Eight Mistakes Indie Authors Should Avoid Making

Every author wants to have a bestselling novel. They have that daydream of collecting royalty checks, doing a spot on Good Morning America or Jay Leno, while sipping a fancy cocktail and writing by a pool. Truth is with the ease of the publishing now, good writers with great stories not only have to wade their way to the top through one hitters they now have to fight the stigma and the bad reputations given to Indie Authors.

I get asked quite a bit about how I do it. It’s not easy making a living as an Indie writer, it takes a lot of hard work, and there are times where I just want to chuck it all, trust me. But it’s my passion and my dream and I don’t give those up very easily. At least without a fight.

So, to be helpful, I have compiled a list of eight mistakes newbie and Indie authors make that should be avoided. It excludes the over advised grammar, book covers, etc ... It might be harsh, but it’s honest. I’m positive I have been guilty of a few of them at one time, early on. But as any established Indie will tell you, you learn. And the best way to learn is the first item on my list.

Eight Mistakes Often Made That Should Be Avoided

They ask but they don’t listen – Many times, in a state of confusion or loss at what to do, an author will reach out to a veteran author for advice. We give it. I know I spend time explaining why I am advising what I am. When we give the advice, we aren’t doing it to steer you in the wrong way, we do it because we have ‘been there, done that’ and paid the price. We honestly want to spare you. But I have learned, as many others, that 90% of the advice we give is not followed. I get so many emails stating, “UG, why didn’t I listen” to which I WANT to reply, ‘Why did you ask.”. But I don’t. The advice isn’t followed because it isn’t what they want to hear. I don't expect my advise to always be followed, but I hate hearing I was right and they didn't listen.  If you ask for advice and don’t follow it, do not express regret to the person who gave it to you. They’ll never help you again.

I’m a Writer but I don’t Write – This will be argued. Too many writers call themselves writers and are either not writing or working on multiple projects at once. I can’t tell you how many times I hear an author say they are working on three or four books and yet not one is near completion. Focus. Finish.  In this age of Instant books, no one wants to wait a year for your next project. They’ll forget you too easily, because are quick to take your place.  

Expectations and Laziness – Too many time Indies want instant recognition or sales and don’t want to work for it. They don’t seize every avenue or opportunity presented to them.  Big or small, if an opportunity is there to get one person to read … take it. You never know what that one person will do.  An example is, I posted on a big writers forum, about an opportunity to promote your work for free. A new opportunity. 10,000 plus members on the forum and I had 3 views. Pushed to the fifth page in a heartbeat, and replaced with threads griping about low sales and ….

They pimp their work to other authors – What is this? I don’t get this? Yet, authors continuously do it.  I kid you not, on that author board,  65,000 views 22,000 replies under a thread called “Authors Promote your work here’ To who? Other authors promoting their work. Really? How much sense does that make? I’d rather promote my work to five readers than 22,000 authors who will never look at my post. Insane. I guess it’s the lack of wanting to leave the comfort zone of one place. And on that …

They spend too much time on forums – If a writer wants bad reviews, torpedoes reviews, the best way to get them is too spend time on a writer’s forum. Try it, post about the success of a book and I can guarantee you’ll get a torpedo, negative review from a reviewer who never reviewed a book in their life. More so, they go to these forums and gripe about reviewers. I can bet reviewers are there.  Hit the readers not the writers unless you need advice and you can get that, one on one, on Facebook.

Loss of Marketing Tact – How many times have you seen this happen? You’re engaging in a  nice conversation about something on a forum or thread and suddenly some author posts ‘buy my book’.  Out of the blue, nothing to do with topic. Too often authors get pushy and post randomly about their work. It doesn’t get them noticed, it gets them ignored. Once I was watching a thread on Autism and a woman asking advice on how to handle her son and some author posted ‘Buy my book it has an autistic boy in it’. Grrr.

Hobby not a career – If you want to be a successful writer and make it your dream living then you have to work at it just like any other career. You wouldn’t tell your boss you can’t work because you have to sleep or watch a TV show. Writing shouldn’t play second fiddle to free time. I know how hard it is to write and work a full time job, while raising a family, but there is always time. Give up an hour sleep, a TV show. But work on it.

