So you're writing a book...
Here are some resources to help you out!
What are you going to write about?
First - define your project. Is it fiction, non-fiction. What genre? Is it science fiction, is it a self-help book. THEN - make sure you understand what OTHER writers are doing - have you read anything in your genre or niche? If not - GO DO THAT FIRST!!! Then - go read the reviews about that book both good and bad. You want to avoid the mistakes that the writer made that caused a bad review.
"Write the book you want to live in..." ~ Anne Rice
What is your book title? A book title keeps you focused on the content of your book. Here is a great resource for naming your book - 50 Titles Templates. Naming your book may seem trivial - but if you want it to sell, it HAS to be attractive to your readers
NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writers Month
If you want a challenge go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up for the annual November event! It's 30 days to 40,000 words - and prizes at the end! You know you want to...
Do you want to make money, or is this a labor of love?
This is important. If you're working on a labor of love - you need to accept that from the beginning, you won't be making any money.
If you want to make money - then you need to do some research and find out if YOUR book has any remote change of making it on Amazon. Best product EVER to help you research - KindleSpy, by Wesley Atkins. This software will help you research other books like yours, and find out how much money that book is generating!
How to get your manuscript ready to upload...
Proofreading/Editing - Have someone proofread it. You may think your spelling and grammar is impeccable, but there's usually a stray word usage issue or two in every book. Have someone read your book! Also - have someone make editorial changes to ensure continuity and readability.
Formatting - Be sure you get your book professionally formatted. It makes a big difference on how your book's interior looks when you have poor formatting. Dragon Gem does that for you...
Book Cover - we all judge a book by its cover...
Unless you are a design wizard - hire this one out. People that are browsing book will pass over a homemade-looking book cover, and favor a professionally designed cover every time. Don't use the Amazon book cover designer - don't be tempted. You are the SME (subject matter expert) for your book contents. Hire a SME that does book covers. (Like Dragon Gem. Click here!)