Q&A for How to Write Your First Book

The time it takes to write a book will vary greatly depending on your writing pace and how much you want to write. Expect it to take at least a few weeks to plan, write, and edit the content.

Think of the world around you. If you want to do something involving nature, take a notepad and pencil to your favorite natural location and write down some of your observations. If you want to write a drama, try looking at some of your daily experiences for inspiration.

Take a break from writing and focus on planning out the content instead. This part is less tedious and will allow you to refocus on what you're trying to achieve with the content.

Ask yourself these questions: What is the book about? Where does the book take place? Who is the main character? You should be able to come up with a cover picture with those questions answered. Example; If the book is about the war, or the ocean, or a murder mystery, you may want to include pictures that represent that. If it is a fanfiction of sorts, you may want to use Adobe Photoshop, and create a cover with the said character.

It's up to you! Your book can be as long as you want it to be.

Is it first best to write about their experiences. Let them explain what happened first, middle, and end, and organize the details. Then write a draft, and revise, edit, and make a final copy. It will be more fun for them if they make their own covers for a book.

Edit again, and again. Ask close friends and family for some help on checking over your writing, or hire someone to edit it for you.

You may want to start by using Wattpad. Plenty of people use this website/app and get published, and other contributors can help you with publisher suggestions.

Google some different phrasings of your idea, or check for a title similar to yours on Amazon. Even if someone has written something similar, as long as you have a unique take on the subject, you'll be fine.

You may use third person, or you can use first person. It doesn't matter. If you don't want to incriminate certain people, you may want to change the details of the story. For instance, change the names of people (including yourself) and locations, change the dates, change the nature of your relationship with those people, etc. You may also want to market the book as fiction, or at least only loosely inspired by true events.

You should find a publisher who's looking for the kind of book you've written. Most publishers don't look at unsolicited submissions, so you may have to find an agent first, who will shop the book around for you.

The best thing to do is research local literary agents in your area who specialize in the type of book you're publishing.

The definition of a "short story" is somewhat loose. It's often considered to be a piece of fiction containing a single theme that can be read in one sitting. Its length will run to several thousand words, perhaps as high as 10,000. A novella's definition is similarly loose. Wikipedia says a novella will run between 17,500 and 40,000 words. Presumably anything above that would be a novel.

It's a matter of concentrating on what you're doing. As soon as you notice that you've digressed, go back to the point of digression, and start rewriting.

You should have an idea when you make the decision to write a book. Sit down and work through the basics, like character, plot, and story arc.

Anyone can write a book. Getting it published is another matter. See Write and Publish a Book and Publish a Book .

There are hundreds of publishers, although they're not all interested in the same kinds of books.

Yes. The above steps are generalized enough to apply to most writing, although the academic writer would certainly engage in more research than is reflected above.

That would be unusual but not impossible. Polish up your manuscript until it's practically perfect, then let some adults see it. If they think it's worth submitting for publication, ask them to help you send it to one or more publishers of children's books.

It varies with the writer. Author John Grisham writes one novel a year. Another person might take 20 years to write a book. It just depends on one's determination and time constraints.

A commercial publisher (including self-publishing sites) will produce the cover for you (with your input). If you want to do it yourself, see Make a Book .

Yes, EB is an academically dependable source.

That may be too ambitious for a first book. Rather than setting a page goal, why not simply tell your story completely, and let the page count take care of itself?

Most publishers will agree to publish a work under a pseudonym as long as it is not already being used by another author.

Keep writing your first book! If you still like the story you are writing, then keep writing it. Write all of your other ideas in a journal so you can look back on it when you finished your original book.

See Write and Publish a Book .

This depends on the genre and audience. Figure out the genre for your book, and you can find lists online of average or expected word counts for your genre.

If you're referring only to the actual writing process, the cost would depend on the type of book. A novel that isn't illustrated might involve no expenses at all (other than some paper). A children's illustrated book might require art supplies. A work of nonfiction could generate research costs.

You've discovered a common dilemma. It's a good idea to have the whole plot firmly in mind before you start writing. In your situation, you could discuss the plot with several people you trust, and bounce some ideas back and forth with them.

Writing a book is difficult and time consuming. Your daughter should be motivated by and committed to a specific topic before she starts. Encourage her to think through her options and be sure of what she wants to do before she begins writing.