Don’t Make These 10 Self-Publishing Mistakes!

By Sarah Kolb-Williams

I’ve been a freelance book editor for over fifteen years, and I’ve had the privilege of editing hundreds of books. Unfortunately, I’ve seen authors invest serious money only to make publishing mistakes that cost them visibility, sales, and hope.

If you’re self-publishing, you’re wrangling a lot of tasks. After spending so much time on your manuscript, you might feel like you just want to get the thing out there already. But please, fight the urge to skip any of these important steps—any one of them could make or break your chances of success.

In part one of this two-part series, I’ll highlight the biggest book production mistakes I’ve seen new authors make. Next week, I’ll touch on some of the publication mistakes that can tank your chances of succeeding as an independent author.

1. Skipping the Revisions

Writers Helping Writers is full of incredible advice on crafting captivating stories. Even so, when you finally finish that first draft and you’re sick of the sight of it, you might be tempted to jump right in and hire an editor. After all, isn’t it time to start working on your next book?

There’s a lot of advice out there to publish fast, fast, fast. But that’s not the only way to do it. For many reasons, it’s better to focus on quality than speed—especially if this is your first book—and the best way to do that is through diligent author revisions.

So what’s the secret to successful revisions? Time.

While you’re mired in that first draft, you can’t always see what it will be like for a new reader to approach the book. Come back later with fresh eyes, and you’ll be able to recognize where you glossed over key details. You’ll see where your characters aren’t acting characteristically. And you’ll spot leftover debris from moving a section from one spot to another.

Then, after you’ve put your manuscript away for a month or so, it’s time to start your revisions!

2. Skipping the Editing

If you’ve never worked with an editor before, you may be skeptical about what editors can really do for you. It’s your book. Why turn it into somebody else’s?

But a good editor can actually help you sound more like yourself—or at least what you hoped you’d sound like.

A developmental editor can identify holes in your logic and suggest new ways to connect with your audience. A substantive editor can help liven your prose or temper your tone. A copyeditor can ensure that every sentence says exactly what you intended, every mark is pulling its weight, and every word is spelled how it’s supposed to be.

Editors don’t want to take over your manuscript; they want your book to be the best it can be. And isn’t that what your book (and your readers) deserves?

3. Not Prioritizing Book Design

Most authors understand the importance of professional cover design. After all, readers absolutely judge books by their covers, and yours has only a fleeting chance to grab attention. Unfortunately, many new authors treat the interior layout as an afterthought.

You might think that Word document you formatted yourself looks just fine, but readers may think otherwise. Outside of poor editing and lackluster cover design, an amateur interior is one of the biggest ways to lose a reader’s interest.

Here’s just a short list of interior book design principles that new authors often overlook:

• Body fonts should be readable, not “interesting”—save those for chapter titles and headings!
• Text should be fully justified
• Words should be allowed to break at the end of a line (but not across spreads)
• The last line of a paragraph should not appear alone at the top of a page

Book designers have to juggle all of these design principles and more. Upholding one might mean bending another, and a good designer has the skill and experience to handle these issues appropriately. And, importantly, they know to finesse the spacing of the occasional paragraph or line so they can implement proofreading corrections without creating new issues.

4. Failing to Manage Proofreading

When you’re publishing on your own, you can’t just send your Word document to a proofreader and call it a day. There are more steps involved in proofreading than some authors realize.

Let’s take a look behind the scenes. During proofreading, a publisher might take these steps:

• Compare the typeset interior to the copyedited manuscript to ensure no text has gone missing
• Send to the proofreader to check for text and layout issues
• Review changes to ensure nothing will offset the design (and propose light edits as needed to minimize design disruptions)
• Send changes to the book designer to update the interior
• Confirm all updates and check for any new layout issues
• Send any corrections back to the book designer as needed

Phew!

A traditional publisher or self-publishing company has a whole team of players (or at least a lead editor) to pull it all off. If you’re just one person, review the list above with your proofreader to clarify what they’ll be responsible for, and plan to fill any gaps yourself.

5. Misunderstanding the Purpose of Back Cover Copy

The purpose of that short bit of text on the back of your book is sometimes misunderstood. It isn’t the place to introduce readers to every character. It isn’t a synopsis or a summary. And it definitely isn’t a place to tell readers how the book ends.

In fact, back cover copy (and its online cousin, the sales description—more on that next time!) is an important sales tool. It’s marketing copy, plain and simple, and it should be focused on giving a reader that extra push to pick up your book.

For nonfiction, bullet points help make the copy scannable. Don’t just focus on what your book does; explain how readers will benefit.

For both fiction and nonfiction, start with an opening hook that asks readers a question or piques their interest. Keep it short; between 150 and 200 words is a good goal. And remember, don’t give away the ending!

(Ready to put your back cover copy to the test? Check out “How to Craft a Top-Notch Blurb.”)

This is by no means a comprehensive list of publishing tasks, but I hope it’s got you thinking about the hidden steps involved in producing a high-quality book. Check back next week for more tips on positioning and distribution that will keep you in the driver’s seat!

Check out Part 2 of this post which focuses on mistakes to avoid while finalizing your files and publishing your book.

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Sarah Kolb-Williams has been a freelance editor and writer for over fifteen years. She is currently lead editor at Spoonbridge Press, a small publishing services company she cofounded to help independent authors navigate the confusing world of self-publishing. When she’s not working with independent authors, she’s relaxing with her family, enjoying the local live music scene, or tracking down the spiciest food she can find.