Making It As An Author

With thousands of books releasing every day through online retail sites, it has never been harder to break into publishing, to have your books stand out, as well as stand the test of time. The first step to writing a great book is to write one that you love. That love shines through and makes it something special. Readers notice. Resist writing to trends, either in style or genre, because they don’t stand the test of time. Write from your heart and create a world you want to return to again and again, because then the reader will too. The best way to write said book is to have it in the genre you love to read.
The next step is to polish it thoroughly, so you stand out among the masses. You don’t have to be an English major with impeccable grammar, but you should put it through multiple rounds of intense edits, and use either beta readers or critique partners. If you draft in Word, and use Track Changes in your editing, or with your agent, critique partners, or beta readers, be sure you accept or reject all changes and delete all comments. This way the manuscript you send out is a “clean” manuscript that doesn’t show any of your edits.
Know the industry standards of what is expected, as far as formatting when submitting. Improper formatting can garner a rejection from some truly discerning agents or editors. Currently, the industry standard is: Times New Roman font, 12 point size, double spaced, with default one inch margins, using indents (anywhere from .3 to .5 is usually fine) instead of tabs, and the typical page size of 8 ½ x 11. Using a different font or style won’t make your work stand out in a good way. In fact, it could cause more work in the end for the agent or editor you submit to, which is a mark against your submission.

Read the entire article in the October 2021 issue of InD'Tale magazine.

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