Your Starting Point

You want to publish a book. You just don’t know where to start.

Here’s 5 quick-start action steps to help you make the first move in writing or publishing your book.

Stop Googling. Start Here.

**You don’t need to read Your Starting Point from first word to last.**

What you’ll find here are five starting points with five next steps — one of which will feel like yours. Find the one that fits, read just that section, and take the one action step it suggests this week. That’s it.

**What these starting points won’t do:**

They won’t answer every question you have about writing or publishing. They’re not meant to.

What the starting points will do is help you figure out where you are, give you one clear next step, and make your process feel a little less impossible.

One starting point, one step, one direction forward. The rest comes after.

How to find your starting point:

If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, start there. It takes about two minutes and tells you exactly which starting point is yours.

Already know your starting point? Jump to it:

Who this is for:

Your Starting Point is built for authors working through their first book — whether you’re figuring out what to write or getting ready to publish, the five starting points here cover that whole arc.

If you’ve already published a book and you’re working on your next one, some of this will still resonate, but your result page has content specifically for you:

> If you’re ready to write or publish the next book →

> If you’ve done this before but you’re being held back by that experience →

Starting Point 1: I want to write a book, where do I even START?

You want to write a book, but you don’t really know what it’s about. Or how to begin.

You might be thinking…

“I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I don’t know what it would be about.”
“I have a few ideas but none of them feel solid enough to start.”
“I like writing but I just don’t know how to start writing a book.

What you actually need:

Someone to explain HOW to get started or WHAT to write. A way to get started, even if you don’t have a full idea at the moment.

Your next step:

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the “right” idea that we miss the importance of what we want to write. Many new authors worry about what they “should” write rather than leaning into the idea that they’re secretly obsessed with, or that will pull them along. And if you’re writing a business book, you might be stuck on a different version of the same question: which book would best serve my business, my expertise, my audience? Either way, the trap is the same: trying to figure out the “right” answer before you’ve written anything.

Too often, people who want to write a book wait to start writing because they get caught up on “will anyone read this” or “is this good enough” or “is this the right book for my business.” But the truth is, when you’re a new author, getting started writing is more important than the “perfect” idea.

Whether you’re thinking of writing a novel, or you want to create a business book, getting stuck on the idea phase can mean you never make it to the actual writing, and definitely not to The End.

Your job at this stage isn’t to pick the perfect idea. It’s to pick AN idea, and work with it.

If you don’t have an idea yet:

Ideas don’t usually show up labeled “this is your book.” They show up as the stuff you keep thinking about without meaning to. The topic you argue about online. The story you wish someone would write. The subject you find yourself explaining to friends over and over. The problem you keep trying to solve.

A lot of new writers dismiss these because they don’t feel book-shaped yet. But here’s the thing: books don’t start book-shaped. They start as a pull toward something, and your job right now isn’t to think up a book. It’s to pay attention to what you’re already circling.

This week, instead of trying to come up with an idea, notice what you’re already drawn to. What do you find yourself reading about? What do you get frustrated trying to explain? What do you wish existed but doesn’t? What could you talk about for ten minutes with no research or preparation? What topic or story keeps circling back? Write those things down. You’ll have more material than you think.

(For example, every time I hear “You and I” by Lady Gaga, it makes me think it would be a great concept for a book. This is the type of inspiration to pay attention to.)

If you have a bunch of ideas but can’t pick one:

Most writers try to pick their book using logic. Which one is most marketable, which one sounds most impressive, which one their audience would probably want. I get why, it feels responsible. But the idea you can actually commit to usually isn’t the logical one. It’s the one you can’t shut up about in your own head.

Writers who pick on logic tend to stall around chapter three, because they were never really invested. Writers who pick the idea that nags at them tend to finish, because the pull is what carries them through the hard parts (and there will be hard parts).

So before you run your ideas through a logic filter, ask yourself: which of these am I already thinking about when I’m not supposed to be? Which one do I argue with in my head, or draft out loud while I’m driving, or come back to when my mind wanders? That’s usually your book, even if it’s not the one that seems most obvious or impressive on paper.

One thing to do this week:

Set a timer for 10 minutes a day, every day, and write one of these:

a scene or moment that interests you (a snippet of story, a character, a feeling, whatever comes) (fiction)
something you’ve experienced, learned, or would want to explain to someone else (nonfiction)
a problem you see your clients or audience struggle with, and how you help them solve it (nonfiction/business)
a framework, method, or approach you’ve developed and want to share (nonfiction/business)
“What if this were a book about…” and follow that thought wherever it goes

Two rules:

Don’t reread yesterday’s writing before you start today’s.
Don’t try to make it good. If it’s good, that’s a side effect.

