Hi all,
It's been a while since I've written a post to help authors. This time, it's tips to save time.
Schedule social media posts.
If you want to post more on social media, I recommend you schedule them. It's a lot better than posting as and when you remember. If you're busy, then it can ruin your flow. Planning your posts in advance and scheduling them will lift a massive weight from your shoulders.
Sort books swaps and group promos early.
With my newsletter, I make sure that my book swaps and any group promos I want to join are submitted at least two months in advance. It saves the last minute panic of trying to sort your newsletter out and join promos at the same time.
Leave drafts for a month before editing them.
Don't edit straight after finishing a book. Give yourself at least a month before you touch that draft again. If you edit straight away, you're going to miss a lot of issues that you'll spend ages fixing on the long run. But if you leave it a while, you'll come back with fresh eyes and a new perspective.
Even if you're not a plotter, write a simple outline.
Having an outline before you write a book will help you stay on track. It doesn't have to be every single thing that happens in the book, as long as it has the beginning, middle and end.
Write in small chunks.
I've found writing in smaller chunks is more efficient than writing all in one go. After a while my mind starts to drift and I sit there thinking of what else I can do. This wastes a huge amount of time when writing in smaller batches means that my time is used much more efficiently.
Research cover designers and editors in advance.
When your first draft is finished, you'll probably spend a lot of time looking for the perfect cover designer and editor. This should either be done before you start writing or while you're writing the first draft. I used to find that I'd spend so much time looking for an editor to work with after the book was done, so it was just sitting there. Researching at the same time as writing feels a lot more efficient and it gave me time to reach out to book if needed.
That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.
