AVOIDING PITFALLS WRITING MY SECOND NOVEL

"Are you working on your next book?" and "what's it about?" are the questions that began haunting me almost immediately after publication of The Unveiling.  I wasn't sure I could motivate myself to begin again, especially realizing from the outset how much time would have to go into marketing once the book is written.

The first question I had to answer for myself was what I can do differently this time to maintain more control over the process and reduce the long delays I encountered with the first book. The answer is a no-brainer. Don't get hung up looking for an agent who will try to convince a publisher to take on your book. I know the story is timely and the potential audience is significant. I know how much the popularity of e-books has grown. I'll draw upon the social media contacts I now have to identify the most promising way to publish my e-book. I will not use a Print-On-Demand publisher who sets the price too high and controls distribution.

Editing is another step I'll handle differently. With my first book, I completed the first draft, and then asked friends and relatives to read it to give me feedback. Their input was a big help, but I lost months waiting to hear back from some individuals. I eventually paid for a professional editor who was a big help, but took more time than I expected. This time I may again seek input from friends and relatives, but I'll line up an editor before I complete my manuscript.

Another huge time and money waster I'll avoid in the future is using quotes from songs and poetry that require copyright permission. In my first novel I introduced new sections with quotes from music or poetry to define the theme of a new part of the story. I had no idea how difficult it would be to find the owner of the copyright, how long it might take to get permission or what the costs would be. I wasted months waiting to resolve this issue. I will only use quotes in the future if they are already in the public domain, or better yet, if I need something unique to introduce sections, I'll compose my own poems or lyrics..

I'm moving along with my writing now, making a little progress every day. The title of my next book is Shred of Evidence: the MK Ultra Secrets.