The 3-day check-in:

After three days, ask yourself:

Did I want to come back to it the next day, or did I have to push myself?
Did I think about what I’d write next when I wasn’t writing?
Was there one piece I expanded without meaning to?

These are the signals that matter right now. They’re not telling you whether you’ve found your book, they’re telling you whether you have the writer’s pull that makes a book possible. Most people skip this part and spend years circling ideas in their head, hoping one will feel like the right one. The pull only becomes visible once you start writing. There’s no shortcut for that part.

What a “right-sized” idea looks like at this stage:

If you finish the week with messy fragments and a vague sense that one or two threads are more interesting than the rest, that’s a good outcome. If you finish with something more polished, that’s okay too, just don’t let the polish stop you from noticing what actually pulled at you.

I know the instinct at this stage is to want the book figured out. That’s natural, and it’s also why so many people never actually start writing. What you’re hoping for doesn’t come from more thinking, it comes from writing enough to see what’s actually there. You don’t have to have the book figured out this week. You just need to have started.

What to pay attention to:

What feels easiest to keep writing
What you’re curious enough to come back to the next day
What you start to expand without forcing it

If support would help:

1:1 Consult: a focused conversation to talk through what you’re circling and help you turn that into something you can actually start working with
The Acknowledgments: a space to try ideas, talk them out, and get feedback as you figure out what you might want to write

What this starting point does:

It gets you out of “I should write a book” and into actually writing, instead of trying to come up with the “right” idea first. This gives you something to build from.

Important to know:

You’re not supposed to have this figured out yet.

Starting messy is how this part works.

Questions you might still have:

“How do I know my idea is good enough?”
“But what if I start writing and I hate everything I produce?”
“What if none of the ideas I try out this week feel like the ‘real’ one?”
“How long do I give this before I know if I’m really a writer?”

If you have these or similar questions, a Jumpstart Session is the fastest way to work through them. Twenty minutes on Voxer, you tell me what’s actually in your head, and we figure out the next step that fits your specific situation.

↑ Close this section

Starting Point 2: I have an idea but I don't know what to do with it

If you’re here, you have something, an idea, a pull toward a topic, a story that keeps coming back. You just don’t know what to do with it yet. This starting point is about giving it enough shape to move forward.

Goal:

Define WHAT you’re writing because that’s a key step in determining the support you’ll need and the decisions that come next, and make sure what you’re writing aligns with your personal goals.

Why this comes first:

Your reason for writing shapes the kind of book you create.

Writing for joy or creative fulfillment? You may prioritize emotional experience, experimentation, or exploring a world or idea.
Writing to earn income? Your choices may lean toward market-aware genres, publishing paths with control over pricing and speed, and books that can be produced reliably.
Writing to build or support a business? Your nonfiction may need to align with your expertise, reinforce your offers, and deliver real reader outcomes, and that choice affects scope, tone, and how readers use your book.

When you’re clear on why you’re writing, it’s easier to choose what to write, and make sure it supports both your personal goals and what readers want and need.

Note: If you already have a clear direction, you don’t need to do all of this, just make sure you can describe your book in a sentence or two, then move forward.

Clarify your book’s direction, so you know what you’re aiming for

Answer these prompts to define the heart of your book, what it is, who it’s for, and what it’s meant to do for the reader. These aren’t boxes to fill in, they’re decisions that give you direction, help you stay motivated, and make future choices a lot easier.

Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Aim for true enough for now, you can refine as you go.

I’m writing: fiction / nonfiction

My genre, category, or subject focus is:

The readers I’m writing for are:

What I want readers to feel / think / do after reading:

For fiction: What experience do you want your reader to have? (Experience = the emotional journey or feeling readers walk away with, for example: entertained, hopeful, devastated-in-a-good-way, swoony, unsettled, cozy.)
For nonfiction: What shift, outcome, or takeaway do you want your reader to have? (Outcome = the insight, skill, perspective, or action readers gain, for example: empowered to set boundaries, confident in their pricing, ready to start writing again, able to plan their next steps.)

I’m writing this book because: (Are you seeking creative joy, reader impact, business alignment, revenue, legacy, credibility, or a mix? Your motivation points to your direction and helps you evaluate future choices.)

Comp titles

Understanding comps now helps you clarify tone, audience, and positioning early, long before you’re querying or publishing. Comps act as a shorthand for what your book feels like and where it sits on the shelf, guiding both your creative choices and how you’ll talk about the book later.

Comps also show you what’s currently on the market that feels similar (if anything is). If there’s nothing comparable, that can be a clue worth paying attention to. It might signal an opportunity to fill a gap readers are excited for, or it may indicate that the market isn’t yet ready or open to your idea. That’s not a reason to abandon your book, but it is a reason to do a little more research so you understand what you’re stepping into.

