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There is something about nearing the end of a series that makes me contemplate the last few posts. I want them to matter, to leave you with something of value. So I’ve been thinking—if I could only tell you one thing about self publishing, it would be this:
make sure your book is a quality work, not a rough draft.
It’s a simple concept. Write something worth reading. But in the scramble to release e-books, it’s a principle often forgotten. Our lives are busy, and we want the quick, easy route. I’m guilty, too.
It’s critical for the future of self-publishing that we hold on to some of the values that traditional publishers have established. Quality content is key.
When we self-publish, we are responsible for the content we release to the world. There is no one automatically in place to tell us if our book is no good or isn’t ready to release yet. Let’s hold ourselves accountable to a high standard of quality.
If you’re a blogger, used to producing words quickly and hitting publish, this requires a change in thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that blog posts are not quality content. But it is a different way of writing. When it comes to writing your book or e-book, shift your thinking from that expectation of immediate results. Writing a book of any length should come from a more long-term mentality. Write . . . edit . . . rewrite . . . repeat. Keep on until the final work is ready to publish.
Don’t rush the process of writing your book. Recognize that it will likely take much longer than you anticipate. Come to terms with that before you start, and the process will be much smoother for you.
This is wise advice. I am in the midst of writing my e-book and it’s taking me longer than I anticipated. I can usually crank out a blog post in a short time but I want to do a really good job on this. Thanks for the reminder.
Writing an e-book is definitely a shift in thinking from writing a blog post. I hope your writing goes well!