For those who want to make a career writing books, the difficulty of finding a publisher to publish their romance book is one of the biggest concerns. But did you know that you no longer need this middleman to succeed?
Amazon’s tools for writers allow anyone to publish, promote and sell their work as e-books at no cost.
And to give you an inspiration to get started, this article will bring you a complete guide on how to publish your book on Amazon – not only the step-by-step inside the platform, but how to get your text ready to delight and win new readers. Read on!
1. romance topic: what do you want to write about?
It is very common that freelance professionals who already work in their day to day with words (copywriters, proofreaders, translators, journalists) have the desire to create their own works, but do not know where to start.
Believe me, getting past this initial roadblock is simpler than it sounds, and helps get the rest of your work off the ground. All you need is a notepad to write down ideas for themes.
It’s just not very productive to brainstorm completely loose. Every story need scope, and every professional need focus. Here are some things that can help you find the perfect theme!
Limit the romance genre
Some people do best write romance, others like to create science fiction worlds, others prefer to inspire readers with nonfiction.
Think about your favorite genre to read and write in and try to start with it. Even if you are going to write about other things in the future, sticking to your comfort zone helps you overcome that initial block.
Practice emulating romance styles you like
To loosen up even more in this beginning, you can write short stories, scenes, or disassortative chapters by trying to merge the writing style of authors you like with your own.
It is a technique often used in illustration, for example, when designers use references to develop their technique, and only then apply their identity to it.
Test several romance ideas
You don’t have to stick to the first interesting idea that pops into your head. Take 3 or 4 of them and start writing. Feel how much satisfaction you get from developing each one, trying to figure out which one seems most promising. It can even be in more than one genre, mix fiction and non-fiction. And remember: if it’s not working, don’t be afraid to abandon one text and move on to the next.
2. Planning: what will the book be like from beginning to end?
Once you have defined your theme, there are countless ways to approach it. Seriously, there is no formula for how to be a writer, and each person works best in a different way.
For example, there are writers who prefer to structure the whole story before they start writing. Others like to just have a thread in their heads and let the story take them.
But it is always good to have a plan, even if it is only a small one. And this can be done in two main ways, which are described below.
Basic definitions
The minimum that a romance book must have in terms of planning is the classic structure of beginning, middle, and end – regardless of genre.
In this kind of plan, you can define only the key points of the story (preferably written down on a notepad so you don’t forget or get lost) and give the story the freedom to develop between them.
Complete a romance outline
Another way to plan your romance book is to have total control over the narrative, more or less like writing a screenplay.
In this case, you can start by writing key scenes, outlining chapters, and creating character sheets.
A visual organizing tool helps a lot in this way of working. It is common for writers to use frame notes with elements and scenes to easily rearrange them and see the story as a whole.
Choosing your way of planning
To better understand which model fits your profile, it is very interesting to think about what Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin said in an interview about this difference:
“I often say that there are two kinds of writers: architects and gardeners. […] (Architects) plan the whole romance book in advance, where everything is going to be, every turn, every twist, they detail the whole outline.
And then we have the gardeners who dig a hole, plant a seed and water […] hoping that something will grow from there. They know whether they’ve planted a tree or a tomato plant, but there are a lot of surprises along the way.”
There is no rule or better or worse in this case. It’s just different writing profiles. So you can start your planning by assuming which of the two modes fits your routine better.
3. Writing Your Romance Book: let’s get down to business?
Ah, the routine! In the previous topic we talked about story planning, but this is not all the planning you need to do.
Contrary to what the folkloric image of the romantic writer says, writing is not an act of divine inspiration. It requires discipline, dedication, and dealing with a lot of resistance from our own heads.
The first thing to do is to establish a schedule: times of day when you feel most in the mood, daily writing goals, and even the days off to take your mind off the story a bit.
The biggest importance of the schedule is to break big goals into smaller ones that can give you a sense of completion and reward faster.
After all, the actual writing process can last months. You may need to rewrite passages, change scenes, rearrange the structure over time. If you look only at the end of the line up front, you will find it much harder to motivate yourself.
So, focus on the nearest goal: daily word goals, the end of this chapter, finishing the next scene. That way you produce more and have a better sense of your progress.
Revision, on the other hand, is a process that can and should be included during the writing itself. The revision of a romance book is not only spelling correction, but dialogue study, rhythm analysis, care with phrasing and suitability to the style you want, among other important elements in fiction and non-fiction.
So, whenever you write a piece, go back to reread it. When you write several, go back to the beginning or from a certain point and go over the whole text up to there.
For the final revision, however, it is interesting to seek expert help, an outside eye. If you want professionalism, you need to invest in critical reading that points out errors not only in writing, but also in structure.
Those who spend months with a story in their heads have difficulty in perceiving its weak points. Also don’t forget about the romance book cover, this website www.lovingbookcover.com sells the best romance designs on the market
