Things to do while you're writing that book

So hey there, all you writers out there.
Yeah, you folks pecking away at the keyboard, or scribbling away in that notebook,
writing your novel.

While you're writing, just what else are you doing?
If you're asking, 'I'm supposed to be doing something else?'
then you're definitely missing it.

Writing that book, that's only 1 part of the self-publishing process. And even if you plan on submitting it to a publisher, writing is still only part of the process. While you're writing that book, you need to be busy promoting

*you the author*.

The cover, you can hire someone to do that, maybe even work out a exchange of services deal with some artist for the cover work. Same goes for formatting. It's the promoting that's the thing --

and if you wait till the book is published to start promoting, 

**** you've waited too long. ****

You, the author are a product, a brand, if you will, that you are going to endeavor to sell. For example, there's the big brand name of Kraft, and they make a lot of different products. They promote the big brand of Kraft, and also promote the different products too. When they come out with a new product, they automatically have a ready audience of Kraft users who will be interested; but only because they actively promote Kraft.

While you're writing that book, you need to be hard at work at promoting you, the author. Then, when the book is published, hopefully you will have some people already interested in reading what *you the author* have published. Think of yourself as Kraft, and your books as the products that Kraft makes. While you're writing, be busy telling the world who you, the author, are. It's all part of how the world, and publishing, works today. It's a social world, and readers want to connect online with the authors whose work they read.

Here's a list of some of the things you should do while you're writing your book:

• establish a facebook page, and post there daily; 
• establish a google plus page and post there occasionally; 
• set up a website, which you can do for free on sites like wix.com; 
• start a street team group and post there occasionally; 
• start a personal blog, to blog about what you're writing or whatever; 
• start a writer's newsletter via mailchimp and send it out monthly. 

And that's just a start. That's stuff you do while you're writing, in prep for when the book is finished. When it's finished, then you head out into another, completely different to do list, to promote your new book.
-- jd --