Common Mistakes First-Time Authors Make When Self-Publishing

What are the Common Mistakes First-Time Authors Make When Self-Publishing?

Writing a book is a huge achievement.

Whether you’ve spent six months or six years writing it, reaching the end of your manuscript can feel like the finish line. But when it comes to self-publishing, it’s actually the beginning.

There are many decisions between typing The End and seeing your book available for readers to buy and while making mistakes is part of the learning process, some publishing mistakes can cost time, money and potentially sales.

Here are some of the most Common Mistakes First-Time Authors Make When Self-Publishing—and how you can avoid them.

1. Publishing Before the Book Is Ready

One of the biggest mistakes is rushing to publication.

You’ve finished the manuscript. It’s exciting, and you want to see your book available for sale. Understandably, you want to press that publish button. But finishing the first draft isn’t the same as finishing the book.

A professional publishing process can include:

• Developmental editing
• Copy editing
• Proofreading
• Formatting
• Cover design
• Proof checking
• Preparing files for different formats

Even if you’ve read your manuscript dozens of times, another pair of eyes can spot problems you’ve become too familiar with to notice.

Tip: Build editing and proofreading time into your publishing schedule rather than treating them as optional extras.

2. Trying to Do Everything Yourself

Self-publishing gives you control over your book, but that doesn’t mean you have to personally handle every part of the process.

Authors are writers. They aren’t necessarily editors, graphic designers, book formatters, marketers and publishing technicians as well and trying to learn every skill at once can quickly become overwhelming.

It’s perfectly reasonable to outsource the parts of publishing where you don’t have the skills, experience or time. The aim isn’t to spend money unnecessarily, it’s to know where professional help will make the greatest difference.

3. Choosing a Cover Because You Like It

Of course you should like your book cover. You’re not the only person the cover needs to appeal to. It has to appeal to your target market. Yes, you need to approve it but you have to think of your prospective readers first.

Your cover needs to attract your ideal reader.

Different genres have different expectations. A romance reader, thriller reader and business reader may respond very differently to the same design.

Your cover should communicate:

• The genre
• Tone of the book
• Intended audience
• Professionalism of the publication
• Have an excellent back cover blurb, and a catchphrase on the front cover as an extra enticer.

It also needs to work at thumbnail size because many readers will first see it on an online bookstore.

A beautiful cover that doesn’t tell readers what kind of book they’re looking at may not be doing its job.

4. Ignoring the Importance of Formatting

Formatting is one of those things readers may not consciously notice—until it’s wrong. Poor formatting can make a professionally written book look amateur.

Problems can include:

• Inconsistent fonts
• Incorrect margins
• Awkward page breaks
• Poor chapter layouts
• Incorrect spacing
• Inconsistent text
• Too much repetitive text
• Images that don’t display properly
• eBook formatting problems

Print books and eBooks have different formatting requirements, so don’t assume that one file will automatically work perfectly for both.

5. Writing a Book Description as an Afterthought

The book description is the main part of your sales pitch. Many authors spend months perfecting their manuscript and then throw together the description at the last minute.

Your description needs to make a potential reader HAVE to buy your book, as well as want to know what happens next, without giving too much away.

For fiction, that might mean introducing the character, conflict and stakes without giving away the ending.

With non-fiction, it needs to explain the problem you’re solving and why the reader should care.

Don’t simply summarise your book.

Sell the reason someone should read it.

6. Forgetting About Keywords and Categories

Writing a great book isn’t enough if your potential readers can’t find it.

Online bookstores use categories, keywords/keyphrases (a short sentence that someone would type into search to find a specific type of book) and other information to help readers discover books. Think about the words your ideal reader would actually type into a search box.

For example, someone looking for a beginner-friendly cross stitch book might search for terms such as cross stitch for beginners, rather than simply searching for embroidery.

Understanding your audience’s language can help you make smarter decisions about your book’s metadata.

7. Leaving Marketing Until Launch Day

Another common mistake is thinking: “I’ll worry about marketing once the book is published.”

By then, you’ve missed an opportunity to build anticipation and gather a following ready for when your book is published.

Marketing can begin before publication.

You could:

• Build an author website
• Start an email list
• Share behind-the-scenes content
• Introduce your book to your social media audience
• Reveal the cover
• Share snippets or illustrations
• Connect with potential readers
• Arrange advance reviews where appropriate

You don’t need a huge marketing budget, there are plenty of free options available.

You do need a plan.

8. Expecting the Book to Sell Itself

Publishing your book doesn’t automatically mean readers will find it. There are millions of books competing for attention, so authors need to think beyond simply making their book available.

Your book needs visibility.

That might come through social media, email marketing, your website, advertising, networking, interviews, book events, reviews or other promotional activities.

Not every marketing method will work for every author. The important thing is to find the methods that suit your book and your audience.

9. Spending Money in the Wrong Places

Self-publishing doesn’t have to mean spending thousands of dollars—but producing a professional book does require some investment.

The trick is understanding where your money will make the biggest difference.

For example, an author might spend heavily on advertising while using an amateur cover. But if the cover isn’t attracting clicks, increasing the advertising budget isn’t necessarily going to solve the problem.

Think about your book as a complete product. Even as a business.

Editing, cover design, formatting, metadata and marketing all work together.

10. Not Understanding the Publishing Platform

Before uploading your book, make sure you understand the platform you’re using.

Different publishing and distribution services have different requirements, options, costs and royalty structures.

Take the time to understand things such as:

• File requirements
• Trim sizes
• Pricing
• Royalties
• Distribution
• ISBN requirements
• Proof copies
• Print options
• eBook requirements
• Publishing platform – Ingram Spark, or Amazon, or both.

Don’t simply click through the publishing process without understanding what you’re agreeing to.

11. Forgetting That Publishing Is a Business

Even if writing is your passion, publishing a book means making business decisions.

You need to think about your audience, pricing, production costs, marketing and sales. It is also necessary to keep records of your publishing expenses and income.

Treating your book like a product doesn’t take away from the creativity behind it. It gives your creativity the best chance of reaching readers.

12. Giving Up Too Quickly

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes is expecting instant success.

Your first book may not become a bestseller.

First marketing campaign may not produce hundreds of sales.

The website may take time to build traffic.

That’s normal.

Self-publishing is often a long-term process. Each book teaches you something that can help with the next one. The more you learn about publishing, marketing and your readers, the better positioned you are for future books.

The Good News? You Don’t Have to Know Everything

The self-publishing world can seem complicated when you’re looking at it for the first time. There are editors, designers, formatting requirements, publishing platforms, ISBNs, metadata, marketing and a seemingly endless list of decisions, but you don’t have to become an expert in everything. You simply need to understand the process and know when to ask for help.

Final Thoughts

Self-publishing gives authors an incredible amount of freedom. You have control over your book, your publishing decisions and your creative direction. That freedom also comes with responsibility.

Taking the time to plan your publishing journey, invest in the right areas and seek professional help where needed can make the experience considerably easier, and can give your book a much more professional finish.

Your manuscript is important. But publishing it well is just as important.

At Pixel & Page Digital, we help authors navigate the practical side of self-publishing, from book covers and formatting to websites, promotion and digital marketing.

If you’re getting ready to publish your first book, we’d love to help you turn your manuscript into a professional finished product and help you avoid the common mistakes first-time authors make when self-publishing. We are happy to chat and discuss your best way forward. Contact Us for a personal chat