Top Three Self-Publishing Mistakes

June 29, 2015 - 

If you are reading this you have avoided at least one of the mistakes by engaging in research ahead of time. Or if you happen to be the type who doesn’t read the directions, then perhaps you are here searching for reasons why?

Excluding the obvious edit your work and portray a professional product, following is my short list of mistakes to avoid.

Self- publishing

This is not for the faint of heart.   Self-publishing is very much like throwing a bottle in the ocean and expecting your friend in the Philippines to receive the message.  While you may be able to check the weather and the currents, you are not able to direct the bottle with any certainty.  You are at the whim of Mother Nature, or in this case – the masses.

Lack of research

While writing may be your true passion, researching your market and the industry will help you as you navigate the self-publishing realm. Have you familiarized yourself with how self-publishing sites cross promote?  What optimizes search engine functionality?  Who is your target market?  How do they know about you?  Without these crucial pieces of information your literature may never reach its intended audience, even if it will revolutionize stories in your particular niche!

Ill-informed or nonexistent marketing

What will give you the best bang for your buck?  I have read dissenting opinions about the value of marketing and whether it’s better to spend the time writing another manuscript instead of marketing.  No one will know about you until they know about you.  How does your particular market work? Would a free book promotion support your end goals?  Is your target audience open to new indie authors or do they tend to support established or confirmed authors with write ups in significant publications?  On the flip side, there is support to argue a numbers game.  What appears more professional – multiple works available or significant market support and promotion?   That, my dear friend, is your call.

However you choose to proceed – good luck to you!  There are numerous eBook publishers out there if you would like to head down a different path.  Read their submission guidelines! Not every house will accept manuscripts published elsewhere.

If you decide a free book promotion is one of your marketing tactics, stay tuned, I have compiled a list of vetted free promotion advertisers with free options that I will be sharing with you next week.

Research is a key component of the self-publishing odyssey to push boundaries and limits and dream to be DesireBound…