Beyond "The End": 8 Essential Steps After Finishing Your Book Manuscript
You’ve finally done it. You’ve placed the finishing period after your final sentence, shut your laptop lid, and let out a sigh of relief that you have been holding for months – or years – in the making. Completing a book manuscript is an achievement that only few aspiring authors manage to do.
As any published author will tell you, however, “The end is only the beginning.” The transition from the raw manuscript to a publishable work is a daunting process in its own right – one that requires a set of skills including writing skills. If you’re asking yourself what to do after writing a book, this guide will help walk you through the necessary steps to prepare your manuscript for the world.
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Table of Content
1. Celebrate and Move On (The “Resting” Period)
Many debut authors make the mistake of diving straight into the editing process, or querying literary agents after they’ve finished their book. According to author Eva Langston, “You’re too close to be able to assess it properly to begin editing or submitting your work immediately after you’ve written it.”
The Rule: Allow your manuscript to “rest” for at least 2 to 4 weeks before you begin seriously editing it.
Do not look at those precious words for this duration. It’s important to give your “creative juices” a break and switch over to your “editor brain.” When you reopen the manuscript after it’s had time to settle in the back of your mind, you might notice plot elements and inconsistencies that you didn’t pick up on when you finished your first draft.
2. The Self-Editing Sprint
When you reopen your manuscript after a much-needed break, it’s time to begin the first editing process – self-editing. This step is arguably the most important one in preparing your finished manuscript for publishing.
During the self-edit, look for pacing problems, character inconsistencies, and plot holes. In order to spot these issues, many authors find it helpful to read their manuscript aloud or switch up the font or the device they’re reading on. This helps simulate the perspective of a stranger reading your book for the first time.
3. Hire Beta Readers
Before you decide to invest a chunk of money into hiring professional editors, it’s important to get “civilian” opinions on your manuscript. That’s where beta readers come in. Beta readers are representative of your target audience, who read your manuscript and give you feedback on their general impressions and experience with your book.
Cost: Beta readers usually offer services either free of charge or paid-in-trade, whereas professional editors charge between $800 and $3,000 for a thorough edit, depending on the manuscript length and complexity.
Focus: Beta readers assess general readability and audience engagement; professional editors focus on readability, grammar, and language consistency.
Outcome: A beta reader may tell you where your book began to lose their attention, whereas a professional book editor will be able to pinpoint the parts that caused the issue.
4. Professional Editing – The Non-Negotiable Step
If you want to ensure your book has the same quality as traditionally published works, it’s crucial to invest in the expertise of a professional book editor. As noted by The Creative Penn, “Professional editing is an investment in your book’s future success.” Professional book editing is usually broken into three stages:
1. Developmental Editing – Big-picture concerns like story, structure, and character development.
2. Copy Editing – Concerns grammar, language, and punctuation.
3. Proofreading – Final line-edit check before publishing.
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5. The Post-Writing Workflow
To better illustrate your prospects as an author, we’ve prepared a quick visual aid demonstrating the expected book publishing workflow for most authors after they’ve completed their book manuscript:
6. Choosing Your Book Publishing Path
Depending on which publishing route you choose, your post-writing path will change considerably. There are three major publishing options:
– Traditional Publishing: Involves querying literary agents and landing a traditional publishing house. This process can last anywhere from 6 to 18 months.
– Self-Publishing: Gives you complete creative control but requires you to hire a book formatter, cover designer, and book marketer.
– Hybrid Publishing: A middle-ground option that offers greater creative control and higher royalties than traditional publishing.
7. Assembling Your “Legacy Assets”
Your book is much more than just the words you’ve written on the page. Before your book goes live, you’ll need to prepare the accompanying “legacy assets”, such as:
– A book blurb (also known as a back-cover copy).
– An author bio.
– Metadata for search engines.
8. Building Your Author Brand
While your manuscript goes through the editing process, it’s a good idea to create an author brand. Whether it’s a single landing page or an active social media presence, having a space for your book to appear before its launch will be the beginning of your marketing efforts as an author.
The Rolling Authors Post-Writing Checklist
Step 1 – Celebrate: Celebrate finishing your manuscript. You did it!
Step 2 – Resting Period: Put your manuscript on “bed rest” for 2–4 weeks to give your mind some breathing room.
Step 3 – Full Self-Revision Pass: Give your manuscript a thorough self-revision pass.
Step 4 – Hire 3–5 Beta Readers: Have 3–5 beta readers take a sample-read of your manuscript and offer general feedback.
Step 5 – Hire a Professional Editor: Hire a professional book editor to take a deeper dive, uncover overlooked issues, and enhance your manuscript.
Step 6 – Write Query Letter / Blurb: Prepare your query letter or book blurb, aligned with your publishing route.
Step 7 – Choose Distribution Platform: Choose where and how you plan to distribute your finished manuscript.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the post-writing process take?
On average, it takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months to prepare a manuscript for self-publishing and 18 to 24 months for traditional publishing.
Can I use AI to edit my book?
AI book editors, like ProWritingAid, are fine tools for the initial cleaning-up process, but they can’t replace the nuanced understanding of a human editor.
When should I start marketing my book?
Ideally, you should start the moment you finish your draft, simply by building a basic landing page. The longer it takes to build an audience, the longer you’ll have to wait to launch your book.
Final Thoughts
While completing your book manuscript is a huge milestone, the real magic begins once you begin to polish it. Following the aforementioned post-writing steps and investing in professional editing will set you up for a lifetime of authorship success.
Are you ready to invest in your book’s future? You don’t have to navigate the complex web of book publishing on your own.
WhatsApp Rolling Authors for a personalized publishing plan, and let’s make your book a reality.
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