Well, you did it. You took that spark of an idea, fleshed it out into an entire book, edited the last page for the last time, and finished one final read-through.

The book is done. At least it should be. As proud as you were, there was a little voice in your head as you scanned those sentences and absorbed the full story. A little voice that nagged it wasn’t ready yet.

While a book may never be finished for the author, sometimes it’s more than just being a perfectionist.

If you hear a little voice during a read-through, listen to it. Most likely, it’s picking up on the things a reader will, like that cliffhanger line falling flat or that scene feeling rushed.

You’re missing “something” but you’re not sure what. To help, here’s a list of things to check and then fill in to polish your book to…