In Part 1, we celebrated and got some distance from the book. Now it is time to go back and reassess its future.
Step 2: Figure Out Your Goals For Your Novel.
You might have figured this out already, but it is important to look at this again now that your novel is complete. Maybe your thoughts about this book have changed, or maybe it didn’t turn out quite like you expected. So reread it, then decide what you think this book should be for you.
Do you want your novel to be just for fun?
Good news! You are as done as you want to be! I’d recommend going over your work for issues you want to fix, and maybe have a trusted friend or two go over it, but once you do that, you’re good to go! Share it online a chapter a a time, share it with you friends and family, and have fun with it!
Quick note, however:
If you publish it publicly online for free, you have basically reduced your chances of getting that book published at a later date to zero. Andy Weir and The Martian are the extreme exception to the rule in that regard. So, if there is any chance that you may want to try to get this book published later, I would just share it with friends and family.
Do you want your novel to be a learning experience?
Maybe you learned a lot from writing this novel, but you also don’t want anyone reading it. What do you do now?
First, you read it, maybe several times. Take notes about what works and what doesn’t. This will help you with the next novel you write.
Then, you put it away and start writing the next one. (You can take a short break from writing, but don’t take too long, or it will be hard to get back in the saddle.)
Maybe you come back to this novel later to edit it and attempt to get it published, and maybe you don’t. Either way, this book has gotten you that much better at writing, and that much closer to a published novel.
(Many authors have books that were never published. Brandon Sanderson, one of the biggest names in Fantasy right now, wrote 10 books before he got one published. And quite a few of those 10 have still never been published. So, while it can be frustrating to put a book that you’ve spent months or even years writing aside, know that you are in good company.)
Do you want to publish your novel?
If so, you need to figure out how you want to publish it. Self-publishing? Traditional publishing with a small press? Traditional publishing with a major publishing house?
Your answer to that will determine a lot of your next steps.
But, no matter how you plan to publish your book, there are a couple of things you must do first:
- Edit your novel. Yes, you will be working with an editor before this process is through, but it is important that you get it as good as you can before you ever get to that point. It increases the chances that agents, editors, and publishing houses will want to work with you, and it decreases the likelihood that your authorial voice gets written out in the editing stage.
- Have other people read and critique your novel. At least one person, maybe many. And make sure that they are people who will give you honest feedback, no sugar-coating. This can come in the form of critique partners (other writers who close-read your work, often chapter-by-chapter, looking for whatever issues they can find in exchange for you doing the same for their work) or beta readers (people who read your novel as a whole and give you more general feedback than the critique partners). Use one, or the other, or both. But use them. Other people catch problems that you will miss. (It is also a good idea to have your alpha reader read the edited version, as well, since they can give you different feedback from the people who are reading it the first time, but don’t have your alpha reader be the only person who reads it at this stage in the process.)
Once you have the book as good as you can get it, it is time to turn your thoughts toward getting it published.
If you are planning to go the traditional publishing route, check out Steps 3a & 3b: Publishing with a Large Publishing House and Publishing with a Small or Independent Press.
If you want to self-publish, then check out Step 3c: Self-Publishing.
If you aren’t sure which is right for you and your book, check out both!
