It has never been easier to publish a book thanks to the rapid advancement of technology. Goodreads and Amazon are some of the best platforms for new authors, most of whom are unknown and inexperienced. Most writers have no idea about what it takes to release a book. Publishing a professional, well-written, and memorable book is a process.

As a writer, you’ve probably published some of your books. Perhaps you have completed writing another book and you want different results when you finally release your creativity to the world. Here are eight things that you should so before releasing your book.

1. Write a great book

According to college papers, every reader wants to invest in great books. While this point may appear simple, you’ll be surprised by the number of poorly written books that have already been published. Don’t be too excited to release your book without ensuring that it’s good. People will hate the book and the author. And you’ll end up hating yourself.

How can you be sure that your book is good? If you are happy with the plot, characters, and the flow then you are one step closer to having a good book. However, reading the book alone is not the most effective solution. There are people who can spot errors that your eyes can’t see even if you read your work fifty times. You need beta readers to help you out.

2. Find beta readers

Beta readers are people who read your book from cover to cover and give you an honest opinion. Some of these readers might be writers. And others might be people who simply love reading. You give them a free book for their honest opinion.

It can be surprisingly difficult to find people to read your book especially if it’s too long. Some will say they don’t have enough time to read. And others will want to read without having to look for mistakes. Avoid asking the following people to point out mistakes in your work:

• Best friend: Even if they are willing to help, there’s a chance that they’ll never find time to read it. You’ll keep pestering them and they’ll always come up with excuses or worse, avoid you.
• Your mum: Your mum is always going to love the work of your hands. Your mother is the best choice if you want to be complimented. However, not the best choice if you want honesty.
• Your spouse: People who are close to you are the least likely to be completely honest with you. They have already accepted you with all your strengths and weaknesses.

You should ask:

• Writers: Writers understand their craft. You should go for experienced authors because they’ll quickly notice your mistakes. They can also offer constructive criticism and suggestions of what you need to improve and how to go about it.
• Editors: Editors love reading books. Some of them won’t charge you anything for reading your book. Editors are experienced in pointing out mistakes. They won’t hesitate to tell you what needs to be improved.

Today, it’s quite easy to find beta readers. They have formed groups on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Other platforms to find experienced writers and editors include research paper writing service, assignment help and essay reviews. For other people to read your work, you must be willing to read other people’s work.

3. Criticism shouldn’t hurt

Don’t send your book to an experienced writer or editor and expect them to shower you with compliments. They won’t unless they are close to you.

Criticism is a free gift that improves the quality of your book. Some people will just trash your book without any valid reason. Instead of feeling awful, ignore such people. However, if you get comments such as “continuity error in Chapter X Paragraph Y, then you’ve got some work to do.

Criticism can hurt. But it’s one of the most effective ways of improving your skills. Take criticism well and make the most out of it. If one reader can spot mistakes and leave honest feedback, it’s highly likely that others will feel the same way.

4. Find more beta readers

After correcting your work, send it more beta readers. Hopefully, some of your original readers will be interested in reading your revised manuscript. This is good because they’ll let you know if the changes you made have improved your book. And other things that you need to add. Honest feedback can be a pain in the ass. But it’s an important process if you want readers to take you seriously.

5. Find a copy editor

According to dissertation help service, if you are self-publishing, you’ll have to hire a copy editor. The best part is, you’ll get to choose an editor who is ideal for you. A copy editor will check for things like repetition, word choices, and get rid of weak sentences. Beta readers will not do this for you. But a copy editor will greatly improve the quality of your work.

6. Hire a proofreader

All the stages that we’ve discussed are important. And can be skipped if you are an experienced writer with a loyal following. However, proofreading is a must. Since our eyes are usually blind when it comes to finding our errors, a proofreader will help you fix typos, punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors. Unless your book is short and you are a professional proofreader, it’s always good to hire someone.

A study conducted by Dissertation Today found out that close to forty percent of books that you’ll find on shelves have never been proofread. They are full of spelling mistakes, incomplete sentences, and tense confusion. And they frustrate many readers. To avoid joining this club, hire a proofreader to polish your work.

7. Get a captivating cover

The cover is the first thing people look at before picking a book. Believe it or not, a lot of readers judge a book by its cover. Therefore, it’s important to hire a professional designer to help you create a good cover for your book. Ensure that the designer takes into account the main points in your book. You don’t want your creativity to be hidden behind a poorly designed cover.

8. Format

Self-publishing a book requires a lot of formatting work. The font has to fit properly on e-readers like Kindle. The cover size has to be perfect. It’s better to work hard and eliminate errors before releasing your book than after you’ve released it.

Conclusion

After completing all these steps, you’ll have a professionally written manuscript with a great cover waiting to be published. And you can start calling yourself an author. The more you write, the easier this process will be.

Kurt Walker is a skilled freelancer and editor at a professional writer service in London. He is one of the many UK essay writers specialized in essay writing and assignment help. In his spare time, Kurt plays the guitar and takes his dog Shay for a walk.