The traditional format of a book launch tends to involve a few different components; an author, a venue, an audience, copies of the book and free wine (if you’re lucky). Most of these elements can be transferred online with a little ingenuity.

If you’re unable to hold a book launch in person (or you’re hoping to reach a new audience online) here are our top tips for hosting a virtual book launch.

Authors are said to fall into one of two groups: the plotters, those that outline every step of their novel before they begin, and the pantsers, those prefer to ‘fly by the seat of their pants’, creating the story as they write. Both plotting and pantsing have their pros and cons and both can produce fantastic novels. If you fall into the pantser camp then you thrive on discovering your story as you progress. 

Writers describe this as letting their characters lead the way. They like the surprise of taking their story in unexpected directions and feel creatively restricted when they have to stick to a rigid outline. Plotters, on the other hand, like having a roadmap leading to their destination. 

 out their stories means that they can write faster with more focus and fewer revisions. Many authors fall somewhere in the middle of these two outlining approaches. They are the plantsers, beginning with a flexible outline that offers them some guidance along the way.

No matter your preference, every author, even the most hard-core pantser can benefit from some pre-planning. As with all things writing, the trick is to find what works for you. 

Think about how you prefer to write: do you feel lost if you don’t know every inch of your story or do you get bored if the ending is clear before you begin? Which part of the novel writing process do you find the most problematic? Do you lose the threads of your plot in the middle? Or have difficulty writing a satisfying ending? If you are struggling with your plot or finding yourself endlessly editing your work try a different approach. To get you started, here are six tried and proven ways to outline a novel.

Has this ever happened to you?

You sit down at your computer to begin writing, but instead you find yourself having a stare down with the blank screen.

You may type a few lines, but after several minutes you delete everything. You just can’t seem to find the right words to continue.

It’s as if your inspiration inkwell has suddenly dried up.

If you are suffering from writer’s block (or have suffered in the past), you are not alone!

Even famous writers have struggled with creative blocks at some point in their careers. Thankfully, many of these writers have also shared their methods for how they overcame these dry periods and became successful writers.

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When it comes to being an author, your best bet for success is attracting the right readers.

Contrary to popular belief, you should never aim to attract all types of readers, because your content isn’t going to speak to all of them the same way.

As an author, establishing a brand is one of the best ways you can put yourself out there and show people what you’re about in a simple glance.

If you write only because you love to, you won’t need to bother with marketing. But if you are publishing by yourself and wish to be read by as many among your target audience as possible, you will have to learn an additional skill—how to market your books. It would help to be clear about your goals at the outset, because effective book marketing takes some early planning and effort.

Whether you’re working with a traditional publisher or you’re going the self-publishing route, one thing’s the same: You need to market your book.

Most published authors, especially of the first time variety, won’t have access to a full-suite of marketing. Chances are, you’re working with a smaller publisher that has an even smaller marketing budget, and won’t be able to afford to promote your book like you hope in dream. No morning show interviews, no full-page ads in big literary magazines, and certainly no TV commercials to announce the arrival of your book.

Alas. You may get a mention on the publisher’s website. Your book may get passed around to book reviewers. But don’t hold your breath.

It’s up to you to truly market your book like it deserves. This burden is especially great when you’re a new author without a proven track record. You must do everything you can to get the word out.

But what do you do?

“Front matter” and “back matter” are terms used to describe the first and last pages of a book (but not the actual story or body content of the book). This includes pages like: table of contents, copyright, bio, etc.

The purpose of front matter is mostly to make sure your book looks as professional as possible. While it might not seem like a marketing tool, book front matter does have an influence on sales.

As a self-published author, you must be able to impress readers during their first look inside your book. This means it needs to look indistinguishable from a traditionally published book. If readers don’t see what they usually expect (like a copyright page or functioning table of contents), this signals to them: “poor reading experience.”

In order to make a name for yourself, and therefore make money self-publishing, you have to first get your name out there: on social media, in the blogosphere, and in bookstores. Marketing your work is essential to success. There are many ways to promote yourself and your book—from low lifts to options that require more effort.

You’ve dreamed of making it big with your first book. No doubt you’ve thought about what sort of payday could be in your future. But even the most vibrant garden starts with a handful of unassuming seeds and a lot of time spent preparing the ground. Similarly, you’ll need to invest time, effort, and your own money to make money self-publishing.

Here's how you can make money as a self-publisher.