Readers Not Fans  - I love my readers but I would never call them fans. Me calling them ‘my fans’ lessens the importance they hold in my life. A good readership, like a friendship is built. It requires a building of trust. They trust you’ll deliver a good story, you’ll keep them reading, and trust you’ll appreciate them.  The best way to get readers is to stop being the author with a book, and be a person whose story they want to know.

Why You Should NOT Self Publish Your First Book

You’re probably thinking, why in the world would a primarily self published … oh, wait, PC term Indy published author say not to self publish a book?

Allow me to add to the title of this blog. It should be, ‘Why you should NOT self Publish your first book … right away’

‘Right away’ being the key words here.

I have a friend who right now is going through the tedious content edits of his first book. I know they’re tedious, I did the first half. I left page after page of notes and suggestions. The book is very good and it has the makings of a really good seller. Anyhow, midst of the edits he is sending out queries to agents. A little ahead of the game, but ambitious is never a bad thing. When he told me this, I was like, “What the piss, Dude. Why would you go through all that, give fifteen percent of your ten percent when the world of digital editions is at your fingertips and easy …”

Ah, that’s the word … easy.

It’s easy.

I’m from the old world of publishing, when self published or vanity held a stigma. It still kinda, sort of does, but it’s getting better. But I am also from the time when you worked so damned hard to get published, that you dropped to your knees in gratefulness over that acceptance letter and framed that first royalty check for $1.35.

I am fortunate enough to be in that percentage of indy authors who makes some money from their writing. Not as much as I would like, but a hell of a lot more than I did years ago. Heck, if I had a time machine and went back to show a present royalty statement to my past self as I read through rejections, past-me probably would tell me, “yeah, right’.

But I wouldn’t tell my past self that. In fact, I wouldn’t  tell my past self about the opportunities in the future. Why? Because I wouldn't have worked so hard.

Yeah, I have some success, but I don’t measure my success by dollars, I measure it by the people I have enjoying my work. People are reading my stuff! That’s all I ever wanted. Really. Read it and like it.

I can say few have been rejected more than me. I said I’d quit when I had enough rejections (Books, poems, short stories, screenplays) to place one on each step of the Empire State Building. I didn’t quit, I just stopped counting … at 1172.

I have been rejected, told I sucked, told to give up, and even ridiculed for my genre of writing. But I didn’t give up. I was beaten many times, cried over it, but I kept writing.

I called them the ‘dreaded thumps’, when a publisher would ask to read the entire book. But when they rejected it and sent it back, it landed with a ‘thump’ on my porch.

I remember one day, my daughter, still a little girl and innocent said to me as she opened the door, “Mommy, another one of your books was rejected. It’s just laying there. Sad.”

That day forever stands in my mind, because I think that day I felt as if I looked so pathetic to my own kids. Did I suck so badly that no one wanted to take a chance on my work.

Someone did, it wasn’t the best opportunity but it was an opportunity. Then another took a chance. But after years of zero royalties, I took that chance on Kindle.

Again, I’m doing okay, my works is out there, but I appreciate it more than anyone knows. Each time a stranger emails me to say they enjoyed my work or a regular reader compliments, it means the world, I’m doing what I was mean to do. I’m doing what I love to do. I am a writer. But without that long road, that hard road of rejection and self doubt, self publishing would have been too easy and I wouldn’t have appreciation for what I have, I would probably be greedy for more. Make sense?

So, no. Do not self publish your first book right away. Submit, query and send to anyone that you think may be interested in your work. If you get rejected, embrace it. After you feel like you are a complete failure and no one wants to publish you … submit again. Hey, you may strike gold.  Pick a magic number. Carrie was rejected 120 times. One you hit your magic number, and you absolutely feel you have exhausted all avenues, then self publish. And it will be worth it. For most of us, I honestly believe the rewards in the literary world match the road you have taken to get there. For some the rewards are financial, for others, like me, it’s people reading and enjoying their work.

Appreciation is the operative term here. Self publishing is too easy today. And true appreciation doesn’t come when rewards are easy.