The 5 C's of writing

For a new writer, writing a book can seem simple in the beginning.

You have an idea. You sit down. You start writing.

Then reality arrives.

Before long, you discover that writing a book and publishing a book are two different jobs.

The writing itself has an internal reality: the creative process, the structure of the story, the choice of words, the development of ideas, and the effort required to communicate something worth reading.

Publishing introduces an entirely different set of external demands.

Now you may be dealing with manuscript formatting, trim sizes, margins, page counts, ISBNs, copyright pages, cover dimensions, bleed requirements, image resolution, file types, distribution rules, and the technical specifications of whichever print-on-demand publisher or publishing platform you choose.

I have struggled with both sides of that process.

My difficulties have ranged from something as basic as selecting the right topic to write about to trying to determine the exact measurements required for a book cover.

And one thing I have learned is that nearly every print-on-demand publisher seems to have its own rules, specifications, and publishing requirements.

Most of those rules exist for a good reason: the goal is to produce a professional-quality book.

But that does not make the process any less confusing.

Publishing requirements can sometimes confound experienced self-publishers. For a new writer encountering them for the first time, they can become overwhelming.

That is why writers need strong principles they can return to regardless of what they are writing or where they eventually publish it.

One useful framework is known as the 5 C's of writing: Clarity, Conciseness, Coherence, Correctness, and Consistency.

These principles will not solve every publishing problem, but they can help you build a stronger manuscript before you ever start worrying about cover templates and upload requirements.

1. Clarity: Make Sure the Reader Understands You

A writer knows what he or she intends to say.

The reader only knows what actually appears on the page.

That difference is important.

Clarity means making your meaning understandable without forcing the reader to work unnecessarily hard to figure out what you meant.

This does not mean every sentence has to be simple or every idea has to be basic.

It means the reader should not have to untangle confusing wording before understanding your point.

For fiction writers, clarity helps readers understand who is speaking, where the action is taking place, what is happening, and why it matters.

For nonfiction writers, clarity helps readers follow an argument, lesson, explanation, or historical discussion.

When reviewing your writing, ask yourself:

Will the reader understand this the way I intended it?

That question has saved many paragraphs.

2. Conciseness: Use the Words You Need

New writers sometimes believe that better writing means bigger words, longer sentences, and more description.

Usually, it does not.

Good writing means using enough words to communicate the idea effectively—and knowing when you have said enough.

Conciseness does not mean stripping all personality from your writing.

It means removing words that are doing no useful work.

Consider the difference between writing something because it strengthens the story and writing it simply because you like the sentence.

Those two things are not always the same.

Every sentence should have a purpose.

Every paragraph should move the reader somewhere.

Sometimes that movement is physical action. Sometimes it is emotional development. Sometimes it is information. Sometimes it is simply giving the reader a moment to breathe.

But the words should be there for a reason.

3. Coherence: Give the Reader a Road to Follow

You may understand how all your ideas connect because they developed inside your own mind.

Your reader was not there.

Coherence is what builds the bridge.

One sentence should naturally lead into the next. One paragraph should connect to the next. One chapter should feel like it belongs beside the chapters around it.

This is especially important when writing a first draft.

A first draft may contain wonderful scenes, facts, arguments, memories, or ideas that do not yet fit together properly.

That does not mean the material is bad.

It means the road still needs work.

Think of coherence as putting up road signs for your reader.

Where are we?

Where have we been?

Where are we going?

And why are we going there?

When readers can answer those questions, they are more likely to remain engaged.

4. Correctness: The Details Matter

Correctness includes grammar, spelling, punctuation, word usage, and factual accuracy.

For nonfiction writers, factual correctness is especially important.

Readers may forgive a typo.

They are much less forgiving when they discover that the information being presented as fact is inaccurate.

Correctness also becomes important once the manuscript enters the publishing process.

A missing word in a manuscript can be corrected relatively easily.

A mistake discovered after hundreds of books have been printed is more painful.

This is one reason editing and proofreading should never be treated as unnecessary steps.

Your first draft is where you discover what you want to say.

Editing is where you improve how you say it.

Proofreading is where you search for the mistakes that survived both processes.

5. Consistency: Make the Book Feel Like One Book

Consistency may be one of the least exciting parts of writing, but it contributes enormously to professionalism.

