How a Book is Written Edited and Published

By Fernando Castillo

Have you tried to start writing a book and are faced with a blank sheet? Do not worry, if you follow the correct steps you can solve it
For some people, just thinking about writing a book, be it history, story, novel, stories, etc. No matter the genre, it is a kind of mission impossible, due to the need to face the processes that a manuscript must go through.
From facing the dreaded blank sheet, if you are one of those who have tried it several times and feel that it does not work out...
You tell yourself: there is no point, I will never be able to write anything, well let me tell you that you are very wrong; perhaps some of the writers you read and admire at the time went through the same thing.
Did you know that Stephen King goes through the same thing and says that when the blank sheet challenges him, he doesn't care, he gets up, goes shopping or pays for services, and then comes back and can write?
The great writers took action and faced all those negative feelings, they knocked down all those doubts and changed it for hope, they evoked their unconscious, their creative world, they stopped chasing inspiration and started working so that it would come on its own.
We must empower ourselves and fight not only for our dreams, but also for our ambitions, everything from the start is difficult and unrealizable, which is why we must learn from others, from those who have already achieved it.
I don't want to take refuge in them but, they are a treasure worthy of

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ramón castillo
• Release date: Aug 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223072157

Fernando Castillo

Pasó parte de su juventud trabajando como vendedor para varias empresas, entre las cuales se puede destacar: Difusora Cultural, donde se desempeñó como asesor cultural por varios años, fue allí donde nació su gran pasión por la lectura y escritura. Vivió hasta los 45 años en la Rep.Dom, mayormente en las ciudades de: Barahona, Santiago y Santo Domingo, luego con mucho pesar dejó la República, para pasar a vivir en la ciudad de Miami, EE. UU, después de varios años de residir en la ciudad floridiana, pasó a residir en la ciudad de Houston Texas, donde sigue actualmente. Investigador: diplomado en criminalística: Universidad Nacional Pedro Enríquez Ureña, (UNPHU). Trabajó para Diligence International Group LLC, como analista de riesgos, para todo el caribe, llevando a cabo importantes misiones en: República Dominicana, Haití, Cuba, Venezuela etc. de igual forma, se desempeñó como director de operaciones de Delta Detectives, llevando esta responsabilidad por mas de 15 años, actualmente se encuentra en retiro del mundillo de las investigaciones y se dedica más de lleno a la escritura.

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How a Book is Written, Edited and Published

Fernando Castillo

© Fernando Castillo

Editor: Richard Sabogal

Cover Design: Oscar Prada Gil

The legal deposit was made.

The total or partial reproduction of this work by any means or process, whether electronic or mechanical, computer processing, rental or any other form of transfer of the work without the prior written authorization of the copyright holders is prohibited, within the limits established by law and under the legally established warnings.

Dedicated with love to:

My mother

My wife

My children.

Special thanks to Richard Sabogal for his editorial support.

Index

How a Book is Written, Edited and Published

Index

Introduction

Chapter 1: There’s a story in every little detail

Chapter 2: Exercises to open your mind and begin to find your own story

Writing a journal

Describing places close to you

Write about current matters

Just as we did before, write about day to day scenes

Write short stories or poems

Try to write leaving your comfort zone

Make your character do silly things

Narrate the journey

I’ll give you a tip, start by the ending

The seven deadly sins

Write your dreams

Other exercises you can do to open your mind

Chapter 3: Don’t be afraid of writing anything

Overcome your insecurity and improve your training

Prepare your mind to write

You can learn from other writers’ the experiences

Tips for writing anything

Use Microsoft Word

Write for 45 minutes without interruptions

Write in one shot

Don’t correct anything

The xxxxxx

Write as you speak

A big ending

The correction process

Wait for the text to rest

Correct out loud

No text is perfect

Start with the simple tasks

Remember, there is no such thing as inspiration

Chapter 4: Learning to choose the first topics, genre to write, studying a little each one

Let's talk about the hedgehog concept

Chapter 5: Prepare your story step outline (with examples)

Guides you through the writing process

Serves as a way for you to analyze the story

Organizing the content

How do you write it?

Key points to keep in mind

Example of a novel chapter step outline

Chapter 6: Learning how to create hooks so as not to bore the reader

Types of hooks you can use

Chapter 7: Choosing the right title

Searching for ideas for the title

Types of titles

Chapter 8: The resting period of the story and the correction process

The rest

You will read with fresh eyes

You will take emotional distance

Resting time for the text

Now let's go to the correction process

Chapter 9: Processes and options for publishing a book

Finding a traditional publisher

Self-publishing

How to choose, co-publishing, self-publishing or traditional or pirated publishing?

