Creating Your First Novel: A comprehensive guide spanning the entire long-term project: from planning through marketing and starting your author business.

by Hank Quense

165 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

Hank Quense writes satirical fantasy and sci-fi.
Early in his writing career, he was strongly influenced by two authors: Douglas Adams and his Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Happily, Hank has never quite recovered from those experiences.

I run a self-publishing and book marketing service, where I coach new and seasoned writers—whether you’re just polishing your first draft or sweating over your book’s launch. If you have questions about getting your book out into the world or making it actually sell, I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned.

Besides writing novels, nonfiction books and coaching, Hank lectures on fiction writing, publishing and book marketing.

.He has two daughters and five grandchildren all of whom live close by.

For vacations, Hank usually visit distant parts of the galaxy. Occasionally, he also time-travels.

Reviews

[Kim Bartosch · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐1/2

Embarking on the journey of writing your first novel can be both thrilling and daunting. Aspiring authors often find themselves lost in the creative process, neglecting crucial aspects beyond the writing phase. In "Creating Your First Novel" by Hank Quense, readers are guided through a comprehensive roadmap that not only demystifies the art of writing but also illuminates the often-overlooked stages of publishing, marketing, and managing author business issues.

One of the standout features of Quense's book is its structured approach, breaking down the entire novel creation process into five distinct phases: Planning, Writing, Publishing, Marketing, and Author Business Issues. This segmentation provides a clear and organized framework, ensuring that writers understand the holistic nature of the journey they are about to embark upon.

The initial phases, Planning and Writing, are fundamental and often the focus of aspiring authors. Quense, drawing from his extensive experience having gone through the process over two dozen times, offers valuable insights and advice in these sections. The emphasis on planning is particularly noteworthy, as it addresses a common misconception among writers – the belief that a compelling story alone is enough to guarantee success. The author advocates for meticulous planning, emphasizing that even the most riveting narrative needs a strategic foundation.

The Marketing section of the book is a breath of fresh air in a literary landscape where many authors, especially those venturing into self-publishing, often underestimate the importance of promoting their work. Quense underscores the need for writers to actively engage in marketing, dispelling the notion that a book will naturally find its audience. While the reviewer wished for more detailed information in this area, the book serves as an effective springboard, prompting writers to delve deeper into the nuances of book promotion.

The inclusion of Author Business Issues as a distinct phase is a masterstroke by Quense. Often neglected in writing guides, this section sheds light on the ongoing responsibilities authors face even after the book is launched. It delves into the administrative and strategic aspects of managing one's writing career, ensuring that writers are equipped to handle the business side of being an author.

The reason I gave the book three and a half stars is because, while the book has some great information it is particularly focused only for first-time writers contemplating self-publishing or working with a small press. Experienced authors who've already been through the trenches would have already conquered most of these issues or need to find a book that will go in-depth on a certain topic, such as a book only on marketing or the writing process.

In conclusion, if you find yourself at the crossroads of starting your writing journey, or if you've already set sail and feel adrift in the sea of creative projects, "Creating Your First Novel" is a beacon of guidance, offering a comprehensive and insightful roadmap to navigate the intricate landscape of novel creation.

Thank you to the author and iRead Book Tours for the eBook and my honest review. Enter the book giveaway here: https://www.kimsbookreviewsandwriting...

[pawsreadrepeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review audiobook for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Hank Quense and iRead Book Tours. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.

I have always wanted to write a book. I’ve even taken a fiction writing course at the university I used to work for. Despite this and the positive feedback I received; I still feel intimidated. The irony – I’ve technically written several books if one were to put all the papers I’ve written as student in my academic career together – it would volumes, I’m sure!

I was immediately drawn to the book’s thoroughness and how it removes the intimidation by outlining the entire process, from start to finish, in one comprehensive book intended to remove any surprises. I really like the conversational style of the book. I also appreciate the author’s advice throughout. It is clearly written and prepares the reader to avoid common pitfalls.

This is a quick read and literally covers everything an aspiring author needs to know. From planning and formatting a story to marking and publishing. The diagrams and illustrations are helpful, and the lessons have given me the confidence to get started. I’m no longer feeling intimated and have a million ideas of what I want to write, now I just need to do it!

I look forward to reading more from this author. I highly recommend this book to all aspiring authors. The book takes a complex idea and breaks it down into manageable steps.

