9 Mistakes Self-Publishers Can (and Should) Avoid

With a duology under my belt and a two years of blogging about self-publishing and writing craft, I’ve been at this game long enough to know there are several general mistakes—some of them seriously detrimental—that indie authors need to be aware of and avoid. By that I mean, don’t assume you’re the exception to the rule. If you are doing (or not doing) one of the things on this list, you are in serious danger of sabotaging your precious novel or nonfiction book.

Here’s the quick list of mistakes and the logic behind the advice given.

1. Creating your own cover.
Leave it to the professionals, please. I’m amazed by how many homemade covers I see to this day. A cover you make yourself is fine if you don’t want to be taken seriously. It’s not fine if you want a career writing books. Good covers don’t just happen. Find a worthy professional!

2. Editing your own book.
You could be the best editor known to man, but that doesn’t mean you’ll do an A+ job on your own book. The brain works in mysterious ways, and when it edits its own work, it tells itself that work is already perfect. In other words, when you self-edit, you are sure to miss mistakes—even glaring ones. I’m an author and a professional editor, and, yes, I have an editor!

3. Skipping the proofreading pool.
As a self-publisher, you need a TEAM of proofreaders. Why a team? Because every reader will potentially notice different errors. With each proofreader, you’ll weed out more and more mistakes until hopefully there are none left for the public to find. I recommend four or five proofers per team.

4. Foregoing the professional reviews.
A good prepublication review done by a well-known entity will buy your book much-needed clout. If it’s your first book, no one knows you. Why should readers take a chance on buying/reading your book when they can get the latest Brandon Sanderson or Taylor Jenkins Reid? A good review will assure readers, “This one is worth it.” Depending on which company you use, your review can also end up in the magazines that librarians and bookstore owners read. I sold a few hundred books by having good reviews in the pages of Kirkus and BlueInk. That’s the kind of advertisement you want.

5. Failing to put together a Street Team.
Who’s going to toot your horn if you don’t have a Street Team? Who’s going to read the ARC and write those early reviews you desperately need? The Street Team is your grassroots activity. They are the seeds that are going to grow your fan base via word of mouth. Even if you only have a handful of people on your Street Team, it’s much better than having no Street Team. (Click for how to put together a Street Team.)

6. Saying No to an author website/email subscribers list.
Those who are interested in you and your book are going to look for you online. An author website gives them a place to land and you a place to control what they see. It is an opportunity for them to learn more about you—and when your next book is coming out. If they really like you, they’ll want to follow your self-publishing journey by subscribing to your email list. (Click for more on the importance of a Subscribers List.)

7. Spending a lot of money on marketing when you only have one or two books.
I’m guilty of this one, and so are many of my author friends. We want our books to do well, so we buy adverts and promos to help them along. The problem is, when you spend money on advertising or the promos that drive readers to a discounted or free book sale, you’re not going to make that money back right away if you only have one or two books. The hope is to make it back (and more) in the long run, but whether you will is no gimme. (Click here for Marketing ideas.)

When you have a backlist of titles five or ten books long, on the other hand, the promo dollars you invest during your launch or sale help to sell all of the books you have made available. When you have a backlist, a book promo for one of your books is advertisement for all of your books.

That’s why pricing the first in your series at 99 cents or FREE is a smart strategy. The idea is to hook the reader with that first book so they become invested in the story (or you as an author) and are likely to read your second, third, maybe even your tenth books. (This works best with books in series.)

8. Dropping in on the library or bookstore without making an appointment first.
Librarians and shop owners are busy people. Don’t get off to a bad start by interrupting their day with your in-person request. Instead, call and ask if you can come by, or simply email or snail mail an informational flyer about your book. They’ll appreciate that. (Not long ago, I was telling people to drop by, but I stand corrected!)

9. Getting frustrated over low numbers of followers on social media.
Don’t worry, they’ll come to you as your popularity grows. For the most part, social media doesn’t sell books; it’s a place for people who admire your book to reach out to you. That’s all you need it to be. So, find a social media app that you somewhat enjoy, and start interacting there. A few minutes a day (or even every other day) will be enough.

There you have it. Nine negative circumstances you can easily avoid. Your book is important to you. If it wasn’t you wouldn’t have taken the time to publish it. So don’t go the route of saying, “This is good enough” or “My book’s so good, I really don’t have to do that.” It’s not and you actually should. Follow the basic, proven guidelines, and you’ll give your book the best chance it has at success.

Kim Catanzarite is the author of the award-winning Jovian Duology, a sci-fi thriller. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft (www.authorkimcatanzarite.com/blog). She lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.