by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve really ramped up my writing in the last couple of years. It’s been even more important to keep myself organized through the process. If I get off track, it’s easy to make mistakes. And publishing isn’t the most forgiving industry. Here’s what my process looks like and how I keep things straight:

I start loading the book onto retail sites. For me it’s Draft2Digital, KDP, Google Play, PublishDrive, and IngramSpark. I also load the book onto Prolific Works so I can share it with beta readers (my editor works with Word).

I draft a newsletter to announce the release and give updates on my life and what’s publishing next.

I list the book for preorder, giving myself enough time to address edits and beta reader suggestions. I make sure the book is linked to the rest of the series on Amazon and other retail sites. I also make sure it’s up on Goodreads as part of the series (which has been an issue lately).

I update my website with the preorder listed first.

Then I outline the next book in that series, while my brain is still in that story world. I start with my cozy mystery outline template, which helps me out.

I write the back cover copy for the book I’m outlining first. It gives me a global idea of the story. Then I send it to my cover designer. It’s important to get on her calendar early, but it also helps me visualize the project better when I have a cover.

I register the ISBNs with Bowker for the project (epub and print).

I upload the new cover and the cover copy to my website under the “coming soon” section.

Once I’m finished with the outline, I move right on to write the next book (which, in my case, is always with the other series I’m writing–the one I’d have already outlined after finishing a story in that series). This may sound more confusing than it actually is.

And I work harder to celebrate the publication of a new book. It’s important to recognize these moments!

That’s my end-of-book process, but I’d like to hear what yours looks like for publishing, or starting a book.

My Process When Finishing a Book:
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