There are a lot of mistakes you can make when self-publishing a book. That’s because there are a lot of gears turning to make any title successful. But as long as you’re willing to learn from those mistakes, things will get better.
Today, I’m sharing the nine biggest mistakes I made and what I’m doing for the next book to avoid them. Although some of these might not be pertinent to your situation, they are worth mentioning nonetheless.
You never know what might help you down the road.
What Mistakes Did I Make When Self-Publishing?
A lot of platforms out there make self-publishing easy. Virtually anyone can write and publish a book nowadays without spending a single dime. However, there are some things you’ll want to invest in if you’re looking to make a few sales.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Kingmaker and still think it’s a great book. But it could have been much better and some things would have made the publishing process so much easier to manage.
In any case, let’s take a look at the biggest mistakes I made in self-publishing Kingmaker, my first book.
1. Needed More Editing
I am spending more time polishing up my next book while using the AutoCrit platform. I’ve put into practice everything I learned from Reedsy while taking the time to restructure the layout of the story.
Editing gives you a chance to fix a variety of errors while adding more meat to the book. Although a lot of editing services can cost thousands of dollars, it’s often one of the best uses of money when self-publishing your book.
Nowadays, you also have affordable solutions that can help tighten the manuscript without breaking the bank. For example, using AutoCrit to edit your book can ultimately help you produce cleaner prose while costing a fraction of a human editor.
Are human editors better than AI-driven apps? In many ways, yes. Humans are capable of detecting certain nuances and writing styles that AI can’t grasp. But if you don’t have the money, platforms like AutoCrit, Grammarly, and Pro Writing Aid are easily worth the investment.
I didn’t spend enough time editing Kingmaker. After taking the Reedsy masterclass for How to Write a Novel, I realized I could have put together a much better book. But I was excited to get it out there for others to read.
2. Needed a Map
As I continue to write Fury, I’ve started using Inkarnate to create a map to help me remember where certain things are located. Plus, I think it would be fun to include the map in the book.
When locations play a role in your story, it’s always a good idea to have a map. And if you’re a fantasy or sci-fi author with fresh new worlds to explore, maps play an even larger role while writing.
Some people are perfectly capable of keeping the details in their heads. But when the world continues to expand while writing, not having a map can prove quite difficult for continuity.
Logical distances between locations, regions and the people within them, common landmarks, and more can flesh out the world to make it feel real to the reader. And it’s easy to forget a few things here and there, especially as you get older.
Having a map while writing Kingmaker would have been extremely helpful while writing certain scenes. Now that I am close to finishing the sequel, it’s been even more of a pain trying to keep all of the lands in mind.
3. Last Minute Cover Design
I try to have an idea of the cover shortly after I start writing. This time, I plan on having the cover done before the final round of edits and plan on using the writing sprints to give myself time to work on it.
The cover of your book plays a vital part in its success. Sure, they say “Never judge a book by its cover,” but in practice, most people will. That’s why it’s vital to produce something that is relevant to the story while setting its tone.
Some cover designers can be quite expensive, and not everyone is talented with Photoshop.
The longer you wait to commit to a cover, the more stress you’ll have overall. Sometimes, waiting is out of your control, though. What if you hire someone who doesn’t work on it for several months and then decides he or she can’t do the job?
It’s never too early to start planning out the cover. That is unless you want to wait until you know what the story turns into as you write. But the sooner you get an idea, the easier it’ll be in the end.
4. Not Checking Formatting
This time around, I am exporting a print-ready PDF and using the ePub export to check for formatting issues within the book. I’m also exploring formatting options in Atticus to give the book more pizazz.
The formatting of your book is of great importance if you want it to appear nice and organized. This is beyond that of the cover art and is directly related to the inside of the book.
The formatting can include things like typeface, font size, drop caps, spaces between scene breaks, and more. And having a good appearance can help make for a great reading experience.
You can also add quite a bit of flavor while formatting your book. For example, custom scene breaks, images, designs, and more can accentuate the story if done correctly.
You don’t want to go overboard with the glitz and glamour, though. Too much can make the pages look busy and take away from the story.
I didn’t really spend a lot of time taking a look at how the book appeared in print. And I really didn’t ensure the spacing was even across all of the scene breaks throughout the novel.
5. Not Ordering Printed Proofs
Before I really push the book’s release, I’m going to order a printed proof from Amazon. That way, I can see any issues that may arise and fix them beforehand.
Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes you can make in self-publishing is not ordering a proof copy. That is unless you don’t plan on selling paperback or hardcover books.
A proof copy is essentially your printed book but minus the ISBN and watermarked as “Not for Resale.” Its primary function is to give an example of what readers will experience when ordering the actual book.
Alignment of the cover art, font discrepancies in the manuscript, front and back matter adjustments, and image placements in the book are just some of the things a proof copy can help you fix.
Kingmaker’s first cover art upload was much too dark. I could barely make out some of the details. I didn’t notice this until I ordered the first 10 author copies, as I do with every book I publish. It was disheartening, and I spent a lot of time fixing the cover art.
