Your story is typed on the computer and you're wondering what comes next. Maybe you're overwhelmed and don't know where to start. In this book, you'll learn the basics of getting your story from rough draft to published. You Will Learn: *How do I organize my editing process? *What is a beta reader? *Why do some people self-publish and some publish traditionally? *Should I join a writing group? *How can I find a good group? *Do I need an editor? *Do I need an agent? *How do I write a query letter? *I got a rejection letter. Now what? *I got an acceptance letter. Now what? *What are royalties? Can I quit my day job now? *Do I have to be on all Social Media? *Do I need a website? A blog? It's a lot to learn, so in From Rough Draft to Published, I will teach you the basics and get straight to the heart of what you need to know so that you can make informed decisions about what is right for you, your story, and your career path. Why am I writing this? Last year when one of my short stories was published, several students sought me out and asked me how to get published. What are all the steps from the rough draft to published? I thought about all the lessons I've learned over the years which I could share. I told them a little about the process, but there was so much that I couldn't really sum it up in a 10-minute conversation. I felt like I should be able to recommend a book to read because that's what I do. (I'm a librarian at my core.) I could recommend a dozen different books on writing, but when talking to students, I'm not sure that would be very encouraging because it would be so overwhelming. I didn't know of many books about publishing; most of what I've learned about publishing comes from talking to editors and others who work in the publishing industry. My students wanted to know how to find publishers, how to submit their writing, what does an agent do, and more. Those are things I can share in a small book that is short and to the point, giving the basics. The purpose of this book is to let beginning writers know a little bit about the world of publication and the steps between writing a rough draft and publishing a short story or novel. I will say though, every person's path to publication is different. This information is based on my path and what I've learned through reading thousands of words in books and blogs, listening to countless hours of podcasts, and going to writing conferences. The information comes from published authors, editors, agents, and from my own experience. Who is this book for?A serious writer. Someone that wants to make writing novels your career or maybe a side hustle until you get enough books published to make it a career. You might be a teenager and want to get an early start. Is it possible? Yes! There are a number of teens whose work has been published before they turned twenty. Or you might be a person like me, who at age 39 realized I always dreamed of being a writer and time was slipping away. So I thought, "I better get started now." Is reading this book going to guarantee success? No. Could it help you navigate this path a bit easier? Yes. Why do you need this book? If you skip steps between writing the rough draft and submitting it to your dream publisher, you will almost certainly have your manuscript rejected, and you only get one chance with that publisher for that manuscript. So this book can help you get published because you won't be ignorant of the process. People often imagine authors like J.K. Rowling sat down, wrote a manuscript, sent it off to a publisher, and voila! She was suddenly a millionaire. No. She toiled over that manuscript for 7 years. JK Rowling's manuscript was actually rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury picked it up.