Are character names spelled the same way throughout the book?

Are chapter titles formatted consistently?

Are dates written the same way?

Are headings handled the same way?

Are you using American spelling in one chapter and British spelling in another?

Does the tone suddenly change without a reason?

These may appear to be small details, but readers notice when enough small inconsistencies accumulate.

Consistency also becomes extremely important during book production.

The interior of the book, the cover, the title page, the copyright information, and the publishing metadata should all agree with one another.

Even something as simple as changing a subtitle can create several places where that change must also be made.

The Sixth C That Sometimes Appears: Creativity

Depending on which version of the 5 C's you encounter, Creativity may replace Consistency or appear as an additional principle.

For writers of fiction, poetry, memoir, and narrative nonfiction, creativity certainly deserves a place in the conversation.

Creativity gives your writing personality.

It determines how you approach a familiar subject differently from everyone else.

Two writers can tell the same type of story and produce two completely different books because their experiences, voices, perspectives, and imaginations are different.

But creativity works best when supported by the other C's.

A creative story that nobody can understand is still difficult to read.

A brilliant idea buried beneath unnecessary words may never reach the reader.

And an imaginative book filled with errors may lose the reader's trust.

Writing and Publishing Require Different Kinds of Thinking

One of the hardest lessons for new writers is understanding that the creative side and the publishing side of the business require different ways of thinking.

While writing, you may be thinking:

Is this interesting?

Does this character feel real?

Is this information important?

Will the reader understand my point?

Later, while publishing, you may suddenly be asking:

What trim size should I use?

What size should the cover be?

How much bleed is required?

What resolution should the images have?

Will the spine width change if the page count changes?

Those are very different questions.

Trying to solve all of them at once can stop a book before it is ever finished.

The new writer should understand something important:

You do not have to publish the book while you are still writing the book.

Finish the manuscript.

Strengthen the manuscript.

Apply the 5 C's.

Then begin dealing with the technical demands of production.

Publishing Platforms Have Rules—and They Change

Self-publishing has given writers opportunities that previous generations could hardly imagine.

But independence comes with responsibility.

The author may now be responsible for decisions once handled by editors, designers, typesetters, production departments, and publishing companies.

That includes learning the requirements of the platform you plan to use.

Different print-on-demand services may have different rules regarding trim sizes, cover templates, margins, bleed, acceptable file formats, and image quality.

Even experienced self-publishers sometimes have to stop and look something up again.

There is no shame in that.

The important thing is learning not to confuse the technical requirements of publishing with your ability to write.

You may be a very good writer and still need three attempts to get a cover template correct.

Those are separate skills.

Both can be learned.

Let the 5 C's Become Your Writing Checklist

Before you begin worrying about uploading your manuscript, ask five questions:

Is it clear?

Is it concise?

Is it coherent?

Is it correct?

Is it consistent?

If you can answer yes to those questions, you have already solved some of the most important problems a writer faces.

The technical specifications can be learned.

Cover measurements can be corrected.

Formatting can be changed.

Files can be uploaded again.

But the real foundation of every successful book remains the same:

Something worth saying, written in a way that another human being wants to keep reading.

That is where publishing begins.

Not with the cover template.

Not with the ISBN.

Not with the upload button.

It begins with the writing.

Writing and Editing Are Two Different Jobs

 

Writing and Editing Are Two Different Jobs

One of the biggest lessons I have learned as a writer is that writing and editing are not the same job.

They may both be part of creating a book, but they require very different ways of thinking.

Writing asks you to create.

Editing asks you to judge.

Writing asks, "What happens next?"

Editing asks, "Is this the best way to say it?"

Writing moves forward.

Editing often looks backward.

When a new writer tries to do both at the same time, that can become a serious problem.

I know because I have done it.

The Trap of Trying to Fix Everything Immediately

Early in my writing experience, I thought good writing meant getting everything right while I was writing it.

If a sentence did not sound good enough, I stopped and rewrote it.

If a paragraph seemed weak, I worked on it until I was satisfied.

If I thought a scene might need more detail, I stopped moving forward and began adding to it.

Sometimes that worked.

But many times it damaged my momentum.

Instead of finishing the story, I became trapped polishing pieces of a story that did not yet exist as a complete book.

That is like decorating one room of a house before the foundation has been finished.

The room may look beautiful.

