We all make them. If we didn't, we wouldn't be human. But these 3 take the cake.
One: We believe that we can edit our own work. Sure, we can and should do the preliminary editing, but getting an editor to go over the final is a MUST. Can't afford an editor? Get someone (or multiple 'someones') to read over your work. I have used English teachers, friends with high editing skills, and other authors. Some editors see the small stuff like commas and periods. Others see the big picture and can find mistakes in your setting or plot, for example.
Two: We believe everyone will love our work and market to everyone instead of funneling our energy to those who like what we write. How do we find out who enjoys our work? Those who sign up for our newsletter will give us a great start. They subscribe because they like what we have to say, and they like what we have to write.
Photo by Jake Hills on Unsplash
Three: Finally, we don't step up. We think we'll sell books just because they're in the bookstores or online at Amazon. It is estimated that 1.4 million self-published books (the number has more than likely increased since 2019) currently inhabit the book arena at Amazon? How will yours stand out? What will you do to promote your book? This is probably the toughest one of all. Getting seen. Getting known. But we have to do something. For a few months, I quit writing on my blog thinking it really didn't matter. It did. My readership, which had dropped to almost nothing, is reading again because I am taking the time to write something like this post.
It's up to writers, not publishers or readers, to have an edited book, to promote to the right readers, and to step up about their books. Sure, publishers and readers assist us in a big way, but it's up to us to get the book out there in the first place.
