Advice:
There is a wide debate on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing (finding an agent). I would have taken the later route if I could’ve found an agent. Self-publishing is great for some people but the average self-published book sells less than 100 copies.
Write as often as you can. You will get better every day. I finished Deep Rough’s original draft about a week before my first son was born because I knew I’d have no time after that. I woke up at 5am everyday and wrote for 2 hrs before going to work. It still took me almost two years to finish. Now, when I want to write, I do the same.
Make contacts in the writing world. I know a five or six published authors who’ve all given me great advice.
Join a writing group. I was a member of one for over two years as I wrote DR and they gave me plenty of advice.
If you are going to self-publish, do it right. My editor cost me hundreds of dollars. I bought the cover art and my URL. The first cover probably saw 25 revisions before I thought it was perfect (Thanks Joe). I re-wrote DR many times, always finding something I could change.
Read different genres. Fiction, non-fiction, short stories. I can never be without a book. It’ll make you a better writer by reading different authors.
Read agent blogs for tips and to find out what they are currently seeking.
Websites:
Writers’ Cafe – The absolute goldmine of self-published authors sharing tips and advice.
Kindle Publishing – The portal for publishing on Kindle.
CreateSpace – An Amazon owned company that prints on-demand paperbacks.
ACX – An Amazon owned company that turns your book into an audio version.
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