[Serlina Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

ᗷᴏᴏꮶ ᖇɛ᥎ıɛᤐ

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤📔: Creating Your First Novel
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫✍🏽: Hank Quense
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Non-Fiction
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 165
𝐏𝐮𝐛: Oct. 1, 2023
𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲: Digital

💎

If you Like:
1️⃣Self-Help books
2️⃣Non-fiction books on writing
3️⃣Self-help writing books
4️⃣Books that help with creativity
5️⃣Activity writing prompts
6️⃣Books that educate on marketing
7️⃣Start-up author business

Then give this book a chance.

💕

𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆'𝒔 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆:
A wonderful Self-Help guide for new authors and authors alike

Creating your First Novel is truly a guide to planning, writing, marketing, and starting up your author business. Though I've already started the author journey, I found this book to be very interesting and helpful. I am going to take my time and re-read this as I am re-editing the first draft of my novel. This book takes you from the draft with the fiction workshop activities and right into the completion of your story.

Definitely worth the read.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿
βί᥉ɦίⱸ ᖇơ᥉ⱸ 𝑹𝑹&𝑹 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, & 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving this review.

💕🌹βί᥉ɦίⱸ ᖇơ᥉ⱸ 𝑹𝑹&𝑹🌹💕

[Phin Ejike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creating a novel can be a daunting task, the full scope of which is often under-appreciated. In this book, Hank Quense explains the full scope of novel creation, showing us that it goes far beyond simply writing the novel. There are 5 stages to novel creation, the first of which is planning the novel, and the last of which is managing your authorship business- and yes, it is a business.

I am a fan of Hank Quense for his simple yet extremely detailed explanations, and he did not disappoint. In Creating Your First Novel, Hank goes into granular detail, explaining how to define and choose your target audience, before moving onto ideating and plotting a story. All the while, he gives assignments so that authors can implement what he teaches in their own novels as they read. He also discusses the business of authorship. He goes so far as teaching us how to set up LLC’s through which to sell your books!

The level of detail this man presents is astounding. I look forward to reading more guidebooks from Hank Quense.

[Kelly McDonough · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for first time novelists. This award-winning author covers all the bases especially for self-published or small press writers. Quense covers the five phases of the project. (That’s what he calls the writing of a novel because it's more than writing alone that will help an author succeed. ) He covers all of the writing basics, but he starts with the planning phase necessary to structure. Then, he talks about publishing and covers two more absolutely necessary topics: marketing and author business issues. Quense knows his stuff seeing that he has been through more than two dozen projects. As a multi-published author, I would have found this book so useful when writing my first books. I highly suggest this book if you're dreaming of publishing a novel. An absolute gem stock full of sage advice. It's also laid out in an easy to access information style guide for quick referencing. Includes diagrams, illustrations and lessons making this an invaluable tool for novice authors.

[Cover Lover Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Creating Your First Novel” is a thorough guide intended to take the surprises out of the process of writing a novel for the first time. The author offers clear advice that helps writers plan out their writing journey as well as avoid various drawbacks I appreciate his straightforward approach and conversational style.

The book’s layout is simple and covers everything from planning and formatting your story to publishing and marketing, including lessons with helpful diagrams and illustrations.

If you are writing your first novel, or thinking about doing so, this is a great place to start. It’s one of the most helpful I’ve read on this subject, and I appreciate the large font and book profile.

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.
Opinions are 100% mine.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read other writing self help books from Hank and Quense and was interested in reading his newest release, Creating Your First Novel: A Comprehensive Guide Spanning the Entire Long-Term Project: From Planning Through Marketing and Starting Your Author Business. The book is broken down into 5 parts:
Planning – The beginning phase of writing, such as, characters, setting, plot, etc.
Writing - Includes a Fiction Writing Workshop, which has thirteen lessons on how to get started on bringing a novel to life.
Author Business – How to get started with the business of becoming an author, such as, royalties, profits, losses, taxes, etc.
Publishing – shows ten steps on how to get the novel published from becoming self-published or traditionally published.
Marketing – explains different ways of promoting the novel from getting reviews to showing a presence on social media.
I found the book to be easy to read and follow along and I appreciated the tips, advice, and tricks.

Creating Your First Novel: A Comprehensive Guide Spanning the Entire Long-Term Project: From Planning Through Marketing and Starting Your Author Business will be getting five stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who are interested in writing their first novel and needing guidance on how to get started.

I received a paperback copy of Hank Quense’s Creating Your First Novel: A Comprehensive Guide Spanning the Entire Long-Term Project: From Planning Through Marketing and Starting Your Author Business from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.