Do you have an amazing story that you’d love to publish in a book and don’t know where to start? Writing a novel isn’t a rocket science, and this guide will show you how to publish a novel in a few easy steps.
Write The First Draft
Step 1 – Write the first draft. You’ll need to do some research before writing your novel. Find out what’s happening in the world today and what people are talking about. Read books, watch movies, and listen to music. Ask yourself questions like “What would make my readers happy?” and “How do I keep my story engaging through the end?”.
Step 2 – Edit the first draft. Once you’ve written your first draft, you’ll need to edit it. Make sure everything makes sense and flows well. If there are any spelling mistakes, fix them. Also, check for grammatical errors.
Step 3 – Revise the first draft. After editing the first draft, you should go back and revise it again. In this stage, you add more details and make revisions based on your assessment and newly formed ideas.
Edit And Revise
There are two ways to edit your novel. One is to read through it line by line and make corrections as you go along. Another method is to use a word processor program such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Choose whatever you are comfortable with, but know that software can dramatically reduce the time you spend organising and editing content.
Submit For Publication
If you’re writing a book, you’ll need to submit it to publishers before it’s ready to publish or self-publish yourself. The chart below shows how to publish a book with a publisher or publish yourself.
Comparison of publishing options
| Type of Publishing | What it means? | Publishing Cost & Timeline | Suggested Publishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Publishing | Submit your manuscript to renowned publishers and have them publish the book for you. | No cost to Authors, but less than 1% acceptance rate and takes several months to publish. | MacMillan, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House |
| Self Publishing | Publish the book entirely yourself without the help of a book publisher. You will be responsible for proofreading, editing, design, printing and selling. This is the cheapest way to publish a book. | Usually free if you have the required skillsets. Timeline varies from few days to several weeks based on your own availability. | Use editing tools such as MS Word, Google Docs, Adobe InDesign and Canva. To get your ISBN number, see this tutorial on ISBN website of India |
| Hybrid Publishing | Let a professional publisher help you with publishing, printing and marketing. Simply submit the content and let them do the rest. Earn lifetime royalties. | Average cost is Rs. 50,000 per book. Takes 20-25 days. | One Quint |
