A few weeks ago, a woman I casually know from my gym approached me before her class began. Skyler (a pseudonym) knew that I had written a bunch of books. She wanted to know more about the logistics and cost of penning a proper one. As an intermittent faster, I’m a sucker for a big post-workout meal. We made plans to grab breakfast the following week.

I brought a backpack with a deliberate sampling of books. Some I wrote; others were from Racket clients. I made sure to bring at least one book each from:

• True self-publishing services or subsidy presses.
• Traditional publishers.
• Hybrid publishers, such as Racket.

Over the course of the meal, I listened to Skyler’s questions—the first of which involved the pros and cons of each publishing method. After a while, her general curiosity began to resemble those of the 50 or so prospective authors I’ve helped in over the last dozen years. (I fondly remember a writing seminar I hosted in 2013 in Vegas.)

In this post, I’ll offer some observations that will help would-be scribes.

The Required Resources Typically Surprise Prospective Authors

“How much time and money will writing and publishing a god book take?”

When I answer this question, most people are downright stunned. Avid readers intuitively grasp that there’s no magic want to write a quality text. (Sorry, AI.) Skyler noticed the amatuerish feel and vibe of the self-published book I brought.

Design matters aside, uuthors who lack the time and knowledge can hire someone like me to ghostwrite their text. Experienced ghosts aren’t inexpensive, though. Fast, cheap, and good: pick any two of the three.

Knowledge About the Writing and Publishing Processes Is Understandably Minimal

“Should I just start writing and see what comes out?”

No.

No one’s judging here. I certainly don’t know how to rewire my house’s electricity. I couldn’t tell you anything meaninful about rehearsing lines for a movie or singing in front of thousands of people. With rare exception, first-time authors are equally oblivious about the degree of rigor needed to write effectively and efficiently. Research, organization, preparation, focus, and planning are downright essential.

Research, organization, preparation, focus, and planning are downright essential.

Case in point: On my current ghostwriting project, I have churned out the first four 4,300-word near-final chapter drafts in about ten hours each. To be sure, I type fast and use a powerful book-management system. Even if you don’t, the hours spent researching, planning, and conceptualizing a book all reduce turnaround times and improve the quality of the writing. Ignore those stages if you like, but make no mistake: it will take any writer much longer to produce a tight, focused chapter. Something far closer to a morass is much liklier to result.

Authors Generally Ignore or Underestimate Marketing

“How hard could it be to get the word out?”

In a word, very. And, in the time that it took to read this far, it just got harder.

I’ll explain that I recorded a 3.5-hour course on the subject. Marketing remains an ever-illusive beast. Yeah, it’s easier to promote your book, but it is for every other author out there.

Can You Write Your Manuscript in Notion?

Agent Angst

“Should I get an agent?”

I’ve heard that query more times than I can count.

The question is understandable but misplaced. Absent unique circumstances (rock stars, celebrities, and a few others), no experienced book agent will rep first-time authors unless they have demonstrated the ability to move a significant number books.

Of course, once an author cracks that nut, the sea parts. The equation suddenly changes.

A recent trip to my local Barnes & Noble confirmed as much. A Phoenix author was signing copies of his first effort. When I asked about his publisher, he told me that he sold the rights to his debut sci-fi novel after previously moving a decent number of copies of his homegrown version. (See above on marketing.) He’d also signed an agreement to write the next installment in his series.

No shocker. He derisked his title—the same thing more or less happened to me 15 years ago with Why New Systems Fail.

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