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Writing Mistakes That Can Cost You Money

By on December 7, 2017
Writing Mistakes That Can Cost You Money - writers life.org

Writing a novel takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Whether you are in it merely for the joy and satisfaction of seeing your work in print or are determined to make a living out of your writing, there are several readily made mistakes which can end up costing you money in the long run.

Not polishing your book

If you don’t get a professional editor to read your work, if you don’t hire a professional book cover designer to design your cover, and if you don’t get feedback or make an effort to check for grammar and spelling mistakes, your book simply won’t sell. There is just far too much competition out there these days, and you have to spend a little to see a return. If you aren’t willing to invest in yourself then why should anyone else?

No marketing plan or author platform

If you’ve spent money getting your book into the best shape possible, then you need to put effort into getting it seen. Having a robust marketing plan and an excellent author platform for which to launch and advertise your book will increase your reach, ensure your book is being seen by the people most likely to buy it and increase your sales. Without doing this, you might as well have just thrown your money away,

Paying crooks

There are so many ‘publishers’ out there that will tell you your book is great and will happily take it on - for a fee. They can make you think that you have been ‘chosen’ when in fact they accept every single submission they are sent, take the authors money and then do very little in return to help get the book noticed. A reputable publisher won’t ask you to pay them money up front. That’s not to say that you won’t find businesses who you pay to design your cover, edit your book and advertise it on their website, get it on Amazon for you and submit it to the trade. If you want to go down that route that is fine, but you need to make sure you are clear on all costs and exactly what they are offering and how much control you will subsequently have over your book sales before you agree on anything with them. It’s important to get everything in writing too.

Not doing your research

Spending loads of money on Facebook advertising or other forms of marketing can end up being a massive waste of money if you haven’t done your research and properly looked into what will work best for you, your book and the kind of audience you are trying to reach. Before throwing money at marketing make sure you get advice and explore your options to see what will likely make the most significant impact.

By being savvy, learning about the publishing and book marketing process and not making simple first-time novelist mistakes, you can make sure that you don’t waste your money or make your book unreadable, unsellable and unsearchable. Follow the tips above to give your book the best chance of success and of making you some money back too!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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