A lot of people will say there’s no wrong way to self-publish. I, and anyone else who wants to bring the vision of self-publishing out of the poor book producing gutter it has been for a while, would disagree.
There are definitely wrong ways to self-publish, and here are a few.
Vanity Publishers
Vanity publishers are the ultimate self-publishing scam. The term vanity publisher, vanity press, or subsidy publisher have been used to describe publishing houses where authors actually pay to have their books published.
If you’re footing several thousand dollars, you’re self-publishing, and not correctly if it’s done like this.
Vanity publishers often do their job poorly, leaving authors with no promotion, and a poorly printed stack of books that they don’t know what to do with.
Skipping Editing
Of all the things you can skip out on, editing isn’t one of them. The idea of letting a random friend edit, editing yourself, or not editing at all is definitely a no-no if you want to have successful publishing.
Even if you have poor marketing skills, even if your cover isn’t the best cover in the world, having a quality book can get you past almost any other negative thing. But, most readers will have a hard time finishing a book that its laden with typos and plot holes.
Even professional editors hire a separate editor when it comes to their own books. At least, that’s what I’ve read so far. Because seeing errors in your own work is incredibly hard.
Not Promoting
Even if you don’t have a massive publishing budget, you have to promote in some way. This is the case whether you self-publish or publish traditionally. Even big publishing houses expect you to promote your own book on your social media.
You don’t always have to spend a fortune to promote your book, but getting a few reviews on a blog, doing some interviews, sharing a book trailer, sharing via social media, all of it counts. And there are some benefits to spending a handful of cash on promoted posts, if they’re done right.
Doing Your Own Cover
I’m on the fence about this one because I do all my own covers. So, I think it’s definitely possible for an author to DIY book covers if they have the know how. I even wrote a post about it here.
Then again, I’ve always been artistically inclined, I’m a photographer, and I’m currently studying Graphic Design.
There is an exception to every rule.
So, when I post this particular no-no, I’m referring to those without that particular artistic ability, or those without the proper software. Because doing a quality cover requires both. And, if you really want your book to sell, you want a quality cover.
There are plenty of freelance designers out there.
Not Planning Ahead
You spent months plotting your book, probably more writing, hours of your heart, sweat, blood, and tears are in this thing. If you spend that much time writing the book, don’t you think you should spend some time planning it’s success?
You need a marketing plan. And you need one before you even publish if you really want it to succeed.
Not every marketing plan is the same because not every book is the same, and not every writer is the same. We don’t all have the same budget, connections, or abilities. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t have the same type of goals.
Point is, you need a plan, no matter what that plan is.
I’m sure there are plenty of other self-publishing no-no’s out there. These are just a few.
What are some self-publishing no-no’s you avoid?
Ellie,