Top 5 self-publishing mistakes to avoid
Self-publishing is a fantastic and cost-effective method that individuals and small business owners can use to advance their brands and also make a little cash on the side in the form of passive income.
Despite the fact that it is a lot easier nowadays to self-publish your novel or book on entrepreneurship in print and Electronic formats (e-books) than it was 2 decades ago, several budding authors are prone to making some typical blunders, and they do.
So of all the horrible mistakes out there, here are the ones you should avoid like the black plague or they’ll throw a monkey wrench into all of your efforts.
1. Poor title
So here’s a sample title: Rapid financial revenue generation approach in the 21st century, 5th Edition, sounds intelligent, right? Wrong! It sounds like something that came tumbling down the butt of Harvard professor in finance. Believe me; I wouldn’t know the meaning of those four words if I had a business dictionary surgically implanted in my cerebrum. For God’s sake keep your book title simple. Nothing puts a potential reader off more than a complex book title; that book title would better read: Proven ways to make quick cash in the 21st century. It is also important to make your title somewhat radical and catchy, one that gets the reader interested. These are some of my favorite titles: Rich dad, Poor dad (R.T. Kiyosaki); If you want to be rich, you have to break the law (R. Henley); just to name a few…..or two. I believe you get the point, if you can’t come up with a fine title ask for suggestions from friends and family (and enemies), especially those who didn’t school in Harvard.
2. Shabby book-cover design
This particular mistake is made by way more than a handful of authors out there, too many for comfort. A book cover in my opinion is the cheapest means of advertising your book; it’s like a mini banner or billboard, or something. Most times people see your book cover before they read your book review and there’s an uncomfortably high probability that if they don’t like what they see, they wouldn’t like to read. Nothing’s dumber than trying to publishing a book for children that has a colorless front and back cover. It’s very imperative that your book cover is properly designed with the right colors and illustrations that connote its content. Take time out to look at the covers of bestselling books in your genre and “monkey see, monkey do” what they did….well, don’t copy and paste exactly what you see (except you want to do your book launch from in a 6 by 4-inch cell with Chito’s cousin), just lift ideas and modify. And for the records, I have no idea who Chito is.
3. Drab Author Bio and Photo
Your author biography can totally ruin your work, if not done properly. It is an avenue to get yourself established as an authority in your genre and for your readers to get to know you a bit. Make sure it gives you off as a professional in your field in a “this-is-why-I’m-the-perfect-person-to-write-this-book” kind of way. Get a writing service to help you out if you can’t do it yourself.
Now, the author’s photo. I’ve looked at some authors’ photo on the back of their books and wondered, “Was it published on throwback-Thursday?” Some authors’ photos are so old they look like they were taken in prehistoric earth when dinosaurs roamed the earth. You don’t need a Ph.D. in personal branding to know that your photograph tells a lot about you. Do make sure your photo is recent, colored (not black and white…..except it’s a burial photo of you), and please smile.….you are not a Harvard professor.
4. Lcak fo Editing
Hosw ? my sub-ttitle? Now, that look on your face is the same look your readers will have when they see typos and ? grmmatikal erorrs in your book text. Some readers are so put off by typos and other kinds of errors that they’ll never pick your book up ever again even if they were given 2 free copies and a ticket to see Captain America: Civil war. Take ample time to proofread and edit your text again and again; double check, triple check, quadruple check, and just when the book thinks you are done with it send it over to a professional proofreader and editor who will thoroughly strip the text of all typos and errors. However, make sure the proofreader scan and delete typos and check grammar structure while maintaining your style and tone.
5. Weak Book Description
Right next to your book cover (which by now should be looking great) on most online platforms is your book description. And if your book description is poor readers still won’t pick up your piece for a free ticket to see Civil war. Speaking of Captain America, your book description is to your book what a trailer is to a movie. The moment you have that in mind you’d begin grasp the gravity of a great book description. Again, take cues from winning authors in your genres, and if you can do it yourself, get help from a pro.
Avoid these mistakes at all costs and you are well on your way to a Rapid financial generation scheme.