Tips for Writing and Printing a Fantasy Book

From The Lord of the Rings to American Gods to Harry Potter and all of the books in-between, fantasy is a diverse and popular genre of fiction enjoyed by millions of readers. For writers, fantasy allows them to dream up their own worlds and fill it with any combination of fantastical elements and characters they wish. While freeing, the fantasy genre still has some basic rules to keep in mind, which we'll explore further. And finally, what makes a fantasy book successful?

Below, we'll discuss useful tips for writing and printing a fantasy book and much more.

Writing a fantasy book

Are you writing a plot or character-driven Story?

When you begin writing your fantasy novel, consider whether you want the story to revolve around a central character or plot. If you aren't sure, consider the themes you wish to explore in the book. If the plot centers around intergalactic warfare between civilizations over a number of years, putting plot at the top of your list might serve you best. Is it centered on a romance? Then perhaps a few characters will be driving the story.

Where and when do you want your story to take place?

Getting a sense of this early will inform much of your writing. For instance, if you're writing a fantasy book that takes place in Victorian England, the tone of the writing, the way the characters speak, and vocabulary used, will be much different than a dark fantasy vampire story set in contemporary times. 

Incorporating myths and folklore

Create a world that has some kind of connection to myths, legends, folklore, or fairytales. This connection is key to anchoring your world in the fantastical realm. There are almost limitless mythical character-types to pull from: vampires, fairies, wizards, unicorns, goblins, and so on. Your references can also come from themes and plots found in legends and folklore, such as the story of King Arthur or you can draw from Greek mythology.

Making magic

Magic or a magical system is not an absolute requirement, but it is very common in fantasy novels. Books can have a range of approaches to magic. Some fantasy books contain magical beings, but their magical qualities are unessential compared to the character development or plot. However, if your story centers around a character who poses telekinesis, or the plot is building toward an important battle between characters of different magical powers, you may want to establish a system of the limits of the magic and/or the characters who use it.

Building a world

World-building refers to the development, through writing, of the setting, magical system, and cultural information of your world. Religions, class structures, and political factions are other concepts explored by authors when building their fictional worlds.

While it's fun and satisfying for writers to write about and create their world on the page, it can become tedious for readers. Readers more often gravitate toward the feelings and emotions of your characters. One good way to remedy the issue of “info-dumping” is to try and introduce world-building description within your characters' interactions with the world around them.

Stay on track with charts & outlines

Given that all these concepts will be part of your fantasy book, it's recommended you use outlines and charts to help you keep track. In addition, you can put together charts that describe the different kinds of magic and their limitations. You can even create multiple family trees to help define your world's class structure. If you're writing an adventure fantasy book and the geography of the world is constantly being referred to, you could even draw a map.

Marketing your fantasy book

As discussed, understanding the basics of writing a fantasy book is a crucial step in the early stages of writing. That being said, knowing where your book fits into the fantasy publishing world will help you when thinking about marketing and selling of your book. For instance, if you're writing a “high fantasy” book similar to Lord of the Rings, you'll want to think differently about the look of the cover or whom you market to than if you're writing a gritty story about werewolves.

Printing your fantasy book

Create an eye-catching cover:

The design of your fantasy book cover is an integral part of self-publishing your fantasy book. fantasy books are known for great cover designs. They are usually very colorful, well-illustrated, or have a dark mystique to them. Visit your local bookstore and take a look at the fantasy section to get a good sense of what popular fantasy books look like, particularly those that are similar to the book you're writing.

How 48 Hour Books can help:

Custom cover design:

You can use our Create-A-Cover services for help designing the artwork for your cover. To make your cover stand out even more from other fantasy books, consider utilizing our Diamond 3D Services.

A professional layout:

To ensure your book looks just as professional on the inside, keep your formatting clean and consistent. Inconsistent formatting can confuse readers and pull their attention away from the story you're telling. It's hard for readers to remain engaged with a story when they notice random changes to font styles, line-spacing, or margins from one page to the next. Consider downloading one of our free book templates to help get you started.

If you need help getting your format looking professional, consider using our reformatting services. We even offer to reformat like best-selling books such as Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.