As you consider comps, make sure what you want to write aligns with why you want to write it. If your primary goal is income or audience growth, but there’s little market traction in your concept, that’s a sign of misalignment, and it’s better to see that early, while you can still adjust direction without losing momentum.

Action: Make a list of 1–3 books that feel similar to what you want to write.

Concrete actions you can take right now

You have an idea. The goal at this stage isn’t to perfect it, it’s to give it enough shape that you can actually start working with it.

Aim for true enough for now, not perfect. You can revise every one of these decisions later. You cannot revise a book you haven’t started.

Start here:

First, figure out how you actually work with ideas, because everyone’s different, and the way you start matters less than the fact that you start.

Some people need to outline first, they need to see the shape before they write. Some people need to start writing immediately, even messily, to figure out what the book actually is. Some people need to write one scene or one chapter first, just to hear the voice and see if it works.

None of these is the right way. The right way is the way you’ll actually do.

For fiction:

Is there a scene or a character already living in your head? Start there. Write that scene, even if it’s not chapter one. Write that character, even if you don’t know their full arc yet. Then fill out around it. Writing the piece you’re already drawn to gives you something real to work from, and the rest of the book often reveals itself once you’ve committed to that one piece.

If no specific scene is pulling at you, try writing down key moments you know you want in the book. A meet cute, a turning point, an ending you can picture. Use those as anchors and let the story connect them.

For nonfiction or business books:

Pick one chapter or one concept you could teach a friend over coffee. Write that. Not because it’s necessarily chapter one, but because it’s the part you already know how to say. Starting with something you already understand well gives you momentum, and the less-clear parts often get easier once the anchor chapter is written.

If no single concept is obvious, try writing a rough outline of the promise of the book. What does a reader walk away with? What does the book teach or show? Then pick the concept that feels most alive and start there.

During all my years of working with authors, both through editing and coaching, the one thing I’ve found keeps them “stuck” isn’t that they don’t have enough ideas. It’s that they simply don’t know how to get started with it, and they especially feel like there’s some mythical “right way” to get started. But in fact, the trick to getting started is finding that smallest step you can take to putting words on the page.

The thing to embrace at this stage:

Your writing isn’t going to be perfect, and it’s not supposed to be. A lot of new authors get stuck trying to write something polished before they’ve even figured out what the book is. Bad writing is part of the process, not a sign that something’s wrong.

Imperfect action beats perfect planning every time. Work with what you have, and refine as you go.

If you want to go deeper:

Describe the readers you’re writing for.
Decide what you want readers to feel (fiction) or walk away with (nonfiction)
Identify whether you are writing for joy, income, impact, or business alignment, and check if your book idea fits that motivation.

If you want to strengthen your direction:

Choose 2–3 comps and write what you like about each: tone, topic, emotional experience, transformation
Note whether your comps are recent (published within ~5 years) to help you understand the current market, older comps may reflect reader tastes that have shifted.
Look at what you love to read, patterns there often point to what you’ll stick with writing, and may hint at books your future readers are already craving.

If you’re still unsure:

If you’re not sure what to write yet, freewrite 10 minutes a day on ideas, questions, or themes that won’t leave you alone
List 5 books you wish existed

If support would help at this stage:

1:1 Consult: a focused session to talk through your idea, pressure-test it, and leave with a version of the book you can actually move forward with
Editor in Your Pocket: ongoing support if you want help shaping your idea as you start writing, not just deciding it upfront
The Acknowledgments: a space to explore your options, get feedback as you refine your idea, and choose your book without second-guessing every decision

The goal here is to get you forward momentum, not to get you to something “perfect”. One of the best ways to figure out writing and what to write is to stop thinking and start doing.

If this still feels like a lot to sort through:

The Acknowledgments gives you a place to talk it out, get feedback, and figure out what direction actually makes sense for you.

Questions you might still have:

“How do I know if my idea is actually a book or just a blog post or an article?”
“What if I get partway through and realize I picked the wrong starting point?”
“Do I really need comp titles this early?”
“What if I can’t describe my book in one or two sentences?”

↑ Close this section

Starting Point 3: I know what I want to write, I just can't seem to actually do it consistently

If you’re here, you might already know what the problem is.

Maybe life keeps getting in the way and you sit down to write and suddenly everything else feels more urgent.

Maybe you’ve been circling this book for years, poking at it without ever feeling close to done.

Maybe you have a lot of material, drafts, notes, blog posts, scattered ideas, but it doesn’t feel like a book yet. Or maybe you’ve already written and published a book, and you know exactly how much work this is, which is why you keep avoiding the next one.

