How to Tell if your Novel is Ready to be Published: 20 Questions to Ask (Part 2)

 

Last week we discussed 10 ways to make sure your novel is ready to be released.

 

I shared two sections dissecting information on the meat of your novel- what your story needs and what your characters need. If you missed last week’s article, check it out here!

 

If you’re up to speed, however, this week we’re dissecting two new avenues of novel publication preparation: editing and revising and beta readers.

 

Each section asks five vital questions you need to answer before you publish your novel. So, is your novel going to be up to par? Let’s find out!

 

 

1. Have you checked for run-on sentences, proper capitalization, punctuation and misspelled words?

 

All right, this is a fairly obvious one, but we’ll expand on how important it is to have fresh eyes look for these issues as well in our next subheading.

 

But for now, make sure names of people and places, months, titles, ‘I’ are always properly capitalized.

 

Use commas like a dash of salt: merely to accentuate the emphasis in a sentence or to provide a pause for the reader.

 

Take out as many adverbs as possible and replace them with stronger words.

 

Break up your story’s pace, too. Have a longer sentence followed by a dash of shorter ones. Simplify whenever possible and re-read the sentence aloud to make sure it reads properly.

 

And don’t rely on spellcheck to find all misplaced words. It won’t pick up perfectly spelled words completely misplaced in a sentence!

 

Lastly, make sure your story is consistently written in the proper tense– aka: eliminate the passive voice!

 

2. Have you checked for plot holes and inconsistencies?

 

It’s vital that you read your story once through from “once upon a time” to “happily ever after”. It’s also a good idea to give yourself some distance between the final edits and the read-through.

 

Why? Because you give yourself a chance to read your novel with fresh eyes.

 

When we read a sentence, paragraph, or chapter over and over we unknowingly get used to the pace of the reading. That means we’ve trained ourselves to miss awkward sentences or misplaced words. Therefore a disconnect from your story allows you to read it without any expectations. In this way you’ll catch hiccups you would’ve missed before.

 

As a bonus, it helps to read your story aloud. I’ve caught countless awkward sentences and odd phraseology this way. Trust me, it works! 😉

 

Finally, make sure that all the questions you posed in your story are given answers (unless some questions will be answered in a sequel). That means if two of your side characters are stuck in the third dimension, make sure that before the story ends, we find out how they make it out of that dimension.

 

3. Have you revised your book?

 

With revising, the goal is to simplify. That means you want to cut scenes down, sentences in half or eliminate needless words.

Make sure your descriptives aren’t loading your scene down. A good key to remember is: describe senses but state actions.

 

4. Have you addressed structure and formatting?

 

Structure includes knowing when to make paragraph breaks. But when should you break a new paragraph?

 

First, you must always start a new paragraph when a new character speaks– that’s a MUST, bromigo. And lastly, whenever there is a change in time, place, topic or person- make a break for it! 😉

 

Now formatting. Formatting can be such a beast, believe me. Just because you’ve perfectly formatted your novel in Scrivener or Microsoft Word doesn’t mean it’ll translate into Amazon’s ebook standards.

 

So how do you make formatting a snap? Well, I recently got a fab tip from a fellow indie author friend, Hannah Heath, on how to take the stress out of it!

 

Open a document you’ve already formatted. Go to File –> Duplicate. Rename this new duplicate file so you don’t get them mixed up. Now go to the original document of the book you’re trying to format and copy the text. Then go to the “formatted” document, hit Edit –> Paste and Match Style. It will then paste the text into the document –already. Freakin’. Formatted– 😀

 

And then you just export it into whatever doc KDP wants and BOOM you’re done! Yay!

 

5. Has your narrative voice remained consistent?

 

If you need help figuring out which narrative voice would work best for your novel check out my article defining the three narrative voices here. If you need help figuring out which narrative voice is right for your story, check out that article here

 

If you know which one you’ve chosen, make sure the voice is consistent. Make sure the POV(s) you’ve chosen remains consistent as well. Even if there’s a back and forth between a few POV’s, just make sure they stay neatly in line and act in their character.

 

 

 

 

1. Have you asked more than one reliable, well-read and unbiased friend or acquaintance to read your novel?

 

Asking one person to read your novel is great, but you need a variety of opinions. Go for folks who are well-read bookworms that don’t mind giving you some of their undivided attention.

 

Ask them to look for the same inconsistencies you looked for during your editing process: plot holes, grammar, punctuation, formatting, etc.

 

A roundtable of trusted advisors and friends who are frank and honest with you but likewise supportive and constructive are one of life’s great blessings. So make wise use of your friends.

 

Listen to their critiques, but remember you have the final say. Stay confident in your voice and your worldview but be sure to respect their advice and listen for patterns. If more than one friend is noticing the same flaw, it’s time to address it!

 

2. Have you hired a professional to read/edit your work?

 

A professional is trained to look for things you or your friends will surely miss. They will help tie your work up in a neat little bow and make sure you are putting your best work out there.

 

“But that costs money, Rae! And sometimes a lot too!”

 

Yes, it does, dear peanut butter cup.

 

But ask yourself something: how important is your work is to you? What’s it worth to you? Does it deserve to have a professional examine it? I think it does! Invest in yourself by spending a little dough to make great returns.

 

Yeah, finding the right editor can be scary/intimidating. This will be a lasting bond that requires mutual respect. But don’t push this step aside just because you don’t want to spend a moolah little on your work. It will be worth it in the end, promise!
3. Have you asked your beta readers to leave reviews before your book launches?

 

Want to know a great way to boost book sales before you even launch it? Have reviews already in place. The best way to get honest reviews? Ask your beta readers to leave a review of your work!

 

Make sure they know it doesn’t have to be a lengthy description or play-by-play. Don’t put pressure on them to get it done ASAP as well. Simply ask them to leave a review after they’ve read your final result and before you plan on launching your book.

 

That being said, you should leave plenty of space between the two. Start looking for beta readers after your third complete edit. That way when they send back their critiques, your final draft will include changes they may have suggested. This gives your beta readers plenty of time to leave an honest review of your book.
4. Have you asked a group of friends in your writing circle to help promote your book before it launches?

 

There’s nothing wrong with asking your support group to help promote your work. As long as you do it in a non-sleazy way! That means you need to give as much as you’d like to get.

 

Show support to your friends first– share their book, read and review it, and talk it up to your friends! Then when you ask for this support, in turn, you will get it from your fellow appreciative writers.

 

Ask these friends to throw a tweet out there or a post on Instagram or Facebook about it. Or create a fun buzz by using a hashtag about your book and asking them to use it too!

 

5. Have you returned the favor to a beta reader?

 

You will be asking a heavy amount from your beta readers. Be sure that you’re not just asking, give in turn. Be as useful to them as you would like them to be for you.

 

Now I know this doesn’t seem like a vital step BEFORE you publish your book, but it’s more important than you think.

 

When it comes to it and you need the help, you want to have created a solid foundation with those in your same boat. Friends are more likely to help you if you help them as well. So take the initiative. Offer to help them and see if you don’t get a wave of supporters!

 

 

 

So, how did your book fare with these 20 vital questions? Did you notice some spots where your novel still needed some help? No worries friend, that’s what checklists are all about.

 

Remember that there is no rush to get your book out there. Take. Your. Time. Get your best work out there by giving it the time and attention it deserves.

 

So is your novel ready now? Well, we may never know 100% but these questions absolutely need to be addressed before you publish your work. I hope these have helped you be 99.9% certain! And if you’re ready to publish, let me know in the comments section! I’d love to support you and sing your praises 😉

 

Find out more about the Fundamentals of Fandom-Worthy Fiction Course Here