{"id":2618,"date":"2013-03-07T04:02:33","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T12:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2618"},"modified":"2013-03-07T05:55:48","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T13:55:48","slug":"7-mistakes-authors-make-and-how-to-avoid-them-continued","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2618","title":{"rendered":"7 Mistakes Authors Make and How to Avoid Them, Continued"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I shared 3 publishing mistakes that authors make and how to avoid them. Today, we\u2019ll discuss four more.
\n
\n4: Many authors don\u2019t understand publishing terms<\/strong>.
\nAuthors will say to me, \u201cI\u2019m self-publishing with ABC Publishing Company.\u201d What they are actually doing is going with a pay-to-publish company. What are your primary publishing options?<\/p>\n

Royalty Publisher<\/strong>
\nA traditional royalty publisher puts up the money for the production of your book and pays you royalties on books sold. These publishers are generally very selective in the books they publish. Your manuscript must be well thought out, well written and something for which there is a market.
\n
\nSelf-publishing<\/strong>
\nSelf-publishing means that you establish a publishing company (get a fictitious business name, purchase your own block of ISBNs, etc.). You get your book ready for publication, you hire a printing company, you are responsible for distribution and shipping and you reap all of the profits.
\n
\nPay-to-Publish Company (self-publishing company)<\/strong>
\nYou pay the company to produce your book. Most of these companies will accept any manuscript\u2014they are not generally discriminating. They each enter the publishing arena with very different publishing contracts. It pays to do plenty of research so you know exactly what you\u2019re signing.<\/p>\n

5: Newby authors don\u2019t generally solicit advice from professionals until it is too late<\/strong>.
\nDo NOT sign a contract with any publisher or purveyor of publishing services without hiring a literary or intellectual properties attorney. This should go without saying, yet thousands of authors each year bypass this important step.<\/p>\n

I also recommend that inexperienced authors talk to other authors who have used the services they are considering. Contact organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http:\/\/www.spawn.org<\/a> Independent Book Publisher\u2019s Association (IBPA) and Small Publishers of North America (SPAN). Read Mark Levine\u2019s book, \u201cThe Fine Print of Self-Publishing.\u201d You can get the ebook version of this valuable book when you join SPAWN ($65\/year). Ask questions. <\/p>\n

6: Uninformed authors blindly sign up for unnecessary services<\/strong>.
\nMost professionals recommend that you shy away from paying extra for editing services, marketing services and such things as a return policy insurance plan.
\n
\n7: Authors neglect to hire an editor.<\/strong>
\nMany authors, by the time they complete their manuscript and self-edit it, they are more than ready to get it published. Some of them don\u2019t feel they have the money to spend on a professional editor. Some expect to get a good enough editing job through their pay-to-publish company. Still others believe that they don\u2019t need to hire an editor because traditional publishers have editors on staff. <\/p>\n

One of the biggest mistakes a hopeful author can make is neglecting to hire a professional editor before approaching publishers of any type. News flash: publishers want to see professionally edited manuscripts.<\/p>\n

If you want to enter into the world of publishing, learn something about the business. Study your options and the ramifications of your choices. Define your responsibilities as a published author. You may still make a few mistakes along the way\u2014we all do, but knowledge will definitely save you money and heartache.<\/p>\n

Order your copy of Publish Your Book<\/strong><\/em> at Amazon.com this weekend. You\u2019ll dodge a whole lot of bullets. It\u2019s available in print, Kindle and audio.<\/p>\n

Join me Saturday and Sunday at the Tucson Festival of Books. I’ll be part of four panels throughout the two day event. Learn more here: http:\/\/www.tucsonfestivalofbooks.org<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I shared 3 publishing mistakes that authors make and how to avoid them. Today, we\u2019ll discuss four more. 4: Many authors don\u2019t understand publishing terms. Authors will say to me, \u201cI\u2019m self-publishing with ABC Publishing Company.\u201d What they are actually doing is going with a pay-to-publish company. What are your primary publishing options? Royalty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t