But you still do not have a house.

Writing Requires Momentum

There is a certain momentum that develops when you are creating a story.

One idea leads to another.

A character says something you did not expect.

A scene introduces a possibility you had not considered.

Something happens in Chapter Four that suddenly gives you the answer to a problem you were worried about in Chapter Two.

That creative momentum is valuable.

Stopping every few sentences to edit can interrupt it.

You move from imagination into criticism.

Then back into imagination.

Then back into criticism.

Eventually the writer can become tired before the story has had a chance to develop.

That is why I now believe the first draft should mostly be about movement.

Keep going.

Get the story onto the page.

You can come back later.

The Writer and the Editor Think Differently

I sometimes think of the writer and editor as two different people sharing the same desk.

The writer is imaginative.

The writer takes chances.

The writer says, "What if?"

The writer is willing to explore.

The editor is more cautious.

The editor asks whether a scene works.

The editor looks for repetition, weak language, confusing sentences, pacing problems, and inconsistencies.

Both are important.

But they do not always work well when they are shouting instructions at each other at the same time.

Imagine trying to tell a story while someone stands behind you saying:

"That sentence isn't good enough."

"You already used that word."

"Would a reader really believe that?"

"Maybe you should rewrite the beginning."

"Are you sure this chapter belongs here?"

You probably would not get very far.

Yet that is exactly what many writers do to themselves.

The First Draft Is for the Writer

The first draft is where you discover the story.

Even when you begin with a strong outline, things may change once you start writing.

Characters can surprise you.

Research may reveal something better.

A subplot may become more important than you expected.

The ending you originally planned may no longer fit the story you actually wrote.

That is not failure.

That is part of writing.

Your first draft gives you permission to explore those possibilities.

It does not have to be ready for the reader yet.

It only has to be useful to you.

Editing Is Where You Begin Thinking About the Reader

Once the first draft is complete, your thinking can change.

Now you can ask:

Does this make sense?

Is the beginning strong enough?

Does the middle slow down?

Are the characters believable?

Did I explain too much?

Did I explain too little?

Does every chapter contribute something?

Does the ending satisfy the promise made at the beginning?

This is where editing becomes powerful.

Now you are no longer trying to imagine the entire book.

You can see it.

You can study what is actually there instead of worrying about what might be there someday.

You Cannot Properly Edit What You Have Not Finished

This is something I wish more new writers understood.

A chapter that seems weak while you are writing it may make perfect sense once the entire story is finished.

A scene you keep rewriting may eventually be removed altogether.

A character you are struggling to perfect may later turn out to need a completely different role.

If you spend hours polishing those things too early, some of that work may be wasted.

Finishing the manuscript gives you perspective.

It allows you to see the book as a complete structure.

Then you know where your editing time will do the most good.

Give Yourself Permission to Leave Notes

One thing that can help keep a first draft moving is leaving notes for yourself.

Suppose you realize you need to research something.

Instead of stopping for two hours, write:

[CHECK THIS FACT]

Suppose a character needs a better description.

Write:

[ADD DESCRIPTION LATER]

Suppose you know the scene needs more emotion but you do not want to lose your momentum.

Write:

[STRENGTHEN THIS SCENE]

Then keep going.

Those notes become instructions for the editing stage.

You have acknowledged the problem without allowing it to stop the story.

There Will Be Time to Make It Better

Some writers worry that if they do not fix a problem immediately, they will somehow forget about it.

You probably will not.

And even if you do, you may discover during editing that the problem was not as important as you thought.

Your first draft is not being published tomorrow.

There will be another pass.

And another if necessary.

That is one of the freedoms of writing.

You do not have to get everything right the first time.

You simply have to give yourself something to work with.

Editing Is Not Proofreading

It is also helpful to understand that editing and proofreading are not exactly the same thing.

Editing looks at the strength of the writing and the story itself.

You may move scenes.

Rewrite chapters.

Cut material.

Add details.

Strengthen characters.

Clarify ideas.

Improve pacing.

Proofreading usually comes much later.

That is where you look carefully for spelling mistakes, missing words, punctuation problems, and other small errors.

If you are correcting commas while major sections of your story still need to be rewritten, you may be working in the wrong order.

A Simple Writing Process

Every writer eventually develops a process that works for them, but mine has become much clearer over time.

