Submit and Send... Now What? Post by Jessica E. Subject

 

In my post from April, I talked about how I'd almost finished writing RET, the last book in my Kaddim Brothers series. Well, I've finished. And I'm currently in the final stages of editing. As I write this, I'm currently on stage 6 of my self-editing process, as I detailed in this post from November 2021. That means, I'm almost ready to submit it to my publisher.

But, what comes next?

There are so many possibilities of things to do when an author finishes writing a book and/or series. I'm going to talk about some of them, but feel free to add your own ideas in the comments.

1. CELEBRATE

It's a huge accomplishment to have finished writing a book and get it to the point where you're ready to share it with others. Many people have dreams to have a book published, but never start. If they do, they don't finish. So, celebrate this accomplishment.

2. READ

Some authors don't read in their genre when they're writing. These breaks in writing are a chance to read in your genre and see what's popular. It's also good to read outside your genre, to read wide and gain new perspectives. This can really help with your future writing. Reading non-fiction can also help with research and ideas for upcoming stories.

3. WATCH TV / MOVIES

This is the time to watch those movies and shows you've been putting off to finish your story. Enjoy! And maybe find some inspiration. I've been inspired by so many shows and movies over the years.

4. HEALTH CHECK

This is important. One's health can be another thing authors put on hold when finishing a story. Schedule appointments for this time to see to your physical and mental health. Go to the gym, or even just for a walk. Get a massage. Just be sure to take care of yourself.

5. BOOK PROMOTION

This is a good time to work on a promotion plan for your upcoming book if you're self-publishing or already have this series with a publisher. If you have backlist titles, you can also work on promo material for them, to remind readers that you already have other books out there.

6. START PLANNING OR WRITING THE NEXT STORY

I'm not an intense plotter, but I do spend a lot of time playing out my story in my head and then jotting notes down so I can remember it all. I use a basic 8-point romance outline that was shared by Stephanie Bond in a Romance 101 course I took several years ago. It works for me, and I know many authors have different systems to plot out stories that work for them. If you're you're a pantser, just go ahead and write that new story!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

Be sure to back everything up! You don't want to invest all that work into something only to find it suddenly gone.

As I finish up edits for RET, and am closer and closer to submitting, I am also intensely plotting the first book in my next series. There's been a few glitches I've been trying to figure out how to get them to work, but it seems to be coming together now. I look forward to the day I can share more about this book and series with you!

Wishing you all a wonderful July!