Whatever version of “stuck” you’re in, this starting point is about moving the manuscript forward. That might look like building a writing rhythm small enough that it actually works, or figuring out how to shape what you already have, or just starting again after a break. All of it belongs here.

Note:

If you already have a writing routine that reliably gets words on the page, skip this and move to the next.

Concrete actions you can take right now

Start here (pick the one that fits where you are):

If you’re trying to build (or rebuild) a writing habit: set a writing schedule for one week that feels almost too easy to follow.
If you already have a lot of material but don’t know how to shape it: start by figuring out what you actually have before you write more.

Then based on which path fits you, here’s what to do next.

If you’re building a writing habit:

Most writers, when they finally sit down to “get serious,” set the schedule they think they should be able to keep. An hour a day, every day, before work. Or 2,000 words a session. They keep it for three days, miss one, feel guilty, miss another, and quit. Then they wait until they feel “ready” to try again, which often takes months.

The fix isn’t more discipline. It’s setting a schedule small enough that breaking it would take more effort than keeping it.

Do this this week:

Choose whether your writing goal will be time-based (like 15 minutes) or word-based (like 200 words), and pick this before you set the schedule, because the two create very different experiences.
Set a writing schedule for one week that feels almost too easy to follow.
Then follow it. Even if the sessions feel short. Even if what you write feels imperfect. (It’s not imperfect if you’re showing up.)

Time-based vs. word-based, which to pick:

Time-based is usually better if you tend to be hard on yourself, get blocked easily, or write in a genre that requires a lot of thinking per word (literary fiction, complex nonfiction). You “win” by sitting down for the time. The pressure is off.
Word-based is usually better if you tend to stare at the screen and call it writing, or if you’re drafting something where momentum matters more than precision (romance, thriller, commercial fiction).

Most stuck writers do better starting with time-based. You can switch later.

The “almost too easy” calibration:

If you’re not sure whether your schedule qualifies as almost-too-easy, run it past this test:

Could you keep this schedule during a bad week? Sick kid, work deadline, fight with your partner?
If your answer is “well, probably…” it’s still too big. Cut it in half.
If your answer is “yes, easily” that’s the right size.

This will feel wrong. It will feel like it can’t possibly be enough. That’s the point. The schedule that feels like enough is the one you’ll abandon. The schedule that feels like nothing is the one that becomes a habit, and habits are what finish books.

Remember: you’re just planning for this week, testing what works. Don’t worry about next week.

To do this:

Think about when writing actually fits into your day and when it doesn’t.
Pay attention to the things in your life that might make it harder to show up.
Pay attention to what you need to make it easier to show up.

If you want to build more structure and support:

Identify whether you need accountability, structure, or companionship to keep going, and get that in place before motivation dips
Pick one writing resource to support you (craft book, course, or community)
If you’re stuck getting started, write in 10-minute sessions and build up.

If you’re wondering where to find time/space to write:

Think outside the box. Writing isn’t always sitting at your desk for a long stretch of time. Here are some ideas:
Write on your phone during a commute, while waiting in a school pick up line or during a child’s basketball practice.
Dictate while you’re driving or walking the dog.
Use 10 minutes of your lunchbreak to write, brainstorm or outline.

What this might look like in real life:

Busy parent with unpredictable evenings: 3×30-minute early morning sessions + 1 weekend hour while kids are occupied
Full-time job, limited bandwidth: 4 lunch-break sessions at 20 minutes each + 1 longer weekend block
Variable or demanding schedule: 10 minutes daily + 1 flexible 60-minute session whenever energy allows, track total weekly time instead of days

What success looks like in week 1:

Not finishing a chapter. Not hitting a word count milestone. Just this: you kept the schedule you set. If you set 10 minutes, three days, and you did 10 minutes, three days, that’s a successful week, full stop. Don’t let yourself reframe it as “not enough.” You just proved you can keep a writing commitment to yourself, which most people who say they want to write a book never actually prove. That’s the foundation everything else gets built on.

If you already have a lot of material:

A lot of writers get here and assume the answer is “just keep writing.” But for this situation, writing more before you look at what you have usually makes the pile messier, not cleaner. Your first step is figuring out what you actually have so you can see what the book wants to be.

Do this this week:

Take inventory. Gather everything that might be part of this book in one place. Draft chapters, notes, blog posts, voice memos, outlines, all of it. Don’t organize yet. Just collect.
Skim through it and write down, in 2-3 sentences, what the book seems to be about. Not what you originally thought it would be about. What it actually is, based on what you’ve written.
Identify what’s missing and what’s messy. Where are the gaps? Where does the material contradict itself? What needs to be cut? What needs to be expanded?

You’re not trying to fix it this week. You’re trying to see it clearly. Most writers who have been circling a manuscript for years haven’t actually looked at what they have as a whole in a long time, if ever.

