Publish Your Ebook: How To Rectify These 21 Mistakes

Do you want to publish your Ebook?

Publishing your ebook can be a rewarding and lucrative endeavor.

However, there are some common errors and missteps that authors can make when trying to publish their book.

This article will address 21 common mistakes as an author you might make when you are trying to publish your ebook and offer solutions to help you rectify them.

By the end of this article, you will have achievable guidelines to help ensure a successful ebook publish process.

21 Self-Publishing Mistakes To Rectify When Attempting To Publish Your Ebook

With a massive list of major errors and how to eradicate prominent mistakes, let’s get started without any delay.

Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned writer, it’s time to publish your ebook and unlock the potential of digital publishing in the modern era.

1. Unattractive Book Titles

Smart book titles early on in your self-publishing journey didn’t work because they didn’t capture the reader’s attention.

Add keywords when they match your content. A bad title might look like you’re trying too hard.

How To Rectify: Write your title slowly and consider rewriting it later if it still does not sound good. If it doesn’t, ask someone else.

2. Inferior Book Cover Designs

Readers judge the cover of a book, so don’t pass off your book’s cover design as if it’s an amateur graphic design instead of a high-quality, five-star masterpiece.

Don’t use pre-cut covers using Amazon Cover Creator or other online software. Instead, hire an experienced graphic designer or raise money for a top-notch cover designer.

How To Rectify: OliviaProDesign is a popular and affordable cover designer on Fiverr, offering amazing designs for just $5 for an eBook cover.

3. Overpricing

If your book title and cover aren’t generating sales, consider re-evaluating your pricing strategy.

Amazon royalties are complex, with eBooks priced below $2.99 receiving 35% royalty.

Print books have 60% royalties and 40% for expanded distribution, including bookstores, online retailers, libraries, and academic institutions.

How To Rectify: Find the best books in your area on Amazon and set your prices accordingly, taking into account the information above.

4. Absence Of Real Editing

While online retailers may offer free book returns, bad reviews are often the result of poor editing.

It’s essential to hire an experienced editor if you want to have a sustainable self-publishing business.

You can self-edit 90% of grammatical and spelling mistakes, but you don’t have to worry about flow or development. That’s where a professional editor comes to the rescue.

Self-editing Tips: Proof your book using ProWritingAid, paste it into hemingwayapp.com, run through suggestions, go backward, read forward, ask a friend or relative to report typos, and fix them as you go through again with PWA.

This process should result in your best work.

How To Rectify: Hire an editor from Fiverr’s vetted list and use the above method to self-edit your book, allowing you to complete both tasks simultaneously.

5. Overspending

Time vs. Money: This is one of the most common business decisions made by self-published authors.

Experienced self-published authors can grow their businesses with the help of virtual assistants, freelancers, cover designers, and editors.

Newcomers should save their money and grow their businesses brick by brick.

Start small and do everything yourself to save your money and get a feel for the process.

If you have a steep learning curve or if it’s an expert-intensive task, hire someone else.

Scale your business by hiring smaller tasks.

How To Rectify: Ensure your bottom line is monitored, avoid mistakes, and focus on personal growth. Avoid overspending on self-publishing, as it can lead to financial ruin.

6. Running After Trends

Popular trends include adult coloring, erotic romance, and non-content (no-content) paperback books.

While self-publishing has to adjust its business model to the changing market, it is more sustainable to focus on brand building and expanding the reading audience.

How To Rectify: Maintain your familiarity and passion for what you love and create a brand around it.

7. Poor Description

Your book description is the most important part of your sales pitch. While your cover and keywords work well, your book description needs to be interesting and engaging to whet readers’ appetites and entice them to buy.

How To Rectify: Take a look at Amazon books in your area, take note of the book’s description, and pick a format that’s easy to read.

Go to your local bookstore or library and read the synopses.

For more Amazon book descriptions follow Brian Meeks’ template from Book Rescue.

8. Absence In Proof Of Concept

Market research and analysis are essential for book sales. A book with no market demand can be a disappointment because it may not sell in today’s market.

How To Rectify: To succeed, research genre sales, reader preferences, audience strategies, and scale up competition. If not successful, revisit the drawing board.

9. Wrong Timing

Don’t launch your summer romantic book in November.

People launch in November all the time.

Take your time and think about your readers.

Nobody will read your Christmas book if it’s late.

