In this podcast episode, Lisa and I talk about the choices every writer faces after writing a manuscript. Listen in... Episode 3 – You’ve Written Your Manuscript, Now What?
This episode is dedicated to decision-making, planning, and goal-setting for writers with a completed manuscript as well as an indie publishing Tip of the Week – Don’t rush your launch date!
First, Lisa and I chatted about our week. Lisa was in Hawaii of all places! I (Melissa), unfortunately, wasn’t. But, I was hard at work making sure the Indie Chicks website was ready for official launch. Lisa also gave me a crash course in search engine optimization (SEO). We will likely cover SEO in a future podcast, but if you want to read a great article about SEO right now, here you go- SEO for Authors by guest poster and author, David K Roberts.
Next, Lisa and I read some emails from two of our participants that attended our workshop at the Tucson Festival of Books. Both individuals have written manuscripts and want to self-publish. But, they had very different goals. One client was interested in publishing his manuscript for his family, while the other wanted to see her book on Amazon for sale. Lisa and I prepared publishing timelines for both clients, but their timelines looked drastically different based on their individual goals.
We moved onto a discussion about traditional versus indie publishing. All writers must decide which route they would like to pursue. Lisa and I talked about our own experiences and choices. I mentioned a great writer’s workshop that I’ll be presenting at in October in New Jersey. There will be lots of literary agents and editors in attendance with pitch sessions for aspiring authors. The workshop itself is an excellent lesson in how to become a successful published author. Here is the link to that workshop for anyone interested- Authorpreneur Workshop. Also, I’ll be in attendance. Come out and see me!
Then, Lisa asked me to talk about hybrid publishing which is publishing both traditionally and independently. There are lots of options now! Also, if you have any questions about these choices, please email us at info@indiechicks.net.
We then switched gears and talked about what comes next after you’ve decided to take the plunge into self-publishing/indie publishing! Start with a publishing timeline! This timeline is essential for any author to be successful. That is why Lisa and I decided to offer a tailored publishing timeline with phone consultations available on our website. It’s our favorite product! The timeline will allow you to stay organized and on top of your publishing work. You can check it out here- Book Publishing Timeline. We talked briefly about different professionals you will need to acquire based on your strengths and weaknesses. For example, not every indie author is going to be able to create their book cover design, nor should they.
We finished with Lisa’s Tip of the Week. Lisa talked about not rushing your launch date! I added my rule about adding a month to any timeline. Life happens. Sometimes things that are out of your control can push back deadlines. If you give yourself an extra month before your launch date, you won’t stress.
And...
Indie Chicks out!