Inside the Ten-Foot Line: From Conception to Publication Part One

As I wrote this article, I got an email from my publisher letting me know that the pre-order sales of my book Inside the Ten-foot Line earned three #1 bestselling banners on Amazon. Wow! Which leads me to believe I might have an insight or two to offer about the whole publishing process.

Keep in mind, every author’s path to publication differs. Some things I mention might resonate with you. Others may provide an ah-ha moment. You can also visit Kelli’s article on three lessons she learned on her way to publication.

My story is too long for a single post, so this month, I’ll explore the birth of the idea and draft proccess behind Inside the Ten-foot Line, and next month I’ll target what happened after the manuscript was complete.

The Idea

While there is no hard and fast rule for finding an idea for your book, write what you know is a good starting place. I took that advice and made a list of all the topics that interested me. I compared that to a list of topics that might interest my target age group to trim down my options. I mean—I know a lot bedtime routines. And while that’s a great topic for picture books, it’s less palatable for a middle grade novel, right? (Unless I work a hilarious bedtime routine into a scene where my protagonist is dealing with pimples and self-doubt.)

For me, one theme continued to rise to the top and melded well with the interests of my reader. Sports.

Question: What idea rises to the top for you?

Action: Check out another article on content issues from Kelli McKinney.

What’s Out There

Where does your idea fit in the current market? What other books will sit on the shelf next to yours? I found my answer in the local library. Sports had its own special identifying sticker and location in the building, making it easy for me to pull down and compare titles. Books geared for male athletes dominated the genre. However, even though the niche offered only a handful of books for female athletes, the market showed recent growth. And that was promising.

Question: Does your book can fill a gap in the market?

Action: Visit a library and look for books with a similar idea to yours.

Know the Genre

Determined to balance the scales, I read through several books, looking for similarities in plot, mood, and resolution. Most used sports as a setting to deal with larger social or emotional issues. After dissecting a whole stack of novels, I had a good idea of how to move forward.

Question: What genre are you writing? Contemporary? Speculative fiction? Historical fiction?

Action: Do your research. Take time to read books you will find next to yours on the shelf.

Write the Story

I wrote an outline for the plot using one paragraph descriptions for each chapter. Then I took one summary at a time and expanded it into a full chapter. This loosely structured approach left room for my characters to nudge (or throw) the story in a new direction. And trust me—when they take on a life of their own, they will! When that happened, I could easily go back to the summaries and adjust the plot accordingly.

Even though my book addresses social issues, I also made sure to pack plenty of sports action into the plot. In that way, I catered to my target audience.

Question: Will your story be written in first or third person?

Action: Create a detailed outline for your story.

That’s where the series started for me. How about you? Stop back next month to find out what happened after I completed my manuscript.

Elementary school teacher Lori Z. Scott usually writes fiction. Her down time is filled with two quirky habits: chronic doodling and inventing lame jokes. Neither one impresses her principal (or friends/parents/dogs/casual strangers), but they do help inspire her writing.

Somehow, her odd musings led her to accidentally write a ten-title bestselling chapter book series and on purpose write over 175 short stories, articles, essays, poems, and devotions. Lori also contributed to over a dozen books.

Lori enjoys speaking, leading workshops, and visiting local elementary schools to share her writing journey. Follow her on Instagram @Stories.by.Lori .