The Biggest Mistakes Most First Time Authors Make-Part 1
Posted by ZLS | Posted in Publishing, book Marketing | Posted on 11-12-2009
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Welcome to another edition of the Publishing Watchdog. If you are unfamiliar with who we are and what we do, please take a look through this blog. Today we will be discussing the biggest mistakes most self-published authors make.
1) Publishing books with unprofessional covers-If you use a self-publishing company and decide to pay for them to publish your books, you will get a book cover template. Read our blog on the author who almost spent 7800 with a self-publisher and nearly got a book cover template with a picture found on the clipart section inside of Microsoft Word.
2) Printing books in large quantities without proof they could sell them-Just because you’ve written the book doesn’t mean everybody is automatically going to buy it. This is why marketing while you’re writing is important.
3) Working without an action plan, book coach or project mentor-Go get help from people that have already done it and have done it successfully. Utilize the internet, go to the library or the bookstore. Just make sure you get the tools and the help necessary to make sure your book is known.
4) Not testing your book cover or title, before it is published-This is one of my personal pet peeves. Just because you like the book cover or title and because you will pick it up doesn’t mean the majority will. Of course, you’ll pick it up because you wrote it, but book sales isn’t about you, it’s about your fans. Ask a group of people from your job, your club, your neighbors, even your enemies if they would pick up the book cover and if the majority say no, then change the book cover. Better yet, ask a bunch of children. Children are brutally honest, even when adults aren’t. If neither the title or the book cover don’t work for people, get over yourself and change it.
5) Waiting until the book is printed before marketing it-(Another pet peeve of mine! I think this is the top of the list of my pet peeves. Nobody cares that you have written a book. They don’t care because chances are they are writing one too. If you want people to care about your characters, your story, you have to make them care from the beginning. I have done so many surveys and focus groups on this, and everyone says the same thing-they don’t care that you’ve written the book after it’s out, they want to know about the book while you’re writing it. Take an example from the big publishing houses, they take 18 months to publish a book because they spend 18 months promoting it. They spend 18 months promoting it while it is going through the editing and rewrite process. Introduce people to your characters while you’re writing, get them excited. Let me say this again-NOBODY CARES THAT YOU’VE WRITTEN A BOOK! NOT EVEN YOUR MOTHER. YOU WANT PEOPLE TO CARE, YOU MAKE THEM CARE AND YOU DO THAT FROM THE BEGINNING, NOT THE END!
6) Pricing the book too high or too low based on what you think it should sell for-Do not be afraid to price the book correctly. Look at what the standard market rate for a book is in your genre and price it accordingly. Too many writers under price because they think that people won’t buy their book and they believe that the industry standard is too high. Other writers, price too high because they think they’ve written something as expensive as a pot of gold. There is a reason why books are priced the way they are: most people will buy at that price. Put your fear or your cockiness aside and be smart with the pricing of your book. If you don’t you’ll only end up hurting yourself, because the publisher or the bookseller is going to make their profit, the problem is you making yours.
7) Self-publishing and naming their publishing company after themselves-(John Doe Publishing Company) To name a company after yourself is a dumb idea. I didn’t say using initials like JD Publishing Company, but actually using a name. Names are as common as body parts and using your name does not make you stand out or make anyone remember you. How many brands do you know, can you name, that are famous with a name of an actual person? My point exactly.
Assuming you know where your book sales will come from-Just because your mother, father or aunt claim they will buy your book doesn’t guarantee that they will. Assume they won’t and get a marketing and sales plan together, ensuring that you will actually get some sales from people other than your family members.
9) Not thinking of a product line to sell in addition to your books- Most writers don’t get rich off their books. The authors who do best have product lines in addition to their books. This means workbooks, dvd’s, coloring books, etc. to sell in addition to their books. Adding product lines to your books, makes your books more valuable or at least seem that way. Also, sometimes people don’t want ot buy the book but want to buy the book products. This is still revenue for you and still helps get your name out there.
10) Solely relying on one marketing model to sell your books-Sadly, most authors aren’t versatile and don’t know how to hit the market from every angle. They either rely on just word of mouth marketing, or just online marketing. They don’t utilize different marketing sources to help market their books, which only hinders getting their name out instead of helping to market it out. Every writer needs to be marketing their books at least 5 times a day, and you can’t do that utilizing just one marketing model, several different kinds are needed.
This is it for Part 1, stay tuned for Part 2.
Until the next time!
The Publishing Watchdog
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