(LOGO)
Hellooo, everybody! Before I get started, I wanted to thank all of you for making the launch
of my merch store such a success. And I wanted to thank you for entering my giveaway! So many
people got involved. It was absolutely insane, and awesome. The three winners have already
been emailed. So if you entered and haven't checked your inbox yet, get on it. That said,
you may recall that everyone who entered will be receiving a super special, super secret gift
from yours truly. And I'll be spilling the beans on that secret, at the end of this video. Making
you wait, suckers. Moving on today's topic is dedicated to two of my patrons from Patreon,
Jerry and Danielle. (Sing-song Voice) “Jerry's cool, Danielle is fine. And every day they're
just blowing my mind.” Both Jerry and Danielle wanted to hear the step-by-step breakdown of my
overall writing process. You guys already know how I write, and how I edit, but it's another
thing entirely to know when to begin each of these steps. I'm listing my entire process
from conception to completion. We're starting with the idea phase, and ending with the book release.
A few disclaimers, I am not going to explain the intricacies of each and every step. I've already
made videos on nearly every step I'm about to cover. So if you want to learn more about them,
they're linked below. Also, please keep in mind that I am a self published author, so things
like querying will not be on the list. Lastly, there is one conspicuous step that will not be
on this list, and that is creating and managing your author platform. I'm not listing this,
because it's something you should actively be doing throughout the entire writing process. The
sooner you begin growing your platform and making yourself visible as a writer, the better. And
if you want to learn more on that topic, you can always check out my marketing class on Skillshare.
Onto the steps. Step Number One (1): Get an idea. This is the easiest part of the writing process.
You get an idea, it's awesome, and you think to yourself, “This should totally be a book. I know,
I’ll write it. Because I hate myself.” This brings us to step Number Two (2): Thought
dumping. Most people actually call this brainstorming, but I'm not like other girls.
This is where you expand upon your initial idea by creating characters, plot points, backstories,
etc. Keep in mind it's definitely recommended to nail down the basic concept of your plot first,
then build the characters and world around it. It's much easier to build a cast and setting
around a story, than a story around a casting setting. Think of a plot of your novel as a tree,
and the characters, descriptions, locations and so on as the Christmas ornaments. The ornaments
improve upon a Christmas tree, but it's not a Christmas tree, without the tree. You kind
of need the tree first, or else you're just going to have a pile of broken glass and glitter on the
floor. Once you've pinched out a hefty thought dump, we move on to step Number Three (3): The
outline. This is where you take your jumbled mess of ideas, and sort it into a logical order.
Everyone has their own personal preference for how they outline, and you don't need to hear
about my process because you've already watched my outlining video, right? Right? Next is step Number
Four (4): Writing. You're putting your fingers on the keyboard and making words appear. Most
people like to write their first draft straight through without any revising. I personally prefer
to edit as I go. This is not something that I recommend to a lot of writers, but it works for
me. At this phase we sort of, kind of reach step Number Five (5): And that's critique partners. A
critique partner is a fellow writer who reads your work with the intention of critiquing it,
hence the name. You can enlist a critique partner at any time. They can read your first draft,
they could read your tenth draft—whatever. You can basically bother your CP whenever you want,
or whenever they're willing to tolerate you. Once you're finished writing a completed version
of your manuscript you move on to step Number Six (6): Self editing. Some people call this
drafting or revising, some people believe you write, then draft, then revise, then edit.
I personally don't give a fuck about labels. If I'm improving my manuscript, I'm editing it. Simple,
effective. Self editing requires a ton of read throughs. Depending on the quality of your
outline and your first draft, there will be some hefty rewrites, so be prepared to rip shit apart.
This step alone often takes as long or longer than writing the first draft. You're forewarned. During
the self edit you've also got other steps to tackle, like step Number Seven (7): Beta readers.
