My name is Nancy from Georgia. I have started books ideas before, but never finished, but I really stuck to this one and dedicated myself to it until I finished. Aside from having someone going over my grammar I am almost ready to figure out this publishing thing that I have no idea how to do. I still have a lot of learning to do.
Finally Finished Writing my Novel !!
- Thread starter NancyB16
- Start date
Welcome, Nancy! Congrats on finishing the book! I've learned tons about publishing here. It's a great place to learn the business and have fun while doing so.
Congrats on finishing a draft! Now the hard part starts. 
You'll find a lot of advice on these boards, but much will depend on what you plan to do with your novel. Get an agent and go for publication with a large press? Send it to presses that accept unagented submissions yourself? Self publish?
It's not something you have to decide right away--in fact, you'll find a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of the various avenues here. I'd suggest you start reading up on publication while you're editing your manuscript, so that once it's whipped into shape you have some idea of what to do next.
Best of luck!
You'll find a lot of advice on these boards, but much will depend on what you plan to do with your novel. Get an agent and go for publication with a large press? Send it to presses that accept unagented submissions yourself? Self publish?
It's not something you have to decide right away--in fact, you'll find a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of the various avenues here. I'd suggest you start reading up on publication while you're editing your manuscript, so that once it's whipped into shape you have some idea of what to do next.
Best of luck!
welcome!Absolutely fantastic. Finishing your first book is such a big step.
Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
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Thank you all for the advice. When I was typing my last couple of paragraphs, I realized how bad I was crying because I actually did it! Now I actually miss my characters and where I was taking them each day. I had a basic idea, but didn't know they whole story until I sat down and started writing. I surprised myself some days of the direction it went sometimes. (In a good way).
, Nancy. Yay for clearing the first high hurdle. Many writers set the first draft(s) aside for a time, then go through and self-edit to the best of their abilities (maybe more than once) while finding a beta reader or two for their next-to-final drafts before sending queries to agents or publishers.As you meet other writers here, they'll have other ideas, but you're already well on your way.
Glad to have you on the forum!
Hope you are able to find out the information that you are looking for.
WritingIsFun
Hope you are able to find out the information that you are looking for.
WritingIsFun
Congrats on finishing. This writing business is a mountain range and finishing is the first summit. Good luck with the rest and keep at it!
Welcome and cool beans on finishing your first novel! Time to let those beta readers have at it and ask you questions that make you go, "dang it, didn't think of that" or "well NOW I have to rewrite that whole plotline tangent" or the occasional "nope, no way, no how, he's staying a redhead and that's final!" Just don't go all Perry Mason on them when asking questions. And be prepared to handle the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's a lot of fun to refine once you get past the "d'ohs!"
Just keep at it. High fives for getting it all down on paper!
Just keep at it. High fives for getting it all down on paper!
Congrats! What's your book about? 'Cause I think one of the things I'm so going to enjoy is getting to ask that!