Welcome to all the aspiring authors and soon-to-be publishing! You may have poured your heart and soul into crafting your first-ever manuscript or are still stuck in the process. But before you hit on that ‘publish’ button, let’s shed light on the typical slip-ups that can trip you up along the way. Committing them would pull you away from your dream of becoming a famous and high-selling author.
We’re talking about the common publishing pitfalls that almost every seasoned writer stumbles over in their journey. From forgotten ISBNs to not providing the solution, we’ve covered your back! So, grab a good cupper coffee/tea, settle in your comfy couch, and let’s dive into seven ordinary mistakes to avoid when publishing. Staying careful of them would increase your chances of your authorial success and turn your manuscript into a best-selling book.
7 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Publishing & Tips To Avoid
- Missing Sections:
Imagine your publication missing an important page from your manuscript. How disappointing it would be, right? It would be a major letdown for your potential readers, damaging your reputation, and decreasing your sales. Therefore, you should avoid this mistake at all costs, by rechecking everything. Your work should contain all sorts of pages that readers expect in books within your niche, from title page to table of contents, copyright page, and so on.
- Squeezing It All In:
At times, manuscripts contain a vast word count. Some authors try to incorporate them close to each other to minimize the number of pages and decrease their overall cost. They become penny wise, pound foolish as they save a bit of money and face a huge loss. Why? Because they don’t use proper margins and squeeze their content, decreasing their readability as a result.
You shouldn’t walk on the path of such silly authors and always keep a proper margin at the top, bottom, inside, and outside. Keep an appropriate space between your text, such as the heading and paragraphs to make your text easy to read.
- An Unattractive Cover
Irrespective of how a reading-worthy manuscript you’ve written, it isn’t going to make sales if its exterior is unattractive. The cover is the first impression you would make on your target audience, so make it memorable and convincing. A lot of times, authors cut corners when it comes to their book covers, they design them by themselves. Unfortunately, they don’t achieve an unforgettable result as their design skills are poor.
If you’ve also committed this blunder, hire a professional book publishing service in UAE for a few hundred AED. Experts would design a cover that’s a feast for the eyes, enticing your potential readership with its vivid colors and alluring elements. Besides, consider professional support in this case if you haven’t launched your manuscript yet. The skilled designers would add beauty to your product details to make your publication practically fly off the shelves.
- Letting Things Slip Through The Cracks
Another common mistake that you should avoid when publishing is to pay attention to neglected typos. You may overlook several minor slip-ups due to your inattention or carelessness and it can undermine your work’s quality. Therefore, feel free to take the assistance of a professional proofreader, as they would detect mistakes that you overlooked a hundred times.
They wouldn’t let your major or minor writing blunders slip through the cracks and would make your manuscript clean as a whistle. However, run your work through grammar software to minimize surface-level errors and streamline the editing process for your hired editor.
- Not Providing Any Solution
Another ordinary mistake is to forget that your potential readers are going through your work to solve their problems. While you may feel the temptation to brag about your achievements or open up about how you overcame your challenges, it wouldn’t capture their attention.
They’re wading through your work to resolve their issue and it is what they’re most interested in. Therefore, the primary focus and major goal of your manuscript should be to explain the necessary steps that would help your target audience. Only this way, your work would gain recognition and popularity among your potential readership.
- Absence Of ISBN & Barcode
Never should you forget to add an ISBN and barcode to your manuscript before publishing. It is a typical blunder that some authors make but you shouldn’t to successfully launch your work. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) refers to a publication’s ID number that helps stores and libraries easily identify it.
The barcode added above makes it easy for scanners to read this information within the blink of an eye. It would play an important role in keeping track of your book sales and skyrocketing the numbers. So, double-check before printing to ensure your work is ready for readers everywhere. Getting an ISBN can be a tricky process, but you can let any trustworthy and skilled Gulf publisher cater it for you.
- Dragging The Content
Dragging the content can miss the mark and fail to resonate with your target audience. The key is to keep the information straight to the point if you’re working on a non-fiction category to avoid falling flat. Too long a manuscript can overwhelm your readers and lose interest. Consequently, remove any fluff words or unnecessary information from your work to straightforwardly present your lessons. It would win over the hearts and minds of your target audience, capturing their interest and loyalty.
- How can I make my first book successful?
Conceptualize your manuscript before you start writing and come up with a solid idea. Plan your outline, write accordingly, flawlessly edit, and revise your document to make sure it is impeccable. Design an attention-grabbing outer cover that is relevant to your niche and inner content. Format your manuscript according to your chosen publishing platform and establish a promotional campaign. Launch your publication on all top publishing platforms to gain maximum recognition and boost your sales.
- What mistakes make a book flop?
Selecting the wrong topic for your target audience is an obvious miss. Launching a manuscript with an unattractive cover, and lame descriptions, or releasing it on a bad date can also make it flop. Poor marketing campaigns can also become an added reason.
- How do books gain fame?
A strong plot, dramatic intensity, a pinch of acceptable humor, strongly contrasted characters, or an interesting literary style can make a publication famous.
Closure :
From missing sections to squeezing your content too tight, we’ve highlighted where things can go wrong and provided tips on how to avoid them. And let’s not forget the importance of a captivating cover and keeping those annoying typos at bay! Plus, never underestimate the power of an ISBN and barcode, as they’re your book’s passport to success.
Keep in mind that your readers are looking for solutions, not a list of your accomplishments. Therefore keep your content concise and focused. Lastly, double-check your manuscript to publish it with confidence. By avoiding these seven mistakes and implementing our shared valuable tips, you’re sure to make a splash in the literary world.