How to Self-publish Your Own Novel

"You know, I have a great idea for a book..."

Anyone who introduces themselves as a writer has no doubt heard this statement many times. There's a common misconception in the general public that writing is easy and anyone can do it. There's a story I once heard about a surgeon who told the late, great playwright, George Bernard Shaw that when he retires, he plans to write. Shaw, demonstrating the wit present in his work, is rumored to have responded with, "when I retire, I plan to operate on people."

If you've made the leap to become a writer, then congratulations -- you're either extremely stupid or certifiably insane (or maybe both). On the bright side, you're in good company. My fellow writers are among the most entertaining people I've ever had the opportunity to know. But don't kid yourself -- it's not all about banging out a few pages a day and then spending the rest of your time drinking/smoking/snorting/absorbing rectally yourself into oblivion. It's a lot of hard work and unless you're lucky enough to have the CEO of a publishing house sitting at your table every year at family gatherings, actually writing your novel is probably the easiest step of the process.

Writing a novel can be a very time-consuming process. Pounding out that first draft can take as little as a month or as long as ten years. It's all up to you and depends on how much time you can commit to the project. I wrote my novel, Fallen, in a month. It's not always simple, though. I've been writing my current novel for almost a year and I still haven't passed the halfway point.