Why this comes first:

“Just keep writing” is great advice for someone who hasn’t started. For someone with years of material, it’s often a way of avoiding the harder work, which is figuring out what the book is and isn’t. Writing more without an honest look at what you have usually produces more material that doesn’t fit together.

(As I write the Edit Your Way books, this is where I find myself. In that inertia phase between knowing my idea, but having too much material and too much overwhelm. The only way through that for me is setting aside time to gather it all together and organize my thoughts.)

You’ll know you’re done when:

You can describe what the book actually is (not what you hoped it would be) and name one or two specific things it needs. That’s enough for this week. The actual writing or restructuring comes next, and it’ll be clearer because you know what you’re working with.

A note on blog-to-book:

If people have told you to turn your blog into a book, that’s rarely as simple as it sounds. Blog posts are written to work individually. Books need a throughline, a progression, and often significant rewriting to make the content flow as a single reading experience. The inventory step above helps you see whether your blog material can become a book and what work it’ll take to get there.

If support would help at this stage:

Just Keep Writing: a place to show up, write, and build consistency without doing it alone
Editor in Your Pocket: if you want feedback and direction as you write, along with support for both the manuscript and the bigger picture

At this point, what you want is to build a writing routine that works for you and that you’ll keep coming back to.

Questions you might still have:

“What if I want to write but I don’t have time to do even 10 minutes a day?”
“How do I know when my draft is done and when I’m just avoiding the next step?”
“What if I have a lot of material but I’m realizing I don’t know how to make it into a book?”
“I’ve written and published before, how do I start again without it being as hard as last time?”

↑ Close this section

Starting Point 4: I have a draft but I have no idea how to publish it

Getting here means you did the hard part, you wrote something. But a finished draft has a way of making everything feel suddenly very real and very high stakes, and that’s when most people stall.

This starting point is about helping you choose a direction so you can actually move forward.

(If you’ve published before and you’re here because you’re dreading doing it all again, or because your goals have shifted since last time, you’re welcome too. The decisions below still apply, just with the added benefit of knowing what you’re signing up for.)

Note:

If you’re confident about your publishing direction and have already started learning what it requires, move forward to the next.

This is also where you are if you’ve written a book (or a draft) and are now asking: “What do I do next?”

Goal:

Choose a starting path (traditional or indie) that aligns with your goals, resources, and needs, so you can stop spinning and start preparing.

There’s no single way to publish a book, and that’s actually part of what makes this stage hard. Traditional publishing, indie publishing, hybrid, they all have real trade-offs, and the right choice depends entirely on what matters most to you. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need a direction to start moving in, because trying to prepare for every path at once is what leads to spinning.

Quick comparison of publishing paths

Traditional publishing: slower process; requires querying agents; most control held by publisher; lower initial financial investment; long timelines; may require platform presence; strong fit if you want collaboration and are comfortable with less control over timelines and decisions.
Indie publishing: you control timelines, pricing, and creative decisions; requires learning publishing tasks or hiring support; faster route to market; strong fit if you want control, speed, and are open to business logistics.
Hybrid or service-assisted publishing: varies widely; may offer support in exchange for fees; requires research to avoid predatory models. (Worth knowing about, but for your first project, the clearest starting point is deciding between traditional and indie first.)

What matters most to you right now?

Rank your priorities from 1–4:

Control (how much say you want over your cover, content, pricing, and timeline)
Speed (how quickly you want your book available to readers)
Collaboration (how much you want a publisher or team involved in the process)
Sustainability (whether you need income from your book, or whether this is a longer-term investment)

Based on your priorities, what path feels like the right starting point? (Remember: you’re not locked in.)

Chosen path:
Why this path fits your needs and motivation right now:

Concrete actions you can take right now

Most writers at this stage try to research all the paths at once, hoping that enough information will make the choice obvious. It doesn’t, and here’s why: every publishing path has real pros and cons, so the more you research, the more appealing each option starts to sound. You end up with more reasons to choose every path and no clearer sense of which one is right for you.

The real question isn’t “which path is best?” It’s “what matters most to me?” Once you know that, the path becomes easier to choose, and the research you do after is about the path you’ve chosen, not all of them at once.

The exercise below sounds simple. Do it anyway. Writers who skip it and dive straight into research often spend months comparing paths. Writers who do it first usually pick a direction within a week.

It’s also tempting to just use “ask every author I can find what path I should choose,” but here’s the problem with that: those authors aren’t neutral sources. They have their own biases (and they want their own choices validated by other people choosing the same). But also, many times, they don’t ask you what’s important to you. They just tell you what’s important to them and what path you should choose.

You cannot choose your path based on someone else’s desires and needs.