First, write the story.

Second, finish the first draft.

Third, step back and look at the whole manuscript.

Fourth, edit for story, structure, clarity, and engagement.

Then revise the language.

Finally, proofread.

That does not mean I never make a small correction while writing. Sometimes fixing something takes only a few seconds.

But I try not to let editing take control of the writing session.

The goal is still to move forward.

Do Not Let the Editor Silence the Writer

The editor inside us is useful.

We need that voice eventually.

But during the first draft, it sometimes needs to sit quietly in the back of the room.

Let the writer work.

Let the characters talk.

Let the story develop.

Let yourself write something imperfect.

There will be plenty of time later to decide what stays, what goes, and what needs to be better.

Writing creates the material.

Editing shapes it.

Proofreading cleans it.

Each has a job.

Understanding the difference can keep a writer from getting trapped in endless rewriting before the book is even finished.

So when you sit down to work on that first draft, remember:

You are not editing yet.

You are building.

Keep going until there is something complete enough to improve.

Because a rough finished draft can become a good book.

A perfect first chapter followed by 200 blank pages cannot.

— Giftkone Publishing

What Every New Writer Should Know Before They Start Writing

 

What Every New Writer Should Know Before They Start Writing

When I first began writing, I did not understand one of the most important lessons I know today:

Your first job is not to write the best book possible. Your first job is to finish the first draft.

That may sound simple, but for a new writer, it can change everything.

In the beginning of my own writing experience, I thought differently. I believed that when I sat down to write, I needed to make the story as good as possible right then and there.

I wanted the sentences to sound right.

I wanted the story to flow.

I wanted the ideas to make sense.

I wanted the book to feel finished while I was still creating it.

What I did not yet understand was that writing a book is a process.

And the first draft is where that process begins.

My First Book Taught Me Something I Did Not Yet Recognize

The first book I wrote was for my mother.

She had suffered a stroke and had lost her ability to write, but she still had her memories, her experiences, and the stories of her life.

I became the person who helped put those experiences on the page.

In many ways, I was able to complete that book because my mother was helping guide me through it. She knew what she wanted to tell. She could share memories from growing up, explain what had happened, and help point me toward the next part of the story.

Without realizing it at the time, I had something very valuable:

A road map.

The story already had a direction.

My job was to listen, capture it, and keep moving forward.

That first experience gave me confidence.

Then came my second book.

That one was different.

When the Story Had to Come Entirely From Me

My second book grew from my own creative thoughts and ideas.

There was no one sitting beside me telling me what happened next.

There was no established life story to follow.

I had characters, ideas, scenes, and imagination.

But I was still trying to write the finished book while I was creating the first draft.

That is where I ran head-on into one of the great enemies of new writers:

The writing sag.

Sometimes I would move along well for a while, and then the story would slow down.

I would begin questioning what I had written.

I would go backward.

I would rewrite.

I would second-guess scenes that were not yet finished.

I would try to fix problems before I even knew what the complete story was going to look like.

Eventually, progress could come to a stop.

More than once, I stayed away from a manuscript so long that returning to it felt almost impossible.

I could barely remember where my thinking had been when I stopped.

The characters were still there.

The unfinished story was still there.

But the momentum was gone.

Today, I understand why.

I had been trying to edit, perfect, create, and finish the book all at the same time.

Those are different jobs.

The First Draft Is Your Framework

I approach writing differently now.

I think of the first draft as a framework.

It is the road map that shows me where the story is going.

The road may eventually change.

I may take a different turn.

I may remove a scene, add a character, strengthen a conflict, or discover that something I planned in Chapter Three works much better in Chapter Eight.

That is fine.

A road map does not prevent you from changing direction.

It simply prevents you from wandering around without knowing where you are trying to go.

For a new writer, that distinction can be extremely important.

Your first draft does not have to impress anyone.

Nobody even has to see it.

It only has to carry your story from the beginning to the end.

Once you reach the end, you finally have something you can study as a complete work.

Then you can begin making it better.

Know Who You Are Writing For

Before beginning a book, it also helps to think about your audience.

Who do you imagine reading your work?

Are you writing for children?

Young adults?

Mystery readers?

Romance readers?

People interested in history?

People trying to solve a particular problem?

Readers looking for inspiration?