Beta readers are just regular people you enlist to read your book and give you feedback regarding
what they enjoyed, and what they didn't enjoy about your story. There's no firmly established
time for when you must enlist beta readers, but my advice is to enlist them once you're happy
and confident with the quality and progression of your storyline. Typically this occurs at
some point during the self edit and even better, when your betas offer complaints and criticism,
you can fix them! Because you're already editing. Pro tip: if you wait to recruit betas until after
the professional edit, you done fucked up. Next we hit step Number Eight (8): Soft promo. Throughout
this entire writing process you've been steadily building your author, platform and audience,
right? With that considered, the self edit is usually a pretty good time to start talking
about your book publicly. I'm not talking about hardcore marketing. You don't need
to post teasers or create artwork. You're just letting your audience know, “Hey, I'm working on
a book. It's coming along great.” This is also a good time to take your platform up a notch in
terms of professionalism. You should already have a blog and social media presence at this
point. But now you can also look into building a legitimate author website. Once you finish your
self edits and beta process, it's time to move on to step Number Nine (9): The professional edit.
Pay someone to rip your work to shreds. Then cry and cry. Please note, all novels require more than
one round of edits. And many require more than one editor. This, like many of the other steps,
is not a short one. And you're going to have a lot of downtime between editing cycles, and
you can use this time to amp up your promotion and generate more buzz about your book. Once the edit
is complete, we move on to step Number Ten (10): Copywriting. You submit your novel for an official
copyright. That's it. Step Number Eleven (11): Cover art and formatting. Sometimes people get
the cover art done before the writing is complete, and that's stupid. Cover artists need dimensions;
they need to know the width of the book spine and the page count. Can't get that information if the
book isn't done. Likewise, formatting tends to go hand in hand with the cover. Some people opt
to format the book themselves. I personally think it's a big pain in the ass and would rather hire
a professional. Onto step Number Twelve (12): Prepare your book for publication. Believe it or
not this isn't the last step. So many steps. While your cover art and formatting is in the works, you
should be setting up an account or via whatever publishing platform you've chosen. Assuming you're
going with the self publishing route. This will allow you to print sample copies of your books,
set its genre specifications, enable distribution, and of course set its release date. Remember,
we're just getting the book ready for publication. We're not officially launching it into the world.
Next we hit step Number Thirteen (13): Hard promo. Realistically this should begin while
you're getting your cover art done or sooner. Now it's time to promote the crap out of your novel.
Share teasers, talk about your characters, create shareable online content, volunteer for interviews
and speaking engagements. Hype that shit up! Lots of authors create buzz around the cover reveal,
the release date announcement, the presale, the ARC reviews, the list goes on. These are all
things that can help generate awareness about your book which brings us to step Number Fourteen (14):
ARC reviews and presale. I’m listing these together because they typically occur at the
same time. And also because there's too many damn steps, and I am tired. In order to spread
the word about a book release authors will send out Advanced Reader Copies also known as ARCs to
readers of influence. In return, these readers will post an honest review of the book online.
While these reviews are pouring in, it's also common for authors to make their book available
for presale. That way readers can essentially call dibs on a copy. Which finally brings us to my last step.
Step Number Fifteen (15): The release. Your book is out! You’re done! And you'll probably lose
your shit, because releases are super stressful. But hey, you did it, you achieved what so many
people fail to do, and you lived to tell the tale. So there you have it. That is my writing
process from start to finish. A huge thank you to Jerry and Danielle for requesting this topic,
you guys are amazing. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you,
or if you want access to tons of other rewards, check me out on Patreon. I got the link listed
below. And now that we've reached the end of this journey, it's time to spill the beans about last
week's giveaway. As you all know everyone who entered my giveaway receives a special
gift just for participating. And that gift is the entire first chapter of my upcoming fantasy novel:
The Savior's Champion! Technically you're actually getting the prologue and the first chapter,
so it's kind of like you're receiving a chapter and a half. Just saying. A lot of you have been
asking me when I'm going to make teaser chapters of TSC available, so I thought it would be really
fun to surprise you guys and ship a chapter directly to your inbox. I do what I can. Read the
hell out of your TSC sample, and enjoy! With that said Don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I
post new videos on Wednesdays. And if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that little
bell down below. My book is still available in ebook and paperback on Amazon right now. You can
also order a signed copy. All the links are also listed below. And be sure to follow me on social
media. I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook and of course you can Tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!