Side Hustle Author: How to fit novel-writing into your full-time life

By Michael Dineen

Includes 15-month, step-by-step plan to write and publish your novel!

So, you always wanted to write and publish a novel, but then full-time life got in the way. Sound familiar? It did to me too, until one day I stopped resisting what I was put on this planet to do and sat down in front of my computer to write

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Dineen
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781777680817

Michael Dineen

Copywriter by day, author by night, Mike Dineen is the author of LATCHER. Originally from Goderich, Ontario, he now lives in Hamilton with his husband and scrappy cat. Learn more about Mike at his website, mike dineen dot com, where you can subscribe to his monthly newsletter, find his fiction and get links to his YouTube and Instagram pages, where he explores horror, humor and human nature in his video series, The Horror Author's Guide to Life.

Book preview

Michael Dineen

Side Hustle Author

How to fit novel-writing into your full-time life.

First published by Mike Dineen 2024

Copyright © 2024 by Michael Dineen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Michael Dineen asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Michael Dineen has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

First edition

ISBN: 9781777680817

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

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For the creators

Contents

Welcome to your journey

What is a ‘side hustle author’?

How to enjoy this book

A quick l’il note on publishing

I. MONTH 1: PLAN YOUR BOOK

Why planning?

Conceptualizing your book idea

Your novel’s theme

Creating characters

Tip: use character archetypes

Planning character arcs

Is your head spinning?

Plotting your novel

More stuff to plan

Tip: try my ‘planning to pants’ approach

Month 1 summary

II. MONTHS 2, 3, 4: WRITE DRAFT 1

Draft 1: just write it

Tip: embrace practicality

How to muscle your way through

Months 2, 3, 4 summary

III. MONTH 5: REST / DRAFT 1 CRITIQUE

Take a breath

Fall in love with feedback

Beware the burnout

Working with thyself

Month 5 summary

IV. MONTH 6, 7: WRITE DRAFT 2

Draft 2: here we go again

Writer’s block vs. creative click

Getting chapter 1 just right

Months 6, 7 summary

V. MONTH 8: DRAFT 2 LINE EDIT / REST / AUTHOR WEBSITE

Draft 2 line edit

Creating your author website

Beware the siren call of the tortured artist

Month 8 summary

VI. MONTH 9: WRITE DRAFT 3

Draft 3: make it as perfect as possible

Comparing yourself to others

Traditional or self-publish?

Month 9 summary

VII. MONTH 10: BETA READERS / REST

Beta readers: taking your novel for a test drive

Your goals as a writer

Month 10 summary

VIII. MONTH 11: WRITE DRAFT 4

Draft 4: you’re almost there

Write your front and back matter

Send for proofreading

Finding your purpose

Month 11 summary

IX. MONTH 12: START MARKETING / REST

Get social

Month 12 summary

X. MONTH 13: FINAL DRAFT / COVER DESIGN

Write your final draft

It’s cover design time

Month 13 summary

XI. MONTHS 14, 15: ARC READERS / PUBLISHING / MARKETING / AUTHOR PROOF

ARC readers: your first reviewers

Where to self-publish?

The ISBN: your book’s DNA

Pricing your book

Now for some more marketing

Order your author proof(s)

Months 14, 15 summary

XII. END OF MONTH 15: PUBLISH

Hit publish!

The author crash

Summary: your 15-month writing journey

XIII. RESOURCES

Your 15-month plan: quick reference

Month 1

Months 2, 3, 4

Month 5

Months 6, 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

Month 13

Months 14, 15

End of Month 15

Quick links to resources

Feedback questions to ask your beta readers

Cover design briefing template (with sample)

Welcome to your journey

Writing a book is possible.

I mean, of course it is. But there’s probably a voice inside your head telling you it’s impossible. It’s telling you that you don’t have time, that you don’t have know-how, that a book takes forever to write. I know that voice because I had the same one nagging me for forty years until I sat down at my computer and proved it wrong. That voice got even louder as I was writing my first book – so loud I couldn’t not hear it, every day for fifteen months.

And while it is indeed possible to write a book, it’s challenging – I won’t lie to you about that. Writing a book, whether you have a day job or kids or just a damn busy life, will always be a challenge. That’s why it’s such a thing to accomplish. That’s why, when you finish it, people you haven’t spoken to in years will emerge from anywhere and everywhere to congratulate you.

In the course of this book, I’ll detail how to write and self-publish your novel in a period of fifteen months. I’ve broken down this 15-month period into stages, and inside each stage I’ve broken down the process into individual steps. How do I know this plan works? Because it’s the same one I followed to write and publish my first commercial novel, while working my full-time job as a copywriter for a busy ad agency.

The great thing about this plan is that you’re free to shorten or extend each of these stages, depending on your circumstance. You could shorten that 15-month period to, say, 12 months if you want, or extend it to as long as you want. You can also chop out certain stages if you’re planning on publishing traditionally.

While this book is a practical resource, I’ve also woven in plenty of inspiration and food for thought. This isn’t just to make it a fun read, it’s also because you need both to write a book (information and inspiration). I also don’t think a book like this needs to be an exhaustive list of steps and resources and charts. The reality is that no two journeys from the front lines to the finish line are the same. Yours will be unique to you and your personality, your situation, your goals, etc. As such, this book is just one example of how to complete the journey, with the living proof of its effectiveness being me.

If you take one learning from this book, let it be this: writing a book is possible. Keep this in the forefront of your mind, write it on the wall, stick it to your fridge.

I did it.

So can you.

What is a ‘side hustle author’?

A side hustle author is more than someone chipping away at a side gig in addition to their full-time job, full-time child care, full-time education, or full-time whatever they’re occupied with.

A side hustle author is a choice.

I’ve always loved stories. I’ve always loved language, English class, reading books and coming up with ideas for stories that would be amazing. Because I naturally loved all these things, I assumed that I would naturally love to write a book. I also assumed that the occasion to write a book would naturally arise in my life – that it would, in a way, just happen.

But here’s where I was wrong: it was the idea of writing a book that came naturally to me, and ideas are easy things to have. There is nothing easy about actually sitting down and writing a book. Doing so requires determination, stoicism, bravery and the ability to live in tandem with creative discomfort.

And you have to do all this while maintaining your full-time life and responsibilities.

I hope you don’t find this discouraging. On the contrary, I hope you find this exciting – because as I have already mentioned, writing a book is possible. But before it can be possible, you must resist the natural tendency to equate the idea of writing a book with the act of writing a book. Ideas will come naturally to you. Writing a book, on the other hand, is a conscious choice only you can make for yourself.

The moment you make that choice is the moment you become a side hustle author.

You don’t have to choose right now, at this moment. Use this time, as you read the book, to let the decision ruminate. Allow yourself to indulge in the romance of the idea of writing a book and, as you read, your mind will naturally start to work out whether you’re ready to turn the idea of writing a book into the action of writing a book.

Welcome to your choice.

How to enjoy this book

Sit back.

Relax.

And enjoy the read.

There’s no need to make notes as you go unless you want to, because I’ve included an easy reference guide of the 15-month plan for writing and publishing a book at the end, as well as a list of resources that I recommend using and a couple important templates you may want to leverage (any resource I mention in the book you can expect to find a link on the resources page).

Throughout this book, you’ll find a mix of practical and inspirational content – two things you’ll need when you’re writing your book. I’ve intentionally woven the practical and inspirational content together – because writing and publishing a book is a bit like that: a dance between the practice of sitting down