Start here:

Rank what matters most to you right now: control, speed, collaboration, sustainability
Write one or two sentences about why each matters to you

The honesty check most writers skip:

Look at your top-ranked priority. Before you commit to a path based on it, ask yourself whether you’re ranking it for the right reason or the scared reason. Here’s what I mean:

If you ranked control first: Am I ranking this because I genuinely want to make every decision myself, or because I’m afraid of being told no by an agent or publisher?
If you ranked collaboration first: Do I actually want a team’s input on my creative decisions, or do I want the validation of being chosen?
If you ranked speed first: Do I genuinely need this book out quickly (for a business launch, a career moment, a personal deadline), or am I afraid that if it takes too long, I’ll lose momentum and give up?
If you ranked sustainability first: Am I ranking this because I’m thinking long-term about my career as an author, or because I’m worried this book won’t earn enough and I’m trying to protect myself from disappointment?

Neither version of any of these is “wrong.” But the second version in each pair, the fear-based one, won’t actually be solved by picking a path. Traditional publishing won’t make rejection go away (if anything, it amplifies it). Indie publishing won’t make you feel validated (it makes you self-reliant). Publishing fast won’t give you momentum if you weren’t going to finish anyway. And no path can guarantee financial success or protect you from disappointment.

Knowing which version is yours saves you from picking a path for the wrong reason and discovering it the hard way two years in.

Build your full list:

The 4 priorities above are a starting anchor, not the full picture. Real publishing decisions involve more than just those four. Before you commit to a path, spend some time this week listing out the other factors that actually matter for your specific situation:

Budget: What can you realistically invest in this book? Indie publishing has upfront costs (editing, cover design, formatting, marketing) that traditional publishing largely absorbs. A $0 budget changes what’s viable.
Existing audience or platform: Do you already have readers, newsletter subscribers, social media followers, or business clients who’d buy this book? Indie leans harder on having an audience. Traditional publishers appreciate platform but will help build it.
Expertise you already have vs. want to outsource: Are you comfortable (or interested in) learning marketing, cover design decisions, distribution platforms, metadata, and pricing? Or would you rather a team handle those parts?
Support you actually need: An agent to guide the business side? An editor to shape the book? A team to handle launch and marketing? A community to keep you moving? Different paths give you different kinds of support.
Print vs. digital: Do you need your book in bookstores and libraries? Traditional publishing has better physical retail access. Indie can do print but distribution looks different.
Timeline: How does your life fit this? Traditional publishing timelines are often 18 months to 2+ years from contract to shelf. Indie can be weeks or months. Does either work for your goals?
Long-term career goals: Is this one book or a career? Do you want to write many books quickly (indie tends to favor this), or are you building toward a single high-profile book with industry legitimacy (traditional)?

Write these out for yourself. Don’t try to decide anything yet, just get the list of what matters to you on paper. Your “right path” becomes much clearer when you can see all of your real considerations side by side, not just four.

What to do with your list

Take a week. Sit with it. Notice what shows up when you read it back, which factors feel most important, which surprise you, which you don’t have answers to yet.

That is your one next step. Not picking a path this week. Getting clear on what actually matters to you, so when you do research, you’re researching against your real criteria.

Once your list feels complete enough, you can use it to evaluate paths side by side. But the list comes first. Research without your own criteria is how people spend months spinning.

One of the best things you can do at this stage is find people who’ve been through it. Whether that’s a community, a writing group, or someone who knows the industry, having people to ask real questions is going to move you faster than researching alone.

If support would help at this stage:

1:1 Consult: talk through your options and figure out which path actually fits what you want right now
Editor in Your Pocket: ongoing support as you sort through your options and start preparing your next steps
The Acknowledgments: a space to ask questions, hear how others are navigating this, and make a decision without spinning

You’re not trying to map out your entire publishing plan here. You’re deciding which direction you’re moving in so you can take the next step.

Questions you might still have:

“How do I know if I should go traditional or indie?”
“What if I’m drawn to indie but I don’t know if I have the budget or skills to pull it off?”
“How do I know if my book is actually ready to query or publish, or if it needs more work first?”
“Does it make sense to try querying first and do indie if that doesn’t work?”

↑ Close this section

Starting Point 5: I'm ready to publish but I don't know what to do first

If you’re here, you’ve made a decision, which is further than a lot of people get. But knowing what path you want to take and knowing what to actually do first are two very different things. This starting point is about getting one step closer to publishing by taking one concrete action.

Pick one thing and do it.

Trying to learn everything before you act is the fastest way to stall. One small step builds momentum and shows you what matters next.

Goal:

Translate your publishing path into practical actions so you keep moving instead of circling.

