Pointers on publishing - The perfectly imperfect manuscript

Many manuscripts are never published. Why? For the simple reason that authors sit on them thinking that it is not perfect enough to be seen by the public eye. They question themselves as to whether readers will judge them or be ridiculed for writing what they think in their minds is the most atrocious piece of work ever written on the planet.

Then why write it in the first place if you feel that way? You must have had in your mind a compelling reason for spending the time and effort to put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. So why now question yourself just when it is time to really see your work come to life?

Fear manifests itself in many ways. One way is doubt. You start doubting if the material written is good enough. You start comparing your work to others when at the beginning you never really did this but as you realise you are coming close to the end, you even start questioning the reality of becoming an author and the expectations that you perceive will be demanded of you by your audience or the general public.

BEWARE OF FEAR

Fear also manifests itself with never ending edits. While editing is a must-have in the process of writing and publishing your book, there needs to come a time when you just have to say, "No, it's time to let go". Some authors edit the life out of the book so that, over time, the message and essence of the book changed completely and it no longer appeals to even you, the author. That enthusiasm you once had is no longer there and further exacerbated when you start to feel nauseated at the umpteenth time of looking at the manuscript.

Fear rears its ugly head when you get feedback from your friends and family that you didn't anticipate. Feedback such as: "Books don't make you money" or "Who is going to buy that book?" are just some of the negative words that come your way that say to you, "Maybe they're right", "What was I thinking?". You feel this way because you know and trust your friends and family, but keep this in mind when sharing your idea or book. They may not even be in your target audience and if their words cut through your veins of success, then you need to reassess whose dreams they are crushing. Do they even have a dream or goal they want to see come to fruition? And were they able to see their dreams manifested at all costs? Would you be their dream crusher if they approached you with a novel idea?

A crippling manifestation of fear is when you think to yourself that you don't deserve success. That condition - and I call it a condition which really has no cure - puts many of you in a state that is surrounded by darkness and despair. The only solution to this level of self doubt is by having such a deep level of faith, self esteem and confidence that no one person, thing or circumstance can make you think or feel anything other than the epitome of success itself.

I say all this to let you know that if you truly believe you have something within you that you want to share with the world and you think that placing it in a book is the way to go, then go for it! No matter what anyone says. Many authors who are successful today were not, years ago, but they stuck with it. They surrounded themselves with those who believed and supported their work and goals and knew the right time to let go. The world is waiting for what you have to say and share.

It's an open community now where self-publishing has given a voice to those who couldn't share their message in the traditional spaces. Readers are not as cruel as you may think. They actually want to see you grow, so publish that perfectly imperfect manuscript. Use it as a test piece on the market and listen to your audience. They will be devoted to you in the long run for doing so.

Corine La Font is an author, certified author assistant and online book marketing specialist. She is also an award-winning publishing resource in the 2013 Small Business Book Awards. Get a copy of her book at http://amzn.to/TFHQka Tune in to her radio programme at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/helpdeskja.