Yesterday we explored five publishing mistakes and how to avoid them. Today, we’ll cover five more.
1: Authors neglect to study the publishing industry. To understand the importance of this task and to learn where to go to get the information you need, check out my blog posts for August 23, 2012.
2: Authors decide not to hire an editor. Many authors, by the time they complete their manuscripts and self-edit it, they are more than ready to get it published. Some of them don’t feel they have the money to spend on a professional editor. Some expect to get a good enough editing job through their pay-to-publish company. Still others believe that they don’t need to hire an editor because traditional publishers have editors on staff.
One of the biggest mistakes a hopeful author can make is neglecting to hire a professional editor before approaching publishers of any type. News flash: publishers want to see professionally edited manuscripts.
If you want to enter into the world of publishing, learn something about the business. Study your options and the ramifications of your choices. Define your responsibilities as a published author. You may still make a few mistakes along the way—we all do, but knowledge will definitely save you money and heartache.
3: Uninformed authors blindly sign up for unnecessary services. Some pay-to-publish companies state that they will get your books into bookstore databases and provide a return policy on your books for a fee of around $700-$800.
I have two things to say about that. First, you can get your books listed in bookstore databases nationwide for free. All you have to do is fill out an Advance Book Information (ABI) form. Your book will be listed in Books in Print (BIP). This is one database that bookstores use to order books. If a customer asks for your book and it is listed in Books in Print, the bookstore can order it for that customer. And the listing in BIP is free.
Secondly, the return policy that some publishing services are selling their authors is, in my opinion, a huge waste of money. This policy is no more a guarantee that booksellers will carry your book than a nickel guarantees the purchase of a candy bar.
Authors neglect to consult with professionals.
4: Authors rush into making decisions. Patience is of major importance for an author who expects a high monetary return on his or her efforts. Rush through any of the processes related to your publishing project and you could miss an important step. Take your time. Make sure you understand the process and are making all of the right decisions in the right order.
5: Authors don’t consider book promotion until their book is published. Every book, in order to sell it, must be promoted and promotion is the author’s job. Authors should be thinking about and planning for book promotion when they start the writing/publishing process. Once the book is a book, it will take a great deal of energy and time to pursue the amount of promotion that will sell those books. And this is something that many authors neglect to consider.
Read books such as those I wrote especially for you—Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author and Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. They are available at Amazon.com and other online and downtown bookstores.
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com