Why this matters:

Choosing a path only helps if you follow it with action. Without a clear first step, it’s easy to stay in research mode, second-guess your decision, or get overwhelmed by everything you might need to do. Most of those things won’t matter yet. What matters right now is one step.

Concrete actions you can take right now

Most people at this stage default to whichever task feels most “real.” For traditional, that’s the query. For indie, it’s the cover. Both are the wrong starting point, and both will cost you weeks if you start there.

Here’s what to do first based on your path, and why it has to be first.

If you chose traditional publishing

Start with comps. Not the query.

Comps (comparative titles) are books that feel similar to yours, the same audience, similar tone, comparable premise. Agents use them to quickly understand what your book is, who it’s for, and where it’ll sit on the shelf. Good comps are the foundation of a good query.

Good comps help everyone in the acquisition chain say yes, because ultimately, they help convince the retailer buyer (the person who orders for brick and mortar stores) to say yes too. Comps give them something they can point to and say “this is why it will fly off the shelves.”

Find 2–3 books published in the last ~5 years that feel similar to yours, and build yourself a one-page comps document. For each book, write down: the title and author, the year it was published, who it’s for, and what your book shares with it (tone, audience, premise, emotional experience, themes). Then, below the list, write 2-3 sentences about what makes your book different from those comps, because comps work by being “the same, but different.”

Why this comes first:

Your query has to position your book against what’s currently selling. Without comps, your query has no anchor, agents can’t place your book on a shelf, and honestly, neither can you. Writers who draft the query before the comps almost always end up rewriting it three or four times once the comps surface things they hadn’t accounted for. Writers who do comps first usually nail the query in one or two passes.

You’ll know you’re done when:

You can finish this sentence honestly: “My book will appeal to readers who loved ___ and ___ because ___.”

If you can’t, either your comps aren’t right yet or your positioning isn’t clear yet. Both are useful to know now, not after 30 queries.

What you’ll likely do next (not all at once)

Your starting focus is preparing a strong manuscript and query package.

Finish drafting if you haven’t, agents expect a complete manuscript (except sometimes in nonfiction)
Revise your book (read Edit Your Way)
Get targeted feedback, which might include:
- Beta readers: people who read your manuscript before it’s published and give honest reactions
- Critique partners: fellow writers who trade manuscripts and give detailed feedback
- Sensitivity or authenticity readers: check for accurate representation of specific identities or experiences
- Editorial guidance: a professional editor who can assess the manuscript’s strengths and what needs work
Write or refine your query and synopsis (your query is the one-page letter to agents; your synopsis is a brief summary of your full story or argument)
Research 5–10 agents who represent books like yours

Finding other authors who’ve queried, or a community where you can ask questions as they come up, will make this process significantly less lonely and confusing.

You don’t need to do all of this before you take your first step. Start with one thing, and expect that more decisions will surface as you go. That’s normal, not a sign you’re doing it wrong. When new questions come up, write them down and come back to them, rather than stopping to solve everything at once.

If you chose indie publishing

The groundwork comes before the cover.

You’re going to be tempted to start with the cover (and maybe you already have). It’s tangible, inspiring, exciting. It feels concrete and “real” and like something so vital it can’t wait.

You’re not wrong that it matters. But before you commit to cover art (or pricing, or keywords, or any of the other “making it real” decisions), there’s some groundwork that makes all of those decisions better.

Has your book been edited by a professional editor? Have you gotten beta reader or critique partner feedback?

Those steps aren’t just about fixing the manuscript. They help you understand how your book is actually landing, which shapes how it should be positioned in the market. And positioning is what determines who will read your book, what kind of cover they expect, what to price it at, which keywords and categories to use, where’s the best place to sell it, and what your visual branding might look like.

Your action this week:

Brain dump every decision you still need to make for this book
Look at distribution platforms like Amazon KDP and Kobo, and build yourself a list of every piece of information they ask for before you can upload a book

That list becomes your cheat sheet. It shows you what still needs answers (and what’s actually shaping those answers). Expect it to grow as you encounter more decisions and information, that’s normal. But having the list keeps you on track, and you’ll use it again for your next book.

You’ll know you’re done when:

You have a working cheat sheet that captures what your chosen platform(s) require, and a brain dump of every open decision you still need to make. You don’t have to have the answers yet. You just need to know what the questions are.

What you’ll likely do next (not all at once)

Your starting focus is getting your manuscript to a strong place and understanding what indie publishing actually requires.

