thing. Speed of creation is unimportant.
Since the eBook reader came into being – the Kindle, Nook, etcetera – new ways of creating books are available, too. Producing a digital book is in many ways easier than creating a physical paperback or hardcover.
This has empowered self-publishing. There is no longer One True Way to get your work out into the world.
There are positives and negatives to this fact. For example, many people write and publish eBooks with little or no editing. They flood the book world with half-assed garbage and take away legitimacy from other self-publishing writers.
But then there are lots of us who – tired of waiting on the whims of agents and publishing houses – decided to make use of these tools and put ourselves out there. Of course, we lack the support of the marketing help of traditional publishers. But we also have more direct control and get a bigger cut for sales of our work overall.
Whether it’s a physical book, eBook, or audiobook – books in all forms are awesome. And every time I put a new one out there I am excited to share my story with you and everyone I can interest.
The steps in the writing and publishing process
While this will vary and be different for everyone, some super-basic steps will be involved for every writer who publishes their work.
They include:
- Have an idea
- Take the idea and start writing
- Write out the idea to completion
- Edit the finished work
- Format the finished work
- Submit the finished work to a professional editor
- Go over the edits
- Complete the formatting
- Publish
- Promote your work
- Rinse and repeat
To be fair, there may be other steps in there. Some people like to use beta readers before sending it to an editor for further self-editing and story clarification. If you are going the traditional publishing route, you might skip aspects of formatting and pass your completed work to an agent or publishing house.
And of course, some people have just one book in them.
All these steps can be daunting. They also don’t account for formatting for eBook vs print, and recording/editing an audiobook (or hiring someone for that). But whatever format or formats you choose, the books you are creating are awesome.
I own a lot of books, collected over the years, on various topics in fiction and nonfiction. I also have a large number of eBooks on my Kindle and audiobooks on my Audible app. Tactile or not, books in all forms are awesome. They are full of information, ideas, fantastical worlds, unique and interesting characters both real and fictional, and more.
One reason I keep writing and publishing my work is because of how awesome books overall are to me. I deeply desire to be a part of that awesomeness.
Books in various forms and formats
Whether print, eBook, or audiobook, the options for format are variable.
When I began to self-publish, the tool I used was CreateSpace. I could create in Word my book and upload it for publishing it to Kindle and/or print. Over time, CreateSpace was folded into Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). They created software you can upload your document to (from varying formats) to layout for eBook publishing.
This has, in many ways, made this process a LOT easier. But it also means you have a different master document for turning into print or eBook. This tool makes it much easier to create and put your ideas out into the world via your eBook.
For paperback, I add to the formatting page numbering and headings. The more books I publish the better I get at the formatting process.
Audiobooks can be a challenge for numerous reasons. You may not be the right person to read your own book. That’s okay – great writers aren’t necessarily great speakers. Also, depending on the nature of your book, you might not have the best ability to add nuance and inflection to different characters to not just read a monotone or flat interpretation of the work – but make it come alive.
You also must take equipment into account. If you haven’t a good mic and quiet recording space your product may be inferior. Like all aspects of your work, you want to produce the highest quality that you can.
With nonfiction, this is much easier. With fiction, changes in tone, pitch, and accent help define one character from another from the narrator. I have taken a chance and recorded Unexpected Witness (which will be available after review).
Any or all of these formats are awesome because books, in general, are awesome.
A book you create is awesome
This is a true statement of all arts. Your creation is an awesome thing.
No matter how you feel about your work – the fact that you have taken the time and effort to create it is something impressive. While everyone on the planet is capable of creativity – not everyone is a creative. Lots of people have unrealized creations in their life. For example, the book was never written, the canvas never painted, the clay never sculpted, and so on.
Whatever form it takes, a book you create is awesome. I want to encourage you to do whatever creative thing you love, and don’t be afraid to put in the time and effort – especially if it brings you joy.
Life’s too short not to be creative. Books are awesome and reflect creativity. If, like me, you are a writer – or an aspiring writer – keep at it. Create. Get that work out to the world and let your light shine as brightly as possible.
Thank you for being part of my ongoing journey, for joining me, and for inspiring me and my craft.
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website. Also, visit Awareness for Everyone to check out my weekly podcasts.
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