Not working, on annual leave. Great, because I feel like my brain had turned to mush. So I recently created a few social media to join a discussion page, and it really made me feel awkward, because...I don't really use social media much. I only kept two (mainly for art, dogs, books, food - I used to keep a DeviantArt, but I lost my password and looking back it, I'm cringing at my young self) and this blog (Zoinks, I saw my profile was back in 2008. Good God, but I did deleted several blogs before keeping this one) Social media...is not really my thing. I don't really interact much. I used to, but seeing how scary the world wide web can be has made me lock the doors and throw away the key.
I was a naive fool back then. I thought writing a book would be easy. Just write a book, go through spell checks and grammar checks, slap a cover and we're done... This is just my experience as each writer goes through their journey differently.
I had no idea about formatting the manuscript to make sure it looks neat and tidy, hence why I often cringe at my first few books, because I have no idea that there's a way to tidy up the format. It's something I learnt as I go along, and thank God for Youtube. I used Microsoft 2016 previously, but now I have a lappy specifically for writing only, so I spent a bomb on getting a fully licensed Microsoft 2020 because due to recent event, I now have PTSD regarding my manuscript being corrupted...If you are serious in writing, even if you're on a budget, consider getting a fully licensed Microsoft product because you seriously do need it, plus you don't need to renew it every year, it's a one-off.
This is basic knowledge. Doesn't matter how good your manuscript is, please make sure to check for spelling errors and grammars. No one expect fancy stuff, but please don't submit a manuscript full of typos, because if the editor/ agent can see it, imagine how the public will feel... My grammar is not that great, countless of English classes and my lecturers and teachers always tell me how my grammar is poor, but I thank them because they taught me a lot on the importance of these two. I also did editing for my own manuscripts and I help friends on editing as well... This is why you need to proofread your own works, and if you got friends who are expert in English (or whichever language you are writing), you can ask them to beta read your books. It's fun, win-win situation, and it's always nice to share your works with your friends, and they act as extra pair of eyes to check on your typos and grammar.
First and foremost, I'm a nurse, before this I dabbled in accounts, so I can tell you right now I have no experience in graphic design (my art skills are pretty basic) on making an aesthetically pretty book cover. What I did last time was I draw rough outlines of the cover, and I pass it to my cover artist (who has been with me since the beginning) who will digitally draw it in their PC, because...technophobe here. The only exception where I did do the covers are because during those periods, they were swamped with personal errands and work, so that time I took it upon myself to create basic, simple covers which has meaning, and I pass it to them for approval. For banner and book cover designs, I used Canva, which is user-friendly and easy to use, and it's free. The only time where you need to pay is if you want to use premium designs. If you think you need those premium designs, you may consider paying, but I've been using the free designs and they are awesome. You got to make do with what you have.
Once you write your manuscripts, what do you usually do? Two routes here: Traditional or self-publishing. Traditional route means going through an agent or a publishing house. Most cases they require you to to write a query letter, briefly describing about yourself and your books, and most major publishing houses requires you to get an agent. And it's also important to get an agent, because literary agents usually will help you to negotiate better deals, go through the literary clauses and make sure you are not getting swindled. Some publishing houses don't mind you submitting to them straight, but it's best to go through an agent if you can. The main reason why people go for the traditional publishing route is because your job is mainly to write the manuscript, proofread it, check for basic typos and errors, and don't forget your deadline.
I'll focus more on self-publishing since I went that route. Self-publishing means you do everything on your own, and I do mean everything. You have to do the editing, cover, printing, basically everything. It's mentally draining to do everything on your own, not to mention I have zero experience in publishing, I got friends who were based overseas who helped me get to the self-publishing route which doesn't cost much, but you're going to have to use whatever resources you have. I gotten friends to help with book cover designs, being my beta-readers (Their command of English is much better than mine) and I found a kind, printing person who was recommended by a doctor, who charges me reasonably and taught me the importance of protecting your rights, meaning, going through Perpustakaan Negera Malaysia to get an indie publishing license and ISBN (Super important!) Oh, you can't use other countries ISBN with another, you have to apply for the specific country, and once you got your ISBN, for physical copies you need to submit FIVE copies of your books to the library; for E-book, you have to submit TWO CDs with your manuscript burned into the disc, otherwise you risk getting fined. All these rules can be found on the library website.
That's more or less about it. This is a field where not many people dabble into and it has been a ride. It was mentally draining, exhausting, and at times, lonely (Because most writers have to navigate alone unless you're lucky to have met the right people at the right time), but it taught me a lot, that writing a book is just a small part of the writer's world. Taking on multiple roles also taught me to understand each person's roles as well, from the editing, formatting, cover designing. One thing I could never grasp is marketing, because I'm not the type who could shove things to people's face, and I do not have charisma. Marketing is something that can't be taught, and you need to be driven, which...I'm guess I'm not.
Anyway, glad to know Dr Jason had posted this because I needed a good laugh.