Finish drafting or revising your manuscript
Get professional editing and/or beta reader/critique partner feedback
Use that feedback to clarify your book’s positioning (genre, audience, tone)
From positioning, make informed decisions about cover, keywords, categories, pricing, and where to sell
Identify what you’ll handle yourself and what you’ll hire out (common tasks to outsource: editing, cover design, and sometimes formatting)
Research distribution platforms (like Amazon KDP, Kobo, Draft2Digital, or IngramSpark) to understand where and how your book will be sold

Indie publishing has a strong author community around it. Finding other indie authors to learn from and ask questions is one of the most valuable things you can do early in this process.

If you chose hybrid or aren’t sure yet

Hybrid publishing exists on a wide spectrum and can be hard to evaluate, especially on a first project. If you’re drawn to it, that’s worth exploring, but start by deciding what matters most to you: control and speed, or collaboration and support. That answer will point you toward traditional or indie as your working path for now, and you can revisit hybrid options from there once you have a clearer picture of what you want.

If support would help at this stage:

Editor in Your Pocket: ongoing support as you take your next steps, revise your manuscript, and make publishing decisions
1:1 Consult: a focused session to talk through your plan and decide what to do next
The Acknowledgments: structured support, accountability, and planning so you keep moving instead of getting stuck between steps

If you’re preparing to query:

Query Package Review to refine your materials before you start submitting

If you’re preparing to publish indie:

Full Manuscript Edit to get your book ready before publishing

You’re not trying to finish the whole process here. Just keep choosing ONE next step!

Questions you might still have:

“How do I know if my comps are actually the right ones?”
“What if I can’t find books that feel similar to mine?”
“How do I know when my query is ready to start sending?”
“I want to go indie but KDP feels overwhelming, is there a simpler place to start?”
“What if I realize partway through that I picked the wrong path?”

↑ Close this section

Pick Your Next Step This Week

This applies to everyone, no matter where you started.

You’re not planning your whole publishing journey, you’re choosing one step you can finish this week.

Why?

Getting started doesn’t require a full plan, it requires choosing one next step and taking it. Picking something specific you can do in the next week creates momentum, confidence, and clarity. Small steps compound.

Choose your next action based on where you are

SP1 — I want to write a book but don’t know where to start:

Set a timer for 10 minutes a day and write something, a scene, a business concept, a “what if” thought. Pay attention to what you find yourself drawn to.

SP2 — I have an idea but don’t know what to do with it:

Pick the one scene, chapter, or concept you’re most drawn to and start writing there, even if it’s not chapter one. Imperfect action beats perfect planning.

SP3 — I know what I want to write but can’t do it consistently:

If you’re building a writing habit, set a schedule that feels almost too easy (and actually keep it). If you already have a lot of material, take inventory of what you have before writing more.

SP4 — I have a draft but no idea how to publish it:

Rank your priorities, do the honesty check, and build out your full list of decision criteria (budget, audience, support needs, timeline, etc.). Don’t pick a path this week, get clear on what matters to you.

SP5 — I’m ready to publish but don’t know what to do first:

If you chose traditional, build a one-page comps document. If you chose indie, brain dump every decision you still need to make, then build yourself a cheat sheet of what your chosen platform(s) require.

You don’t need to map your entire publishing journey, you just need to start.

If you want to explore your options for support, see the Resources & Support section below.

Resources & Support

Here’s a quick overview of every way we can work together, so you know exactly what each option includes before you decide.

1:1 Consult — A one-off Zoom or Voxer coaching session for authors who want help thinking through publishing questions, story issues, career direction, or next steps. Starts at $150.

Jumpstart Session — A 20-minute Voxer coaching session to help you figure out exactly what your next step is and how to take it. $20.

The Acknowledgments — A small, high-touch author community for career guidance, planning, accountability, and support from both me and fellow authors. $50/month.

Editor in Your Pocket — Ongoing monthly editorial and publishing support that includes a video critique, follow-up conversation, and room for questions as things come up. $150/month, 3-month minimum.

Just Keep Writing — A writing-focused membership with community, co-working, accountability, challenges, and quarterly Q&As to help authors stay consistent. $9/month.

Edit Your Way — A story-first revision book that helps authors build a repeatable editing process that fits their voice, goals, and workflow. Price varies by format and retailer.

Partial Manuscript Assessment — A big-picture critique of up to 15,000 words focused on story, craft, strengths, revision opportunities, and reader experience. $1,000.

Manuscript Assessment — A full-manuscript, big-picture editorial critique focused on structure, pacing, character arcs, and clarity, without Track Changes. $0.028–$0.031/word.

Full Manuscript Edit — A two-round developmental and line edit for authors who want in-depth feedback plus in-line editorial support before publishing. $0.035–$0.040/word.

Query Package Review — A focused review of your first 15,000 words, query letter, and optional synopsis to help position the manuscript effectively for agents or publishers. $1,500.

EditMatch — A toolkit designed to help authors find the right editor and make the hiring process easier and less stressful. $9.