Congratulations! You finished writing your book! What’s next after writing The End? Writing an entire book is a huge accomplishment – one most people say they want to do but only a fraction of a percent actually achieve. So the first thing you should do after writing The End is to celebrate! And then…you get back to work.
Now that you’ve finished your first draft, if your goal is for your book to be published, you have a long road ahead that includes editing, setting yourself up as a professional author, and taking your book to market. Let’s take a look at this journey you’ve embarked on.
After Writing The End, You Begin the Editing Process
Nobody, not even the most experienced and proliferate author ever, writes a perfect first draft. The editing process usually starts by reading your rough draft yourself, taking notes for where you want to make changes. You may notice scenes where the stakes can be heightened, characters who can be better developed, loose ends in the plot that never got tied up, scenes that don’t move story along and need to be eliminated, etc. You may do a few rounds of self-edits and revisions.
The editing process may also include:
- Critique partners – Other authors in your genre who are willing to do an exchange, where you read each other’s stories and provide constructive feedback.
- Beta readers – An opportunity you give to readers you trust who read a lot in your genre and can give you helpful feedback on their thoughts of the story and characters.
- Professional editor(s) – Once you’re as far as you feel you can go in your own edits and revisions, pay for a professional editor. There are a few levels of professional editing: developmental and content editors (they look for big-picture issues, such as plot, characters, pacing, etc., if you feel you haven’t been able to pinpoint these problems yourself or with the help of critique partners and/or betas); line editing (they focus on the writing and consistency, an important step in the editing process); and copy editing (a thorough review once the book is formatted). There is also a proofreader, who provides the final set of sharp eyes to catch errors and typos that slipped through the other rounds.
Some authors do every step of the above, sometimes more than once for the same book, and others feel they put out a perfectly viable product with only one or a few rounds. Deciding which one(s) you choose to do depends on your experience and comfort/confidence, not just in your own skills and talents, but with the book itself, as each one presents its own challenges. Whether you are submitting your manuscript to agents to shop for a traditional publishing deal or you’re planning to self-publish, you want to make sure your book is professionally polished. A publisher will still put it through their own editing process, but to get that far with them, you need your book to be the best possible creation you can deliver.
After Writing The End, You Begin to Establish Yourself as a Professional Author
There’s no time like the present to begin establishing yourself as a professional author. It takes time to build your online platform, such as your website and online presence. You also need time to build your network with others in the publishing industry, including other authors, especially those in your genre, as well as vendors such as cover designers, editors, public relations companies, marketing consultants, and the like. You may need to schedule your cover designer and editor months in advance, so don’t delay in seeking out and vetting these service providers.
As you continue through the editing and publishing process, you will find areas that you need to learn more about, and by growing your network, you’ll discover classes, books, and social media groups and channels where you can gain this knowledge. Whether it’s how to improve your craft and editing or how to publish and market your book, taking the time to discover resources sooner than later will only help you.
After Writing The End, You Begin the Marketing and Publishing Process
Like building your industry network and knowledge, it’s never too soon to start preparing for the marketing and publishing process. While you’re going through edits and revisions, you can also take time to research and decide how you want to take your new book to market – with an agent and traditional publisher or via self-publishing, or something in between. Each path to publishing has its own many steps to get there, so start taking the first ones now.
Regardless of your path to publishing, you will be playing some kind of role in marketing your book. After all, nobody is more excited and driven to promote your book than you are. And unless you already have a famous name and following, publishers will expect you to do at least some of your own book marketing. This is the time to start building your platform:
- Build a website, even a simple one-page one to provide a landing spot for agents, publishers, and readers to find you.
- Establish your social media account(s) and start posting about your writing and your book to get people excited.
- Collect reader email addresses and send out a regular newsletter to keep readers updated on the progress of your book, building excitement as you come closer to release day.
This is also the time to plan your book marketing strategy for release and beyond. If you wait until the book is ready to publish, you’d be setting yourself back by several months.
Finishing writing a book can be one of the most exciting accomplishments of your life. Enjoy basking in the natural high of achieving such a feat. What you do next after writing The End depends on your goals and purpose for the book, but also consider how you’re feeling. If you want to stay immersed in the story world or subject matter, you may want to primarily focus on revisions and editing right now. If you need a break from the manuscript, then you can begin learning the publishing process, establishing and growing your network, and/or building your author platform and marketing plan. All of these will eventually need to be done, so choose your next step and take it.