6. Paid $50 for a Review
I paid Reedsy Discovery for a review mostly so I could review the service. It was quite disappointing, and nothing really came from the experience. I highly doubt I’ll ever buy reviews again, even if it’s for blog or YouTube content.
Depending on the study you find, about 95% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase. It’s one of the biggest reasons why every company has product reviews front and center; it drives sales.
Does this mean you should pay for a review of your book? Not necessarily. In fact, you’ll find far more horror stories about paying for reviews than those who had good experiences.
Organic reviews and buyers offer the best results. Someone who is simply getting your money is less likely to really care about the book and more focused on the payout.
You also run the risk of getting reviewed by someone who doesn’t appreciate the genre in which you write. If someone doesn’t like fantasy books, of course they’re not going to be interested.
Attention spans just aren’t the same when you’re reading something you don’t like.
7. Didn’t Celebrate the Release
I plan on having a live-streaming party when my next book is released. Every book should have a celebration, especially when you consider how often people give up writing after the 20,000-word mark. Be proud of what you accomplished.
A release party does more than just get the word out regarding your newest book. It will also help strengthen self-confidence and pride in your work.
A lot of effort goes into a book, especially if you’re self-publishing. A celebration of that effort goes a long way to boost morale while inspiring you to write more books.
Of course, there’s always the aspect of having fun at a party. It’s a way to relax, unwind, and breathe a sigh of relief that the journey of publishing your book is at an end. That is unless you include marketing, which is another animal altogether.
The point is to never underestimate what a release party can do for your mindset. Even if it’s just a few close friends and family, it’s still a celebration of finishing, much like how we celebrate graduating high school or college.
8. Not Enough Marketing
I have been putting in a lot more effort marketing the book. As soon as I have the funds, I’m diving into Facebook and Amazon ads. In any case, I’m creating a list of the best marketing methods that have worked for me.
If no one knows your book exists, no one is going to buy it. Marketing is the cornerstone of the success behind any book. Yes, you want it well-written, but a book without marketing doesn’t sell copies.
To properly market the book, you’ll need to do more than just add a few posts to social media with your Amazon link. You need to find where your readers are and advertise the book to them. Unfortunately, this is often a time-consuming project.
There are two vital elements to understand about self-publishing mistakes when it comes to marketing: time and money. It can take a lot of time to find the best methods that work for you and some of them are going to have upfront expenses.
In other words, there’s only so much you can do for free. Like the adage goes, “You gotta spend money to make money.”
This doesn’t mean you should give up on the free marketing stuff. But you also need to explore the potential of spending a few bucks to generate a lot more sales.
9. Not Setting Money Aside for Services
I’ve set aside a savings account for the specific reason of spending money on services for my future books. Not only do I want to give my novels the best chance at success, but the services I plan to use will provide me with content for the blog and YouTube channel. I win all around.
According to Reedsy, it can cost as much as $7,630 for all versions of editing an 80,000-word novel. Some total editing services on the Internet can exceed $10,000 in total. And this doesn’t include other services such as formatting or cover art design.
Depending on the service, self-publishing a book can exceed what you’d spend on a new car.
Now, I highly doubt that I would spend thousands of dollars on such services. Frankly, I don’t have the money anyway. However, I would like to try a few just to see if they’re actually worthwhile. For one thing, they’d make for a hell of a review on this website.
The bottom line is that even having a few hundred dollars saved up for cover art could make a difference in publishing your book. So, setting aside what you can afford will help with everything from design to marketing.
Learning From Mistakes and Growing
One of the reasons why I was such a successful ghostwriter for Textbroker was the fact that I learned and grew from my mistakes. With every critique of my work from editors, I studied ways to avoid those issues and continuously practiced.
I didn’t give up when I received my first critique rating me as an “average” writer. I knew I had work to do and kept at it until I became successful enough to quit my full-time job at the school district.
Making mistakes while self-publishing provides lessons on what not to do the next time around. And if I put in the same effort as an indie author as I did as a ghostwriter, I’m pretty excited to see what I turn myself into over the next 10 years.
Not every technique, strategy, or tool will work the same for every author. We all have unique situations of which we contend. But we won’t know what works and what doesn’t until we try.
If something fails, figure out why and then come up with ways to address those problems. At that point, it’s no longer a failure but a learning experience. And those can be more valuable than anything.
My point here is that you will make mistakes, whether you’re self-publishing or not. It’s how you deal with those mistakes that will dictate your success down the road. Perseverance is key in just about everything in life.
Each Book Will Only Get Better
As long as you’re learning from the past, each book you write will get better than the one before it. As they say, “Practice makes perfect.”
Don’t be too hard on yourself when things don’t go according to plan. It just means that you’ll have to make a few adjustments next time. As long as you don’t give up, you’ll learn and grow.
You’ll undoubtedly make mistakes when self-publishing your book. Just think of them as lessons to help you succeed with the next one.
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