"If you want to change your life," Harry Beckwith wrote in The Invisible Touch, "write a book." But writing a book can also be tremendously frustrating and unrewarding.
Following are the 11 biggest reasons most first-time authors fail to receive the rewards they are due.
1. Unrealistic expectations. 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.
2. Writing without a contract. Never write a book without a signed contract. Instead, prepare a polished proposal and two sample chapters.
Publishers are increasingly selective about the titles they accept. Often, less than 1 in 20 titles proposed are published. Writing a book that isn't accepted is not a good use of your time.
3. No agent. You must be represented by a literary agent. Publishers rarely accept unsolicited book proposals. Unsolicited proposals are frequently returned unread or are simply discarded.
The right agent will know exactly which publishers might be interested in your book. Agents can also negotiate terms more effectively than you.
4. Weak titles. Titles sell books. The title of your book is like the headline of an advertisement. The title represents your one and only chance to attract the attention of acquisition editors or bookstore readers.
Successful titles stress the benefits readers will gain from your book. Successful titles arouse curiosity and offer solutions. They often include consonants and alliteration (repeated 'hard' sounds like G, K, P or T).
5. Title versus series. Focus on a series of books rather than an individual title. Publishers want concepts that can be expanded into a series rather than individual titles.
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.
7. 'Event' writing. Write a little each day rather than 'going away' to write your book. Stress is an author's biggest enemy. When you attempt marathon writing, you're putting an unrealistic burden on yourself. "What happens if I come back and my book isn't written?"
8. Self-editing. Avoid unnecessary self-editing. It's far more important to complete the first draft of your book than to agonize over the perfection of every word.
Editors will ensure that grammar is correct and ideas appear in the proper order. But they can't do anything until you submit the final manuscript.
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!
If you want your book to succeed, you have to promote it as well as write 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.
11. Failure to plan future profits. Before writing your book, create a book marketing plan. Book sales should be just the first step in an ongoing relationship with your readers. Your plan should identify opportunities from consulting, newsletters, audio/video recordings, seminars, speeches and yearly updates.
A book can, indeed, change your life. But you must take charge; take a proactive role in promoting and leveraging its success.
Roger C. Parker knows the secrets to promoting your business one page at a time. Find out the simple way to keep in constant touch with your customers, while saving you time and money. Visit http://www.onepagenewsletters.com for your three free reports.
shuttle from O'Hare Brocton .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareIf you think proofreading equals editing, then you're wrong! Editing... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
Writers are notorious collectors of slips of paper. They tear... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction,... Read More
When the writing bug hits you, get out your pencil,... Read More
Having trouble finding a solution to a nagging problem? Try... Read More
Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More
Our Image-Driven SocietyWe live in a new image-driven society. It... Read More
11 Secrets from an Experienced InterviewerOne of the unwritten rules... Read More
Right off the bat, I want to say that there... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
Be careful when you write.Words you use, sentences you phrase... Read More
Plagiarism has been condemned lately by all types of experts,... Read More
ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More
In the ten years that I've taught people how to... Read More
What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a... Read More
Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many... Read More
Finding the time to write a novel is one of... Read More
The first step in the writing process is to put... Read More
Dream that your book can be a number one best... Read More
In the current job market, many editorial freelancers have turned... Read More
If you want to be a writer, then you must... Read More
Not all writers write good grammar. That's a fact. It's... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
Chicago charter limousine service Hickory Hills ..Take out a white piece of paper and place it... Read More
Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact,... Read More
The creativity of Jaisini is not designed to be preaching... Read More
IntroductionSince our early days of elementary education we have been... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should... Read More
Have you given up on getting your book out of... Read More
Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren't... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?It should.A theme is a one-line explanation... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Today I took the dog for a walk and realized... Read More
Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by... Read More
We all know people who ramble. They include every boring... Read More
Real Estate has "Location, location, location," and writing has "Clips,... Read More
At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit... Read More
Having trouble finding a solution to a nagging problem? Try... Read More
At some point along the way, most of us have... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo... Read More
The Scanning ReaderWriting for the Web is different than writing... Read More
Recently I was watching the Oprah show and it was... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
1) Convince yourself you want to do something else. If... Read More
1. SECRETS TO SUCCESS2. MAKING A POWERFUL FIRST IMPRESSION3. AVOID... Read More
It's 6:00 p.m. You're dead tired, but instead of an... Read More
Writing |