Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

New Writer

Writing a novel has been a dream of mine for what seems like forever! Recently I've finally had the opportunity to put in the time and effort to begin my first project. I'm both excited and nervous and would appreciate any tips!! I'm looking forward to sharing my writing and hearing any feedback and reviews!!

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Permalink Reply by jeewan babu rijal on May 30, 2012 at 8:39pm

yeah,, all the best for your project

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Phillips on May 30, 2012 at 10:34pm

Thanks so much Jeewan! All the best to you as well :)

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Permalink Reply by Patricia Gligor on May 31, 2012 at 7:12pm

Good for you! I know how you feel. My dream finally came true last month when my first mystery novel, Mixed Messages, was published by Post Mortem Press. I was - and still am - ecstatic!

I've learned a few things on the road to publication and I'm learning every day. Step one - write your novel! Don't worry about it being perfect, just write it. You'll have plenty of time to rewrite and revise after your first draft, believe me. When you have your book as "perfect" as you can make it, present it to your critique group (did I forget to mention that a critique group is more valuable than a million Hershey bars?) and really listen to what they have to say but stay true to yourself. It's your book! Then, go home and do more rewrite.

There are so many opinions about what road to take toward publication. I spent a lot of years querying agents (who weren't interested in taking on someone who hadn't already been published) and I don't recommend you do that. Small press publishers abound and they are wonderful!

Best of luck. You can do this!

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Phillips on May 31, 2012 at 7:29pm

Hi Patrica,

Thank you for all your kind words of wisdom and encouragement! I am really hoping to accomplish this. Still getting through the first steps of my novel but really looking forward to the whole process! It is the publishing part that I feel most nervous about and seems like it might be a bit frustrating once you get to that step but I'm always up for a good challenge!

Hoping maybe you wouldn't mind being in my "critique group" when the time comes??

Cheers,

Andrea

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Permalink Reply by Patricia Gligor on May 31, 2012 at 11:48pm

Andrea,

The critique group I wrote about is a local group of writers. If you can find one in your area, I highly recommend it. The people in my group write in all different genres which sounds like a bad thing but is actually a good thing because there's no competition between us - only genuine help.

When the time comes and your novel is finished. (don't forget, everything takes longer than you think it will), if you have any questions, please feel free to email me or, if you're on Face Book, why not send me a friend request and that way you could message me.

Do you have a blog? If not, that's something I strongly suggest you do - now. I'll put the link to my blog here so you can see what I've done. Best of luck! Remember, if you can dream it, you can do it!

http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on June 1, 2012 at 2:26pm

Andrea - Congrats! It is very exciting when you work on your first book - it only gets better with each one you launch!

My biggest word of advice - make sure your work is edited professionally! It can be expensive - but it will save your book in the long run. You have no idea how hard those 1 and 2 star reviews can be when the "haters" come out of the closet about poor grammar, editing or formatting!

Best wishes!!!

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Phillips on June 1, 2012 at 4:01pm

Hi Stacy,

Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I will definitely need the outside professional review, especially with this being my first project. Sent you an "add friend" request - hope you don't mind!

Andrea

Stacy Eaton said:

Andrea - Congrats! It is very exciting when you work on your first book - it only gets better with each one you launch!

My biggest word of advice - make sure your work is edited professionally! It can be expensive - but it will save your book in the long run. You have no idea how hard those 1 and 2 star reviews can be when the "haters" come out of the closet about poor grammar, editing or formatting!

Best wishes!!!

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Permalink Reply by Cleveland W. Gibson on June 1, 2012 at 4:41pm

Hi Andrea

'Novel' mean new or different story or even a point of view, anything that makes it refreshing to read.

What genre is your work going to be?

How many words?

Do you know your audience enough to make money from your work?

or Do you plan to write for the enjoyment?

Can you translate your idea for your novel into a short story or flash fiction or even poetry?

Do you already have a 'platform?'

Since you decided on a novel what new aspect of writing have you discovered?

You don't need to reply back to me with the answers but you need to find answers to them for your own benefit.

To write a novel it is most important to know the genre. Other writers involved in the same genre can then swap experiences.

For a new writer there is a free e-book on the web that gives out good advice. You might search and find it. I can't remember the exact title but I'll try to find it for you.

Best wishes with your project

Cleveland W. Gibson

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Phillips on June 1, 2012 at 6:34pm

Thanks so much Cleveland for the advice and well wishes!!

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on June 1, 2012 at 9:34pm

HI Andrea - You are welcome - and I accepted!

Andrea Phillips said:

Hi Stacy,

Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I will definitely need the outside professional review, especially with this being my first project. Sent you an "add friend" request - hope you don't mind!

Andrea

Stacy Eaton said:

Andrea - Congrats! It is very exciting when you work on your first book - it only gets better with each one you launch!

My biggest word of advice - make sure your work is edited professionally! It can be expensive - but it will save your book in the long run. You have no idea how hard those 1 and 2 star reviews can be when the "haters" come out of the closet about poor grammar, editing or formatting!

Best wishes!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jack Prendergast on June 2, 2012 at 8:43pm

Andrea, do yourself a big favour, and don't, I mean don't be naive enough to show or ask your family and friends for feedback or ideas to "improve" your novel. They may mean well, but trust me, that's a sure fire way to destroy your initial enthusiasm and confidence. Other than that, if you're laptopping, always double or even triple backup!

Write on,

Jack...