Now that you’ve finished your short story, novel, or book of poems, what’s next? At this stage, most writers are eager to publish, hoping they can get their work in front of readers ASAP. However, if authors aren’t careful, (especially new authors), trying to publish their work can become a bigger headache than the writing itself. To find out how you can avoid some of the common mistakes authors make when trying to publish, keep reading.
Mistake #1 A lack of Patience
Mistake #2 Not Building a Social Media Following or Email List
It’s unlikely you will start right out the gate with 10 thousand or even a thousand followers, but if you start networking and posting before your book is due to debut you’re more likely to sell at least a few books. And even if your dream is to be picked up by a big-name publisher, being able to showcase that you have a following of fans will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd who are also aiming to be published.
Back to mistake #1, many authors write the book and think that’s all they have to do. Unfortunately the old adage of ‘Build it and they will come.’ does not apply to authors. If no one knows about your book, how will they ever find it? There are literally billions of books and stories floating around the internet and the world, if you want your story to have a chance at making it into even one person’s lap that isn’t a parent, friend, or family member then you will have to tell people about your creation.
If you choose to self-publish on Amazon, you also won’t have access to your customer base. If you don’t know who bought your book how will you know who to tell when you publish a second book? This is why an email list is so important. You can add a link inside your published book to grab the email addresses of those who bought your book and enjoyed it enough to want to know more, but it’s just as important to start collecting emails before you even hit publish, but how do you do this?
Lead magnets and free book chapters or short stories are popular means of collecting email addresses, but you can also do something more fun like creating a quiz, or simply just ask people if they would like to join your newsletter for updates about your book writing journey.
Mistake #3 Finding Freelancers Anywhere:
Sarah, an up-and-coming writer in Boise, Idaho says the search for a developmental editor can make any writer weary of becoming a published author. Looking for a set of eyes that is ‘trustworthy’ to edit her new romance novel is an almost impossible task.
Sarah says her journey is increasing her awareness of the petty publishing scams that plague the writing industry. “Online platforms like Fiverr allow anyone to claim they’re an editor and take fees from new writers,” she explains. “I’ve been scammed twice, paying for services that are either subpar, or not delivered”.
This is a common complaint of many writers across the board. Using common freelance sites like Upwork or going to social media sites like Facebook is a popular choice for many writers who are unaware that these sites don’t verify the education, experience, or work history of those who are offering editing services.
“It’s definitely a gamble,” Sarah notes. “I think I do an excellent job of asking the right questions and asking for proof of their skills, but they send me someone else’s work and pass it off as their own. How am I supposed to know the difference?”
Finding qualified editors, proofreaders, ghostwriters, or beta readers is a job within itself, and many new writers aren’t even sure on how to begin the process. You can seek recommendations from fellow writers, but often times a great editor or beta reader is booked out months in
advance.
So, how does a writer solve this problem?
Make sure you find writing support on sites that fully vets their freelancers, like HappyEndingAuthors.com. Editors, proofreaders, and ghostwriters who are legitimate aren’t dismissive towards the idea of being vetted; after all, they’re also tired of publishing scammers and con artists taking advantage of writers. Having a middleman who takes away the concern of you possibly being scammed can make your path to publishing much smoother.
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