How to Avoid the 11 Biggest Mistakes of First Time Authors
July 6th, 2004I needed more professional development posts on LS. This article, entitled, How to Avoid the 11 Biggest Mistakes of First Time Authors has some good tips for those who are thinking about writing a book. A few tips of note:
1) “Don’t expect to get rich off your book, even if it’s a success by publishing standards. The vast majority of books fail to earn out their advance. Instead, develop a personal marketing plan to leverage your career off your book. Instead of trying to make money on the book itself, use your book to open doors, promote your credibility and build relationships with readers.”
This is especially true for trade books published for the library world. I used my book to market myself, rather than as a money making schema (even though it has sold well), and to network more with others. It has paid off as I have gotten more writing gigs because of the book.
6) “Going it alone. Successful careers involve a nurturing support group of readers and peers. Your quest should include the support of your friends, other authors, book coaches, readers and others who will help you maintain your enthusiasm while providing ideas, assistance and feedback.”
This statement can’t be true enough. I had colleagues, friends, family members, and (most importantly) good editors support me throughout the writing process. Whether it was an IM to Jenny while I was stuck with a theory, or an e-mail to my editor Renee, just to work out an issue, I always knew that I had a support system in place.
9) “Failure to promote. Publishers are not promoters. Publishers are skilled at editing, manufacturing and distributing books. But they are not set up to give your book the marketing attention it deserves. A single publicist may represent over 100 books!”
ALA Editions did a fantastic job in promoting my book, but I had to do a lot of self-promotion as well. During the fall of 2003, I spoke at numerous conferences and brought a copy of my book with me every time and showed it off. Self-promotion is not a bad thing. It just needs to be done right, without overdoing it.
10. “Failure to back up and save. Save frequently when writing. Always save before printing. Never turn off your computer without making a copy of your files for off-premises storage. Never end a writing session without printing out a hard copy of the latest version of the chapter you’re writing.”
I lost a chapter and a half because I forgot to save my work on an external drive (CD, etc) before my laptop decided to call it quits. Now, I backup everything. I learned the hard way.