You do not have to know every detail about your future reader, but understanding your general audience can help you make important choices.

It affects your language.

It affects your pacing.

It affects the amount of explanation you provide.

It can even affect the length of the book.

A children's story and an adult historical novel may both begin with wonderful ideas, but they will probably require very different approaches.

Know Why You Are Writing

It also helps to understand the purpose behind your book.

Are you trying to entertain?

Teach?

Preserve family history?

Persuade?

Encourage?

Share an experience?

Make readers laugh?

Make them think?

A book can certainly do several of those things at once, but knowing your primary purpose can help you decide what belongs in the manuscript and what does not.

When a writer becomes lost, sometimes returning to one simple question can help:

What am I trying to give the reader?

That question can bring the story back into focus.

Know the Heart of the Story

You do not necessarily need a detailed outline before writing.

Some writers love outlines.

Others prefer discovering much of the story as they go.

Both approaches can work.

But I do believe a writer should have some idea of the heart of the book.

For fiction, you might ask:

Who is this story about?

What does that person want?

What stands in the way?

What could be lost?

What changes by the end?

For nonfiction, ask:

What problem am I helping the reader understand?

What information do I want the reader to walk away with?

What is the main message?

You do not need every answer before you begin.

You simply need enough direction to start moving.

Learn the Mechanics, But Do Not Let Them Stop You

Grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and word choice matter.

They help readers understand what you are trying to communicate.

Every writer should continue learning these skills.

But new writers can also become so afraid of making mistakes that they stop writing altogether.

Do not allow a comma to kill your story.

Do not let one misspelled word end your writing session.

Do not spend thirty minutes trying to make one sentence perfect while an entire chapter is waiting to be written.

Those things can be corrected.

Ideas that are never written cannot.

Research What You Need—But Keep Writing

Research is another important part of writing.

If your story takes place in another historical period, profession, city, country, or culture, you may need to learn more before certain scenes can be written accurately.

That is part of responsible writing.

But research can also become another hiding place.

A writer can spend months researching a book that never gets written.

Sometimes you can simply leave yourself a note in the manuscript:

Check this fact later.

Then continue writing.

Research should support the story.

It should not become a substitute for finishing it.

Do Not Fear an Ugly First Draft

One of the best pieces of advice a new writer can receive is permission to write an imperfect first draft.

Maybe it is rough.

Maybe some dialogue sounds awkward.

Maybe you repeat yourself.

Maybe a character changes personality halfway through.

Maybe Chapter Five turns out to belong before Chapter Three.

Maybe your ending changes while you are writing it.

Good.

That means you are discovering the story.

Your first draft is not evidence of how good or bad a writer you are.

It is raw material.

Think about a sculptor beginning with a block of stone.

The first cut does not look like the finished sculpture.

Writing works much the same way.

Finish Before You Judge

This may be one of the hardest lessons for a new writer:

Do not judge the entire book while you are still standing in the middle of it.

You cannot always see what a story is becoming while you are creating it.

Something that feels weak in the middle of the first draft may become powerful once the ending is written.

A character who seems unnecessary may suddenly become essential.

A scene you almost deleted may later provide the perfect setup for something important.

Give yourself the opportunity to reach the end.

Then judge the book.

Then edit.

Then rewrite.

Then strengthen it.

Writing and Editing Are Different Jobs

This distinction has helped me tremendously.

When I am writing the first draft, I am building.

When I am editing, I am inspecting what I built.

When I am rewriting, I am improving it.

When I am proofreading, I am cleaning it up.

Trying to perform every one of those jobs at once can make writing exhausting.

Separating them makes the process much more manageable.

Your First Draft Is Not the Book—It Is the Beginning of the Book

Today I am much more comfortable accepting that story writing is a process.

The first draft gives me the framework.

It gives me something to follow.

It gives me a road map.

Most importantly, it gives me a complete story that I can improve.

I wish I had understood that more clearly when I began writing.

It might have saved me from some of the long writing sags when my work came to a complete stop.

It might have kept me from believing that every sentence needed to be perfect before I could move on.

But perhaps learning those lessons the hard way is part of what allows me to share them with other writers today.

So if you are thinking about writing your first book, here is what I would want you to know before you begin:

Know generally who you are writing for.

Know why you want to tell the story.

Understand the basic heart of what you want to say.

Learn your craft.

