Publishing a book is an exciting milestone, but rushing through the process or making uninformed decisions can lead to unnecessary setbacks. Many authors make common publishing mistakes that hurt their book’s success. Some can be great learning experiences, there are some mistakes you just can’t come back from or make “go away.” Your corrected or updated editions may be haunted by bad reviews, and some opportunities are only ripe at certain points of the process, so you can’t go back and try again.
I’ve worked with hundreds of authors and I see the same common publishing mistakes kill authors’ dreams in the cradle repeatedly. Avoid these three pitfalls if you are serious about publishing a high-quality book that resonates with readers.
1. Rushing to Publish Without Proper Editing
The Risk: Poorly Edited Books Lead to Bad Reviews
Skipping professional editing might save time (and money in the short term), but it often leads to embarrassing typos, poor readability, and negative reviews. Readers can forgive minor mistakes, so a typo here or there won’t offend. But consistent errors and awkward phrasing can frustrate them, leading to bad reviews that impact sales.
Worse, once those negative reviews are on your book’s page, they are challenging to recover from. Many sites, like Amazon, will carry those reviews over to each new edition of your book. Think you’ll republish with a new title, new cover, and pretend that first mistake of a book never existed? Think again. You may spend months to years petitioning Amazon and other sales channels to remove old titles. I had one client who tried and was informed by Amazon’s Customer Service that as long as a third-party retailer can sell a used copy of a book, they would not remove the listing, even if it’s out of print.
But when we talk about “proper editing,” I don’t just mean things like punctuation, usage, grammar, and syntax (or PUGS, as most copyeditors say). I’m also talking about the execution of your idea, or the overall reading experience of the book. Does it deliver on its promise? Is it even clear what the promise is?
Why Editing Matters
A well-edited book enhances readability, strengthens storytelling (for fiction and memoir), and improves clarity (for nonfiction). It also demonstrates professionalism. Readers expect an engaging, polished experience tailored for the expectations of the book’s category, and a poorly edited book signals inexperience or a lack of care.
Think of it this way: Would you trust a business with a website marred by typos and grammatical errors? Or work with someone who doesn’t understand your problems or desires? Probably not. Your book is your brand, and if it feels unpolished or poorly targeted, it won’t inspire confidence in readers.
The Solution: Work With a Professional Editor
While self-publishing offers the flexibility to update your book later, it is not a best practice to publish first and revise as you learn. A book should be the best version of itself from day one. Working with an editor helps refine your writing, clarify your message, and elevate your book to professional standards.
It’s important to understand that there are different types of editors–a copyeditor, trained to spot those PUGS issues I mentioned earlier, isn’t going to be able to help you deal with a flawed plot, slow pacing, or the strength of your promise to your readers. A developmental editor, trained to deal with big picture issues, won’t be of much help cleaning up minor errors in your draft.Our FAQ can help you better understand the role of different editors and the overall process of editing a book. This article about finding and working with editors is helpful, too.
2. Underestimating the Importance of Relationships
The Problem: Books Do Not Sell Without an Audience
Many authors assume that once their book is published, readers will automatically find it. But without a dedicated audience or strong network to help you promote it to the right people, even the best books struggle to gain traction.
One of the first things I learned about marketing is this: once you’ve created a great product, good marketing is just about ensuring the right people know it exists and where to find it.
Seems simple, and it is–but of course, simple doesn’t mean easy.
Think about it: If no one knows your book exists, how will they buy it? If you’re letting people know about the book, but they aren’t the people most likely to want the book in the first place, what’s the likelihood of sales following? Authors who do not focus on building an audience–the right target audience–before launching often find themselves disappointed with low sales, no reviews, and minimal word-of-mouth marketing.
That said, there is another way to think about this problem that inexperienced professionals and authors miss. You have a choice here: You can take the time to build your audience before you launch and enjoy success with the book sooner, or you can accept that your launch will be quiet and small, but you can then use the book to build your audience.
Many new indie authors fall into the latter category. You still can’t just take a Field of Dreams “if you build it, they will come” approach, but when you don’t have an audience, it can actually be easier to build one once you have the book to leverage.
How an Audience Helps You Sell More Books
Whether you build the audience before or after you publish, knowing who your audience is and increasing their awareness of your work can make all the difference in your book’s success.
Readers who are already engaged with your work are more likely to pre-order your book or purchase it as soon as it launches. A strong early sales boost can improve your book’s rankings on platforms like Amazon, making it more visible to new readers.
An engaged audience also increases the likelihood of getting reviews. Readers who feel connected to you—whether through email newsletters, social media interactions, or blog content—are more inclined to leave positive feedback. Reviews play a crucial role in a book’s success, as they help establish credibility and influence potential buyers.
