As an author today it can feel like you need to be a jack-of-all-trades. A lot of authors don’t start thinking about marketing until their book is finished. Of course, you do eventually want the book to sell, but putting yourself out there can feel a little overwhelming for those not used to working in the marketing world. Marketing is an aspect of the writing process that can often be overlooked. Let’s look at some fundamental questions to help guide your writing and build visibility for your book.

Self-publishing is a great way to get your work of literary genius out to the world without going through the traditional route with a publisher. Today, even highly successful authors are opting to self-publish in order to maintain greater control over their work and recoup more of their well-deserved royalties. Self-publishing means that you, the author, hold complete control over the entire publishing process. You’re in charge of everything a publisher would typically have handled — from editing and proofreading to cover design and distribution.

If you love writing and get paid to do it, I count it as a win—even if you have to write some weird stuff to make enough money to call it a career. As you establish your career, you’ll find your niche. It just may not be writing about what you originally pictured. Weird is in the eye of the beholder, and if you enjoy what you write, that’s all that matters.

While writing a novel is difficult at best, getting started may be the hardest part. Most authors are all too familiar with the struggle of looking at a blank page. The secret to writing a novel, and writing it without pulling your hair out? An outline. The time invested up front to create a compelling outline will save you time (and headaches), giving you a solid roadmap to reference as you watch your masterpiece come to life.

Have you thought about turning your newly published book into an audiobook? There are a couple of different things to consider before jumping in. Like translations, creating audiobooks can cost a pretty penny. Though once established it can increase your bottom line, help you reach another audience, and give you more visibility. Let’s look at some of the different aspects of audiobook creation and what you need to know.

So you’ve written your book. You’ve spent countless hours writing, reading, editing, re-writing, and splitting hairs over plot and punctuation, and it’s finally finished… but now what? Well, now it’s time to sell your book.

There I was... more than fifteen years into my career, on the edge of accepting a position as a director at a promising technology startup, and absolutely miserable. Instead of considering altering parts of my lifestyle and changing careers, I worked until I literally couldn’t get out of bed and commute to the office.

Querying for fiction and querying for nonfiction are nothing alike. Even the completeness of your novel and the quality of your writing are weighed differently. The two similarities are that both fiction and nonfiction novels will end up in book form (electronic or otherwise), and it’s very challenging to secure a contract.

You’ve found a new way to do business that works. A new marketing tactic, a new way to measure success, or an application architecture best practice guide. Whatever it is, your colleagues are interested in the topic and encourage you to publish a book about it.

There are two types of writers you’ll hear about when talking to authors. People generally fall into one of the two camps, or they straddle them in a random variation doing a little of both. You’ll often be asked, are you a plotter or pantser, as if it’s the most natural question in the world.

We know it’s nerve-wracking to sell yourself in person and email is less intimidating, but email works less often because it’s less personal. Agents are on the lookout for excellent writing, but your personality and business acumen weigh into their decision just as heavily. An in-person interaction goes a lot further to establish your fit.

A query letter can set an author apart or doom them to the rejection pile before a single word of their manuscript is viewed by an agent or acquisition editor. Knowing the ground rules of querying and the structure of a good letter is absolutely essential for any author hoping to be traditionally published.

One of the most important things to consider as both a reader and a writer is why people turn the page and keep reading a story. Think about books you’ve read. What made you want to know more? What drove you to stay up too late to finish reading yet another chapter? What caused you to close a book that just couldn’t grab your attention and instead is tucked away for another day?

When building a story, it’s normal to have a main character fleshed out. You’re excited to tell your tale, you know what your character’s goal is and what they’ll need to do to achieve it. Most people delve into a story aware of their protagonist, but side characters are just as important to your story as your hero.

Every writer hoping to be published can expect to face a long period of rejection and criticism before getting a break. Even the most talented authors have experienced years of abject failure before signing an agent, and sadly, many more will never be discovered.

A few years ago, podcasts were one of the remaining platforms that unknown personalities could break into. Now anyone can have a podcast, and only the most talented or renowned rise above the noise and make it big.

Your author page is not just a summary of an author’s resume. It’s an opportunity to intrigue your readers, an invitation to engage in a long-term relationship with you, your writing, and your message.

Writing habits develop over time. You always hope the good habits stick. If you find you’ve acquired bad writing habits, it may be time to take a closer look at what you’re hoping to get out of your writing time. The difference between accomplishing your goals and simply piddling about is that those who want to write—write.

A lot of people have heard the phrase subplot, but what exactly does it entail? What characters should be included? Are there elements that are expected? What’s the purpose of a subplot? Do I need to include one in my story?

The adage that a book is judged by its cover is absolutely true. Perception is everything.

An important element in a story is showing how a character changes over the course of their journey. This change is related to growth in most instances. The character faces a challenge, stumbles a few times, sees how to look at the situation differently, and learns. This growth is likened to a child coming into adulthood and becoming more mature.

You’ve poured your heart and soul into your latest story, made sure the writing was crisp, the errors banished, and you released it out into the big, wide world. It’s exhilarating, the kind of rush that almost feels like you’re about to go down a huge, steep hill on a favorite roller coaster.

These days there’s an app for just about everything, and they go well beyond the realms of workplace productivity and mindless games. Calorie counting, matching screen lighting to natural lighting, meditation, and even limiting screen time usage have found their way into app form.

The term writer’s block can feel ominous. It hangs over you like a dark cloud. It’s as if a thick, brick wall has been dropped on the path before you. You stare at your blank screen wondering where the great ideas disappeared to. You know, the ones you had in the shower fifteen minutes ago. It challenges you every step of the way. All you want to do is get words down. Instead, it sits on your shoulder taunting you like a vicious bully and mocks your lack of production.

I don’t care if you’re the leading expert on the English language and writing a book about punctuation. If you’re self-publishing and don’t want your book roasted in the review section of Amazon, Kobo, Kindle you should hire at least one editor.

How to Structure, Research, and add Citations Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s always important to make sure your writing is polished. Is your grammar solid? What about sentence structure? Flow? Editing plays a big piece of the readability of your final product.

Many famous authors have collaborated on novels together and subsequent book launch marketing campaigns together. Somehow they’ve found the yin to their yang, the peanut butter to their jelly, their Stephen King to their Peter Straub. I think of dynamic duos such as Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett or Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. How about the trio Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre Norton?

Beta readers are the most critical group of people to touch your book. They offer a fresh perspective from someone who is part of your target demographic. They represent your readers.

Whether you’re selling books, skin products, cell phones, or cars, word of mouth has always been the most potent promotion a seller can get. Humans are emotional creatures, particularly when it comes to purchasing.

The majority of emerging authors and a hefty percentage of established authors have day jobs. They’re also expected to do most, if not all, of the marketing for their novels. When you’re short on time and energy, outsourcing can provide a much-needed lifeline.