Transitioning from Blog to Website
This is an archived post that was originally published at beyond-terminal.com
I am in the process of working with the Wise Ink team to move my blog to a website. This most likely will be a month-long process. This post will be the last one that officially shows up on my beyond-terminal.com site before I transition to www.MeganLindahlGoodrich.com.
With a website, you will have an opportunity to search what you’re most interested in reading. As you may recall from my last excerpt, my posts will be grouped according to the following categories: childhood illness, healthy living, joyful moments, and creative process.
Hanna and Crown, who are on my marketing team, suggested that I consider telling my readers what it’s like to be a first-time author. My future website will have this classified under “creative process.”
So, what has this process been for me?
1. I had an idea for a story. I had tried capturing this story on paper before, but it never amounted to more than a couple of pages.
2. I didn’t (yet) have the skill set for telling my story, so I searched online for writing courses. I found Mary Carroll Moore’s “Your Book Starts Here” series at The Loft in Minneapolis. Thanks to Mary’s guidance, I began to string together scenes and see myself as a writer.
3. It took a lot of time, effort, and persistence to write a manuscript. Although I don’t think I’ve quite hit 10,000 book-dedicated hours, that magical amount of time that Malcolm Gladwell claims you need to put toward a task to become proficient, I’ve come awfully close.
4. I reached out to a few traditional agencies that chose to “pass” on my manuscript.
Traditional agencies want reassurance that, once they’ve offered you a deal and therefore an advance, they will be able to easily recoup this advance based on the number of social media followers/future book purchasers you have.
5. Since social media hasn’t been my thing, I started looking at alternatives. I soon learned that indie publishers are a great option for many new and established authors because you don’t have to be an influencer (at least initially!) and you have more control over the publishing process. By “control,” I mean that I will be able to be part of the decision-making process as it relates to final editing of my manuscript, the marketing of my book, the cover and layout of my book, etc.
6. A couple of friends suggested I reach out to Wise Ink. I took them up on this, and reached out to Amy Quale, one of the cofounders of WI. When I told Amy that it was my intent to help as many people as possible, she recommended that I restructure my memoir and write it from the perspective of an adult looking back on her childhood trauma.
7. After this massive rehaul, WI expressed interest in working with me (yay!). During our time together, I’ve come to better understand the steps that are needed to get a draft ready for publishing. One of these steps is developmental editing. During this round of editing, I need to make sure that my book is answering those questions that my audience is wondering about.
8. It will be at least a year from the time I signed the contract (end of July 2022) until my book is published. During this year, I will continue to make edits and work on the book design/cover.
Further, I will do my best to get my head around marketing and self-promotion. Hanna and Crown reminded me that, by working with an indie publisher, I’ve not avoided developing a social media presence, only delayed it a bit.;)
If you have an idea for a book, I encourage you to pursue it!
And, as I’ve said before, thanks for following me and being a part of this journey!