You may have heard that getting as many as 50 positive reviews on Amazon, for example, within the first 30 days of your book’s release is important. A pre-existing audience can help make that happen. But even long after the book is launched, growing and nurturing your audience is the key to ongoing sales and reviews.
Perhaps the most powerful benefit of a dedicated audience is word-of-mouth marketing. People love to share books they enjoy, whether through personal recommendations, social media posts, or book clubs. When readers are invested in your work and your journey as an author, they naturally become ambassadors for your book, expanding your reach far beyond what paid advertising alone can achieve.
How to Fix It: Grow Your Email List, Network, and Engage With Readers
There are lots of ways to build relationships and a few key groups of people to focus on. For best results, you want to look at:
- Growing your email list – Email subscribers are highly engaged and more likely to buy your book.
- Engaging with readers and influencers on social media – Consistency is key; share and reshare valuable content and connect authentically.
- Networking with other authors and influencers on and offline – Cross-promotions, podcast interviews, and guest blogs help expand your reach.
Check out our article “How to Build An Audience for a Book Before You Launch” for more advice.
When debut author Andy Weir first released The Martian, he self-published chapters on his website for free. He built an enthusiastic fanbase as readers engaged with his work and shared it widely. This grassroots momentum led to a traditional publishing deal and a blockbuster movie adaptation starring Matt Damon (have you seen it? It’s great!).
3. Choosing the Wrong Publishing Path for Your Goals
Why This Happens: Authors Rush Into Publishing Without Research
Publishing is an exciting process, and many authors feel pressured to “just get their book out there.” Some of this is about needing a kind of closure to what is often a lengthy process. Sometimes it’s pure impatience.
But most often, there is an element of “you don’t know what you don’t know” when it comes to book publishing. That’s why failing to consider their publishing path carefully can result in an author making one of the most common publishing mistakes—choosing an option that does not align with their goals, finances, or long-term vision.
Why No One Path Is Right for Every Author
There is no single “best” way to publish. It all depends on your goals:
- Want creative control and higher royalties? Self-publishing may be the way to go.
- Want industry validation, professional distribution, and potential advances? Traditional publishing might be a better fit.
- Want a little of both? Hybrid publishing or supported indie publishing (which is what we do here at The Writer’s Ally) could be right for you.
And here’s another way forward that I bet isn’t even on your radar: Maybe all that great content you want to put into your book would better serve your audience and your goals if it weren’t a book. There are lots of ways to share content these days. A book is just one, and not always the right or best one.
The Solution: Find the Right Path for You
Indie author Amanda Hocking famously failed to get an agent or book deal for more than 14 novels before she decided to dive into self-publishing, where she found massive success for cross-genre books that were, at the time, uncommon and considered hard to market. She was so successful in proving that her books could find an audience that just a few years later, she had traditional publishers vying for the right to republish her books to the tune of seven figures.
On the other hand, one of our clients told us that she wasted nearly a year trying to get a literary agent because she thought that was the only “real” way to publish her book. Then she learned more about traditional publishing and realized it would not allow her to give away the large number of books she planned to gift to partners. By the time her book was published, her cutting-edge ideas would likely be stale (traditional publishing typically takes at least two years from book deal to print).
There’s more to consider here beyond “getting published.” Take the time to weigh the pros and cons of each option, talk to a publishing consultant if you need help (I’m available for one-hour Profitable Publishing Consults–contact us to find out more), and do not rush your decision.
Take Action: Avoid These Costly Mistakes!
Publishing a book is an incredible achievement, but your choices will impact its success. Don’t leave things to luck. To set yourself up for success:
- Invest in professional editing before publishing.
- Build your audience and author network early, if you can, or plan to use your book to build one later.
- Choose the right publishing path for your long-term goals.
If you want to avoid these and other common publishing mistakes, here are a few great resources for you to explore:
Podcast: After the First Draft: An Interview with Ally Machate on What Comes Next
Podcast: Working with an Editor Effectively
YouTube Video: Why Editing Matters: Thinking Like An Editor
Article: A Guide to Author Networking: How to Partner with Other Authors
Free Resource: Download our free guide to publishing success or schedule a consultation today!
Ally Machate is on a mission to help authors make great books and reach more readers. A bestselling author and expert publishing consultant, Ally has served small and “Big Five” publishers, including Simon & Schuster, where she acquired and edited books on staff. Her clients include authors with such companies as Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Rodale Inc., Chronicle Books, Kaplan Publishing, Sourcebooks, and Hay House, as well as independently published bestsellers. As founder & CEO of The Writer’s Ally, Ally and her team lead serious authors to write, publish, and sell more high-quality books.
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