Research what you need.

But above all else:

Finish the first draft.

Do not try to write the perfect book on your first trip through the story.

Build the framework first.

Create your road map.

Reach the end.

Then go back and turn that first draft into the book you imagined.

Because you cannot improve a book that only exists in your head.

But once the first draft exists, almost everything about it can be improved.

That is where the real writing journey begins.

— Giftkone Publishing

“The 90/10 Rule for Authors: Why Writing the First Draft Comes Before Perfection.”

“The 90/10 Rule for Authors: Why Writing the First Draft Comes Before Perfection.” 

There is something I have told new writers for years:

You could be the best writer in the world.

The book you are thinking about writing could have the potential to become a New York Times bestseller. Your story could be powerful, entertaining, educational, emotional, or even life-changing.

But if you never find the time to plant your behind in a chair and write it, no one will ever know.

No one will know how well you write.

No one will know how engaging your story might have been.

And no one can read a book that never makes it out of your head and onto the page.

That is why I believe one of the most important qualities of a good writer is not brilliance, perfect grammar, a huge vocabulary, or even natural talent.

It is the ability to sit down and write.

The First Draft Has Only One Job

Many beginning writers make writing harder than it needs to be because they sit down believing they are supposed to produce a perfect book on the first try.

That is an enormous burden to place on yourself.

Your first draft does not have to be perfect.

It does not even have to be particularly good.

It simply has to exist.

Think of the first draft as building the frame of a house. You are putting up the walls, deciding where the rooms belong, and giving the structure a recognizable shape.

The decorating comes later.

Editing comes later.

Rewriting comes later.

Research can be checked again later.

Sentences can be polished later.

Characters can be strengthened later.

But you cannot revise a blank page.

The first goal is simply to get the story written.

What About the 90/10 Rule?

You may hear people in publishing talk about something called the 90/10 rule.

One common version says that perhaps only 10 percent of a book's commercial success comes from writing the book itself, while as much as 90 percent depends on marketing, promotion, visibility, and building an audience.

I would not treat those percentages as a scientific formula. Publishing rarely works that neatly.

But the basic message is worth thinking about.

Writing a good book is only part of becoming a successful author.

Readers first have to discover that the book exists.

Millions of books are competing for attention. A wonderful book sitting quietly on an online bookstore page may remain invisible unless the author, publisher, readers, reviewers, or others help bring attention to it.

That means today's author may eventually have to think about websites, blogs, newsletters, social media, book pages, interviews, advertising, book clubs, reviews, personal appearances, and word of mouth.

But notice the word eventually.

You cannot market the book you never finished.

My Version of the 90/10 Rule

For the beginning writer, I would offer another way of looking at 90/10.

Spend 90 percent of your early energy getting the story out of your head and onto the page.

Spend about 10 percent worrying about whether everything sounds perfect.

Perfection belongs to rewriting.

Creation belongs to the first draft.

Too many potentially good books die because their writers keep stopping every few sentences to judge themselves.

Is this good enough?

Will anybody buy this?

Is my grammar perfect?

Has somebody already written something similar?

Would a publisher accept this?

Could this become a bestseller?

Those questions may matter later.

During the first draft, they can become roadblocks.

Sometimes the most productive thing a writer can do is give himself or herself permission to write badly for a while.

Keep moving.

Finish the chapter.

Finish the scene.

Finish the story.

Then go back and make it better.

Writing Is Also a Business

There is another reason the 90/10 rule gets discussed among authors.

Publishing is both creativity and business.

Traditional publishers have long understood that a relatively small number of bestselling books can sometimes account for a very large percentage of sales. Independent authors face a similar reality from another direction: writing the book is only the beginning.

Once the manuscript is completed, other questions arrive.

Who is the reader?

What makes this book different?

How will people discover it?

What does the cover communicate?

Is the description interesting?

Where does the author already have an audience?

What reason will someone have to recommend the book to someone else?

Those are important questions.

But they are questions for a writer who has something to sell.

Before you become the marketer, publisher, promoter, advertiser, and salesperson, you must first become the writer.

The Other 90/10 Rule: Stop Selling All the Time

There is also a useful 90/10 idea when it comes to social media.

Some marketing professionals recommend that roughly 90 percent of what an author shares should provide something useful, interesting, educational, entertaining, or personally engaging, while only about 10 percent should directly ask people to buy something.

