Even if your best associate owns a top publishing company, giving you a direct "in", this does not promise publishing success.
First, you have to write an excellent book that has a obvious target audience. And your book must respond a general problem or need that audience shares. Then you have to build up a marketing arrangement, and attach yourself to it for at least two years.
Let's begin with the procedure that should start before you write your initial word. Initiate by reading A LOT. Read both books you avidly love and books you can't seem to make it past page five. Then try to understand what the author did in the book you loved to read, and what was incorrect in the book you found that the author couldn't finish. Write down those points clearly so that they are crystal clear to you. Read other people's books for inspiration and to realize what you must avoid as a writer.
The next step is to plan out your book. Narrow down your subject, and then divide it into chapters. Each chapter should address a specific aspect of the problem your book is going to solve. In each chapter, break the specific aspect down into several parts. This will help your readers take in your information a bit at a time rather than crushing them with every bit of information congesting up the pages until they feel like they're about to go blind. It's not quite spoon-feeding the information to your readers, but its close.
The next two steps are obvious. Write your manuscript and then revise it. And then revise it again. And perhaps again. Of course, writing is really hard, and writing a book can seem like an unattainable task. There are many books out there that give you guidelines to help you become familiar - and even love - the process of writing and revision. Find a number of books about writing. Better yet, find a number of books about writing the specific type of book you hope to write. These can serve as roadmaps on your writing journey.
Once you've written your e-book and revised it at least twice, show it to someone else whose opinion you respect. If you're lucky enough to know a good editor, see if you have something to barter for him or her to go through your manuscript. Or join a writing group and let the other members critique your work.
Then take all these ideas from other people, and revise your manuscript one last time. And then stop! Put down that pen! Get your hands off the keyboard!
One of the most important steps to actually producing a book is to know when to stop writing and tinkering with it.
You've finally written your e-book! Pop open the bubbly! Give yourself a night out on the town!
Okay, now that this necessary celebration is out of your system, what do you do next?
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