Control: How to Publish a Novel (A Numbered List)

1. Think of an idea. Any idea. This part is usually pretty easy. Anyone has an idea for a story. Write an outline or a plan or at least think about a concept. Figure out some of the main characters and conflicts. I, Dalton Lewis, wrote American Delusions. I showed the reality of a person who has a life that does not fit the traditional hero narrative, a real life that is tricky and not perfect. I also wanted to show how American life can actually be instead of how we want it to be. I did, however, also show racism and murder in a realistic and brutal fashion. Think about your novel. Show what’s wrong with life.
2. Write a first draft quickly. Figure out what should happen in each chapter before writing that chapter. Trust me — don’t just make up whatever. Readers will notice and not be thrilled by your lack of preparation. I wrote this draft of a novel in about a month.
3. Do some research. Learn about something that is part of the story. In this story I learned about serial killers who kill women a little bit. I wanted to create a serial killer.
4. Write a novel. This is the tricky one, the difficult part of the whole process. In this one I wrote American Delusions, a novel about twenty-eight years in the lives of two writers, one a novelist who writes about realism and the other a Hollywood screenwriter who writes big budget bonanzas. I included a murder mystery because it fit the symbolism of the story. Oliver and Amanda go through hell and back in this realistic look at the lives of two writers in America.
5. Find a cover. I go to Fiverr — you can go there or talk to any creative-minded friend or co-worker that you know. They just need to make a cover with your book’s name and your name and some sort of pattern or illustration that reflects the novel’s content. I know, I know — the cover doesn’t matter. But it helps a little bit.
6. Find a friend or co-worker to give you advice about your novel. Have that person tell you, in general and specific terms, what works and what doesn’t about your manuscript. Thank them. Buy them lunch, or pay them fifty dollars, or something.
7. Rewrite your novel with said changes in mind. In the case of this novel my best reader got sick with the super-duper psycho death virus and couldn’t give comments so I had to just rewrite without having many comments from other people. Sometimes people have lives and can’t help you.
8. Copyright your novel. Go to eco — the copyright office — and sign up and fill out the forms and pay them sixty-five dollars or whatever they are charging now. They need some information like your name, whether or not you are using a pseudonym, what that pseudonym is, who has the rights to the book, and how to contact you. Then they need a copy of your document.
9. Go to amazon’s website and fill out all the necessary information to give them the document and the document for the cover that your friend or person on fiverr made for you. Write a killer description that will make people want to read your book. Then find a price — probably three dollars — and submit.
10. Publicize. Go on websites that list self-published books and convince them to list your book. Advertise on amazon. Write blog entries. Write on twitter. Write fan fiction and mention your novel in your fan fiction story. Do interviews. Go to schools or libraries and talk about your stories.

This is just a little bit of the process of writing a story. I suggest working very hard at all of these ten steps. You can do it! Writing a novel can happen if you work very, very hard and try to use some intelligence while working. Good luck! Get to writing.

Thanks, and take care, friends.

To check out my novel:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QXXT5LT