That makes sense to me.

People usually do not follow authors because they want to see an advertisement every day.

They follow because they enjoy the author's ideas, stories, personality, knowledge, humor, encouragement, or perspective.

Give readers a reason to know you before constantly asking them to buy from you.

That is one reason I believe blogging can still be valuable for writers.

A blog allows an author to talk about the journey, share knowledge, discuss books, encourage new writers, tell stories, and gradually introduce readers to the work being created.

Your Great Book Starts With an Ordinary Day

Most books do not begin with trumpets sounding and somebody announcing:

"Today I will begin my masterpiece."

They often begin much more quietly.

Someone sits down.

They open a notebook or computer.

They write a paragraph.

Then another.

Maybe they write badly that day.

Maybe they write beautifully.

Maybe they only finish two pages.

But the book has begun.

And tomorrow they can add more.

That is the part of writing we sometimes underestimate.

Books are built out of ordinary writing sessions.

Page after page.

Chapter after chapter.

Day after day.

You may have a bestseller living inside your imagination right now.

You may have a family story that deserves to be preserved.

You may have a novel nobody else could write because nobody else has lived your experiences, imagined your characters, or sees the world quite the way you do.

But there is only one way we will ever find out.

Sit down.

Write the first page.

Do not try to make it perfect.

Try to make it exist.

Then write the next one.

That is how writers become writers.

And that is how books get written.

— Giftkone Publishing

The Publishing Journey

Once upon a time in publishing, I set out to build my own publishing road, which is what this post is all about. 

There was a time when getting a book published felt like trying to get through a very narrow gate.

A writer could spend months or years working on a manuscript, polishing it, rewriting it, fixing every page, and trying to line up all the ducks just right.

Then came the real test.

You had to convince an established publisher that your work was worth taking a chance on.

For many writers, that process felt a lot like trying to win the lottery.

You could have talent.

You could have a meaningful idea.

You could have a good story.

You could do almost everything right.

And still never get selected.

I remember that world.

I also remember when it began to change.

Computers became more common. The internet opened new doors. Print-on-demand publishing became practical. Websites, online bookstores, eBooks, social media, and eventually platforms like YouTube gave writers more ways to present, promote, sell, and distribute creative work.

Suddenly, the road to publication was no longer just one road.

There were side roads.

There were shortcuts.

There were entirely new highways.

And some of us were fortunate enough to be around long enough to experience both publishing lifestyles.

I was one of them.

I Have Lived in Both Publishing Worlds

My experience with writing has included both books and motion picture scripts.

I remember the older system, where success often depended on reaching the right editor, producer, agent, or publisher and hoping that person saw enough potential in your work to move it forward.

Then I became part of the newer generation of publishing opportunities.

Instead of always waiting for someone else to open the gate, writers could begin opening some of their own doors.

I loved that change.

I still do.

There is something exciting about knowing that an idea can begin quietly in your own mind and, with enough work, eventually reach readers without first needing permission from a large publishing company.

But over time, I learned something important.

The technology changed.

The responsibility did not.

Publishing Became Easier. Writing a Good Book Did Not.

Today, it is easier than ever to publish something.

That is a wonderful thing.

But there is a big difference between being able to publish and having something worth publishing.

That difference matters.

Print-on-demand can produce a book.

An online bookstore can list it.

A website can promote it.

Social media can talk about it.

An eBook can be delivered almost instantly.

But none of those things can create value where there is none.

The writing still has to give the reader something.

That “something” can take many forms.

A book can educate.

It can entertain.

It can inspire.

It can make someone laugh.

It can make someone remember.

It can preserve history.

It can offer practical information.

It can tell a story that stays with the reader long after the final page.

But there needs to be something there.

Something worth the reader’s time.

That realization has changed the way I look at publishing.

I Understand Traditional Publishers Better Now

Years ago, it was easy to look at traditional publishing and see nothing but obstacles.

Editing.

Revisions.

Deadlines.

Market concerns.

Target audiences.

Release schedules.

Commercial value.

Acceptance or rejection.

From the writer’s side, some of those things could feel frustrating.

But after becoming more involved in publishing my own work, I began to see those same concerns differently.

I started asking myself the same kinds of questions.

Is this story ready?