How To Rectify: Readers are always ready for new books. Thus, be patient and wait for the right time to launch your book for maximum sales potential.

10. Unsuccessful Execution Of Launch

Set a book release date, but lose momentum and miss the launch date, causing a loss of momentum and potential reader disinterest.

This can negatively impact your book business and make you unreliable to potential readers.

How To Rectify: Set a release date and follow through with it, regardless of any changes.

11. Formatting Not On Point

Proper formatting is crucial for self-publishing success, whether it’s an eBook or print book.

Ebook formatting is easy, while printbook formatting is complex and may require hiring a professional.

DIYers can learn software like Atticus, Affinity Publisher, or InDesign.

How To Rectify: Follow the tutorial that provides instructions on how to format an eBook, which can be found at various top websites.

12. Lack Of ARC Team

Do not send advanced readers copies for feedback. Instead, set up an ARC team to beta test and review on release day.

It is recommended to respond to criticism NOW instead of in the Amazon reviews section to avoid confusion.

How To Rectify: To set up your ARC team, you can set up a separate email list or enlist the help of a tool such as StoryOrigin.

13. Inactive Marketing Of Your Ebooks

Marketing your book is one of the biggest challenges that independent authors face, and it can be both daunting and frustrating.

As more and more traditional publishers are asking authors to help them promote their books, it’s no secret that it’s important to promote your book to make money.

However, despite the challenges, the joy of writing is still very much alive.

How To Rectify: The YouTube playlist on book marketing offers tips on budgeting, book rescue, and selling more books.

14. Boundaries Set Solely To Amazon

The eBook market is dominated by Amazon. The first Kindle was released in 2008.

Amazon also has a library of free public domain books. The market for ebooks has been in a state of revision since 2007. Publishing to other markets is essential.

How To Rectify: Utilize an aggregate publisher like Draft2digital alongside KDP to promote your book on various main-selling platforms, bookstores, and libraries.

15. Failure Of Expanding Your Network

Friends and family are great supporters, but not everyone wants to be your client. Use their networks efficiently to connect with new people.

How To Rectify: When your books are out in the wild, share them with friends and family on social media.

16. Giving Up Early

There are a lot of moving parts and 21 mistakes that can ruin your self-publishing journey.

If you fail at self-publishing, try again.

It’s a big commitment.

How To Rectify: Avoid rushing the process and take your time. Try again, as your next book will likely be better.

17. No Branding

Brand building is one of the most important aspects of online business.

It makes your business stand out from the crowd and makes it easier to market your product or service.

Self-publishing is a business.

The brand building makes marketing easier, which makes it worth it.

How To Rectify:

Create a logo or a professional headshot to show off your brand.
Create a social media account with minimal Facebook and Twitter profiles.
Create a single website using self-hosted WordPress or Namecheap.
Create a comprehensive media kit using Canva’s media kit template.

18. Bad Selection Of Keywords And Categories

Keyword research on Amazon leads to discoverability. While categories and keywords are important metadata elements, finding accurate information is difficult.

I’ve written about both in my recent blog on SPwD.

How To Rectify:

Get proper knowledge on how to research and use keywords.
Make proper categories that go with the E-book.

19. Book For All

It’s impossible to write a book for everyone. That’s why it’s so important to understand your target audience and tailor your marketing and promotion accordingly.

How To Rectify: The sections mentioned above cover proof-of-concept and book marketing. Refer to that.

20. Moving In Haste

Don’t rush your self-publishing. You’ll miss opportunities to write better books if you don’t take your time, reflect, and make sure your knowledge is up to date.

How To Rectify: Do not rush. Instead, take time to consider all available options before making a decision.

21. No Publish After One Ebook

If you want to double your success as an author, you’ll need to keep building your book catalog.

Before you publish your first book, plan out series and follow-ups.

This will exponentially increase your visibility. You need to keep writing what you love.

How To Rectify: You must continue writing more books and have a clear plan for a series.

Related Content: 21 Ways To Make Money Online

Final Thoughts

Writing an ebook is a difficult but rewarding endeavor with potential rewards such as blog readership, online course registrations, niche authority, and income.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is not trying or putting in the effort to write an ebook.

But with proper preparation and planning, you can have a completed ebook in as little as a month or two.

This could boost your email list, position you as an expert, and generate income while you plan to publish your Ebook series.

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