Self-publishing - the mistakes to avoid

When I first set out on my self-publishing journey over eleven years ago, I didn’t know why I was doing it. I’d written a book purely for fun, with no ambition to get it published. When I finished writing, it sat on a virtual shelf for about a year. 

Then I discovered it was possible to upload to Amazon for the Kindle, and I decided to ‘have a go’ with neither hope nor expectation.

I sat and watched as it sold a few copies – mainly to friends or family who I had bribed to buy a copy (most didn’t even have a Kindle). But then it sold a stunning SIX copies on Christmas day 2011, and I was ecstatic! These had to be sales to people I didn’t know, and the buzz I got made me realise that I wanted my book to be a success.

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Quick links

• Mistake number 1: Failing to define what success looks like to me
• Mistake number 2: Under-estimating the amount of time I needed to prepare my book for market
• Mistake number 3: Jumping into marketing without a plan
• Mistake number 4: Only take advice on how to become a bestseller from people who have achieved this
• Mistake number 5: I didn’t have my book professionally edited

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But what did I mean by success? 

Mistake number 1: Failing to define what success looks like to me

Publishing success means many different things to different people:

• Commercial success – a focus on profit
• Maximising number of readers
• Critical acclaim
• The simple joy of having published your book

It doesn’t matter what drives you, provided you identify what it is.

I thought that just getting my book out there was an accomplishment.

But when I made those few sales I realised it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted it to be a commercial success. It goes without saying, of course, that I also wanted readers to love my book! But I no longer wanted to write just for the fun of it (although I love every moment of it). I wanted to write for my readers.

So ask yourself why you’re doing this, and what it means to you.

That will determine everything you do, from making your books free to download, to spending time on marketing (or not), and money on advertising. It can guide your every decision.

Whatever your motivation, self-publishing requires a significant amount of effort, and far more than I had ever envisaged. Which brings me to my second mistake.

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Mistake number 2: Under-estimating the amount of time I needed to prepare my book for market

Before you travel down the self-publishing route, ask yourself if you genuinely want to become involved in all aspects of initially launching your book, because there is a lot to do! 

You are responsible for everything, from formatting your words to creating a cover design, uploading to retailers, choosing categories, keywords, writing the back cover copy and the blurb for the product page. But getting ready for market is only the first step!

I’m not sure I would have embarked on the journey had I realised how much there was to do, and ten years ago it was harder than now. I had to format my book in HTML before uploading!

I’m glad I persevered, but you should ask yourself if you have the time to commit to the necessary tasks – and don’t underestimate the work.

For those looking for commercial success, your days will also be filled with marketing – and for that, you need a plan.

Mistake number 3: Jumping into marketing without a plan

I didn’t have one, because I didn’t know at the time of launch that I was going to be interested in commercial success. Once I knew where I was heading, I had to work out how to get there, and for that, I needed a plan. 

I know from my business background that success is rarely an accident, and understanding your market and how you might reach readers is essential. So who is your reader? Who is the person who will love your book as much as you do?

Let’s say this is your reader (not mine, in case you were wondering!): 

My ideal reader is Sue, a 44 year old secretary with two teenage children who lives in Manchester. Loves cooking, holidays in Spain, and enjoys books by Jilly Cooper. Her aim in life is to open a tea shop when the children have left home. 

Now that you know her, you’ll have an idea where she might hang out online, and there’s a lot of demographic data available to help you.

Decide if you’re going to be able (and willing) to produce appropriate content for social media, bearing in mind that each platform requires a different approach.

• Do you like taking photos?
• Are you happy to share information about your personal life?
• Do you have an interest that might be shared on a Pinterest board?
• Would you be happy creating TikTok-style videos?

I started by thinking I had to be on everything, but as I only had nine followers on Twitter there was a bit of a mountain to climb! I became fanatical, trying to work out what was the most successful way of doing everything.

I was working fourteen-hour days, seven days a week and, looking back, I suspect that half that time was spent researching what I should be doing, rather than actually doing anything.

You don’t have to be on every social media channel. Killing yourself trying to come up with content is a headache, so set yourself achievable targets and don’t get distracted every time you see a ‘help for authors’ post that tries to drag you in a different direction (which I did, all the time!). Follow your plan – at least until you’ve tested it to see if it works.

There is a wealth of information out there about how to build a marketing plan, and about how to market your book. But who should you trust?

Mistake number 4: Only take advice on how to become a bestseller from people who have achieved this

There are many people offering all kinds of advice – much of it at a price – about how you can market your book to number one.

The first thing you need to ask is have they ever done this themselves? It’s a mystery to me how people can claim to be experts when they haven’t achieved the success that they are promising others.

I recommend you glean all the advice you can find from reputable free sites, and identify what you think you can achieve. You know who your customer is, so when one expert says you must invest in Bookbub ads and another says Facebook ads are the way to go, ignore it for now if it’s not in your plan. You can’t do it all, and a scattergun approach rarely works, so focus.

Once you’ve identified your priorities, at that point you might consider buying into a course from a genuine expert who has proved him/herself. There are a few out there!

Of course, all the marketing and promotion in the world won’t help if you haven’t written a good book! 

Mistake number 5: I didn’t have my book professionally edited

There are many misconceptions about editing.

Only last week someone asked me: ‘When the book comes back from your editor, what percentage have they rewritten?’

I too used to believe that an editor would rewrite my book to make it better. It came as something of a shock to realise that they produce reams of notes about character, pace, location, plot – the list goes on.

At first you might think: Why doesn’t she understand my idea/character?

But as every successful writer I know will tell you, listen to your editor! She or he is looking at your masterpiece from a reader’s perspective. If they don’t see what you see, it’s because some of it is still in your head and not on the page!

When I published Only the Innocent I didn’t go through every step, and despite my lack of attention to the process, the book sold well. I was lucky, but there was significantly less competition then. As a result of the novel’s success, I was fortunate to find myself an amazing agent, who said the book needed editing.

The suggestions she made were a revelation.

One note, for example, pointed out that long sections of dialogue were flat.

There was no indication of what people were doing – picking up a glass, leaning forward, pacing the room, even frowning as they spoke, so although readers could hear what was being said, there was nothing for them to visualise. I could see the room, see the people, because they were in my head when I wrote the chapter. But I hadn’t passed that on to the reader, and it’s just one of the lessons that have stuck with me to this day.

Now, my edit notes are usually several pages long, and include comments such as: ‘Are we supposed to think this character is charming? Because he isn’t.’ That was my cue to work on him a lot more, so that the reader can see the appeal that I had in my mind.

This level of editing is a cost – and one that many self-published authors think unnecessary. I would argue that like any business (and that’s what this is), you need to invest to get the returns.

I now use professionals for a structural/developmental edit and a line/copy edit. Each phase adds to the quality of the book, and I genuinely love this part of the writing process as I see the resulting polish my editors bring.

And finally, proof reading. It’s rarely enough to ask friends or family to do this.

I read my latest novel No More Lies about thirty times before it went to the proof reader, and it had passed through many hands. No one, except my proof reader, noticed that I had written the thump of base instead of bass – coming from the speakers in the bar!

She’s worth every penny.

Although I’ve made mistakes, I will never regret self-publishing my Tom Douglas series. It has been one of the most rewarding decisions I ever made, despite the long hours and hard work.

And it’s the best job there is, so I’m not complaining.

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Rachel Abbott’s latest thriller in the DCI Tom Douglas series, No More Lies, is available on Amazon

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