When it comes to publishing a novel, there are two ways you can attempt it – the traditional way of publishing a novel and self-publishing. Both ways have something in common, and that is the dedication of the author on the marketing and promotion of the book. These days, your obligations, or tasks, haven’t ended simply because you wrote the book and edited it until it was a perfectly polished manuscript. No, today, you need to put yourself out there as a professional author as much as possible, especially if you want to launch a successful novel. There are quite a few benefits from outsourcing certain kind of tasks to other professionals – not only for a book launch, but for your writing career in general, and below, we have shown such tasks.
1. Accounting and taxes-related tasks
As your writing career expands, it will become more and more similar to a small business. And a business needs attention, focus and knowledge to be run properly. Taking care of your accounting books and taxes can become extremely time consuming – and it might hinder your creativity by requiring focus. This is why it is a good idea to outsource accounting to a professional bookkeeper or accountant who can take care of your finances and ensure that your finances are afloat.
2. Book cover design
Not every author can be a brilliant photographer or an illustrator and have several stock images or beautiful illustrations that perfectly capture the story, the tone of your book and the theme. This is why book cover design is another task a writer should outsource – especially since there are plenty of freelance illustrators online, whose work you can view on the internet before hiring them. Relate the picture or image that you have in mind for your book to the professional you’ll hire, and you can be sure the cover of your book will be magnificent and perfectly represent the story.
3. Establishing and maintaining your website
Many authors admit to not being technologically savvy. In fact, creating and maintaining a website can be a daunting and a pretty difficult task. Unless you want to have a website that looks run down and ready to go down any minute, hire a professional web designer and rest assured that your readers and visitors on your website will have a pleasant and entertaining experience while they view your author’s work.
4. Marketing and PR tasks
Another aspect of being in the writing business is creating and maintaining an online presence through social media, and various other methods, like virtual blog tours, virtual book tours, etc. You will also need to create a marketing plan for your upcoming books – a plan which will ensure your book creates a buzz on the internet even before being published, and the best chance you have to achieve this is to hire a professional marketing and PR consultant. Delegating this task to someone else will give you time to focus on other tasks – like editing, proofreading, or, working on the next book.
5. Editing and proofreading
Many writers decide to do their own editing and proofreading. However, it is not a bad idea to hire a professional editor who will take care of every mistake and ensure your manuscript is polished. Remember, there is nothing wrong in admitting that there are mistakes in your manuscript, which you’re unable to spot. There are words you are used to repeating – and not noticing, just like there might be a small inconsistency in your story or world building, which only a critical eye will be able to spot. And readers are very good at spotting both repeating words, inconsistencies and spelling mistakes which might escape your notice.
Image credit: Pixabay
Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.