The advantages and disadvantages of choosing Amazon

Chapter 10: Must-have technical details for your book

Let go of the love affair, it's a product

Book Layout

Cover design

Everything matters

Chapter 11: Publishing on Amazon and other platforms

An account on Draft2Digital

Chapter 12: Strategies to start selling and a rather bitter reality

Organize a book launch

Do marketing

Final words

Just trust your own voice. And keep exploring the things that are interesting to you.

NIKKI GIOVANNI

Introduction

I have always considered myself an entrepreneur. From a very early age I was flowing with ideas, to create something, to invent. This flowing energy led me to set up several companies in different markets, such as cosmetology, security, services, private security, private investigation agency, specialized guides, vehicle monitoring companies and much more, but it never crossed my mind that I would end up writing a book.

Although I admit that I had a taste for reading. One day I opened my email inbox and there was the email that would change everything, it was an invitation to an online event. It was totally free, and I would be taught how to write a book and the whole process to publish it.  I thought about it for a moment and said well, I have nothing to lose.

I started to participate in the event; it was useful and motivating, because it was me writing a book. The whole process was over, but, how to face the blank page, uncertainty loomed but I pushed it aside and faced the challenge of making the first line of a new story.

Now you, dear reader, may wonder how it was done, that's what I intend to explain to you in the simplest way, how I won my battle with the dreaded blank page.

You must understand that for every writer, no matter how skilled, every encounter with the blank page has its challenges, but in order to shake it there are ways to break through that fence.

For example, let's start with a trip to the beach, to the market or to the countryside, things we commonly do as part of the routine of life. In our journey we must pay attention to the details that we will find along the way, they are the ones that will allow us to create a story that also has a soul. That is the difference in writing; we must facilitate the details so that the reader is immersed in the world you are creating. What I mean is that for example you can narrate your departure, those little details of your way to any place, then you can describe maybe the look of the homeless man who was sitting on the sidewalk and noticed you or the lady whose bag of oranges broke with a couple of them ending up under the tire of a truck and the sad look of the woman seeing her fruits wasted.

I want you to put the reader in that situation, so that they cannot get lost, of course, unless your intention is not that, to put a convoluted narration, where it is necessary to ask for concentrated reading so that the reader does not get lost.

Knowing this, I want you to start writing your story. Let's talk about you, for example, today you woke up and had the desire to go to the beach. It's a beautiful Monday with bright sunshine; there is no report of rain in the weather.

The sky is completely clear, so you decide to get ready to go, take your hat, swimsuit, and umbrella, put everything in a colorful beach bag, alongside some water, and snacks. You look for the bow and tie your beloved dog named Bolo. You walk out to the beach, about a ten minute walk.

You open the door, ready to go; you start with a leisurely pace heading south to the beach with clear blue waters and soft sands.

You are walking and you meet some vendors who have their products, you see one with coconuts, you feel thirsty, you stop, ask for one and start talking, you greet him, and talk about the trivialities that are exchanged when you talk to a vendor. The man takes the machete, pulls out a coconut and asks you if you want that one, you look at all the coconuts and say no, he gives you the other one, the one that looks bigger and with a more attractive yellow tone.

He makes the cuts with the machete so you can access the liquid, places the sorbet, offers you sugar and ice and you say no, you like it natural. You pay, wish him good day, continue on your way to the beach with the bag, dog and now savoring the coconut.

You are close to the beach. Already the breeze hits your face, you feel the saltpeter on your nose and your hair gets tousled and you feel some sand hitting your cheeks. You feel lucky to experience the moment, the smell, the saltpeter, the wind, the coconut; everything is perfect at this moment.

You move forward a little more and see some cars pass by you; they come and go, some are shouting, they look happy, giving thanks for the good life.

You finish drinking the coconut, find a trash can and throw the rest away.

It has been about 12 minutes since you left home, it is getting closer and closer, you hear the sound of the waves hitting the shore of the beach.

On one side a lady with a flower dress has a watering can in her hands and is watering her plants, you are surprised to see an immaculate rose bush, with its roses very red, some of them open and others just like buttons. You thank the world because this moment gave you this beautiful image, the magic of this lady to be able to keep the plants so beautiful in this warm weather.

You raise your left hand, shake it in greeting, wish the lady a good morning and that she has a beautiful house and a lovely rose bush. The woman thanks you and you wish her good day.

A few steps from the beach you can see a beach almond tree and some are on the trunk, you take some, and rather like them, they bring back memories, because when you were a child, your parents took