Does it need another rewrite?

Who is the audience?

What value does the reader receive?

Is the story interesting enough?

Does it move too slowly?

Does it need stronger editing?

Is this something I simply enjoy writing, or is it also something another person may enjoy reading?

Those questions are not enemies of creativity.

They are part of publishing.

I gradually developed more respect for the concerns traditional publishers have always faced.

They were not only trying to decide whether a writer had talent.

They were also asking whether a book could survive in the real world.

Now I ask those questions too.

I Did Not Escape the Publisher — I Became One

Independent publishing taught me something I did not fully understand at first.

When you bypass the traditional publisher, many of the publisher’s responsibilities do not disappear.

They become yours.

The editing becomes your concern.

The deadline becomes your concern.

The cover becomes your concern.

The description becomes your concern.

The audience becomes your concern.

The release becomes your concern.

The promotion becomes your concern.

The quality becomes your concern.

And perhaps most importantly, the decision about whether the book is truly ready becomes your concern.

That can be both exciting and humbling.

There may be nobody standing in front of you saying, “This is not ready yet.”

So you have to learn how to say it to yourself.

That may be one of the hardest lessons in independent publishing.

Freedom means being able to move forward.

Wisdom sometimes means knowing when not to.

The Reader Is Still the Final Destination

No matter how much publishing changes, one thing remains the same.

Eventually, the book reaches the reader.

And the reader decides what happens next.

Did the story hold their attention?

Did they learn something?

Did they care about the characters?

Would they recommend it?

Would they read another book by the same person?

Would they leave a review?

Would they tell someone else about it?

That is why I place so much importance on reader feedback.

I think of readers as a kind of compass.

They do not write the book for me.

They do not determine every direction I take.

But they can help reveal whether I am reaching people in the way I hoped.

If several readers tell me they loved a particular character, I pay attention.

If they want to know more about a subject, I pay attention.

If they become confused at the same point, I pay attention.

If they tell me a story stayed with them, I remember that too.

A writer can spend so much time inside a story that it becomes difficult to see it the way a new reader does.

That is why feedback matters.

Good Content Is Still the Key

With all the publishing tools available today, it can be tempting to focus heavily on promotion.

Keywords.

Social media.

Advertising.

Covers.

Algorithms.

Book listings.

All of those things have their place.

But none of them can permanently rescue weak content.

Eventually, the reader reaches the page.

The story has to do the rest.

That is why I keep coming back to one simple idea:

Good content is still the key.

A beautifully promoted book that disappoints readers may get an initial sale.

A meaningful book that connects with people has a chance to build something longer lasting.

That is what I want.

I do not only want someone to buy a book.

I want them to feel that reading it gave them something worthwhile.

I Love This New Generation of Publishing

Even with the challenges, I am grateful for the publishing world we have today.

I love that writers have more choices.

I love that independent voices can find audiences.

I love that a person can write something at home and potentially reach someone thousands of miles away.

I love that older books can be rediscovered.

I love that subjects considered too specialized for a major publisher can sometimes find exactly the readers who care about them.

I love that authors can communicate directly with readers.

And I especially love that writing no longer has to stop simply because one gatekeeper says no.

There are more roads now.

That does not mean every road is easy.

It does mean there are more chances to keep moving.

And Now I Want to Hear From You

One reason I created Giftkone Publishing is because I do not want this conversation to travel in only one direction.

I want to hear from other people who have experienced publishing.

Maybe you remember the traditional publishing system.

Maybe you are publishing your first book today.

Maybe you are using print-on-demand.

Maybe you work in a bookstore.

Maybe you promote books.

Maybe you teach and use books in the classroom.

Maybe you are simply a reader who knows what keeps you turning pages.

I would like to hear from all of you.

What do you think has improved in publishing?

What has become more difficult?

Do you believe self-publishing has made writers more independent?

Has it also placed more responsibility on them?

What makes you decide a book is worth reading?

What makes you recommend one?

And for those of you who write, what have readers taught you about your own work?

Those are the conversations I hope to have here.

Once upon a time, writers had only a few major roads to publication.

Today, we have many.

But every road still leads to the same place.

The reader.

And I believe the better we understand that, the better our books can become.

Welcome to Giftkone Publishing.

Let’s keep the conversation going.

— Butch Gray
Giftkone Publishing