Sadly, the neat photo of a me look-alike didn't come through on this copy and paste method of posting John W. Howell's article. It's a great article though if you're either a writer or a reader. So, enjoy. thanks John for allowing me to share. I could share a photo of me doing the same thing on my desk, though. (a cartoon of a blonde in front of a computer beating the desk.) WOOPS. YOU CAN SEE THE CARTOON IF YOU CLICK ON THE BLANK SPACE WHERE THE PHOTO SHOULD GO.
TOP TEN THINGS NOT TO DO IF
YOU DECIDE TO SELF-PUBLISH YOUR BOOK
Top Ten Things Not to
Do if You Decide to Self-Publish Your Book
10 If you decide to
self-Publish your book, do not drink any alcoholic beverages for four weeks
before and two weeks after you hit the publish button. If you do, at best those
little things you forgot are not necessary. At worst, you find out after six
weeks you submitted the wrong cover with the manuscript. (You know the one. It
has “fiction” spelled “fuction”).
9 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not try to edit the manuscript yourself. If you do,
at best you will have a fool for an editor. At worst, your book will be
featured on a blog with the lovely title of “The Poorest Written Books of
the Year.” (You are so lucky to have the top position)
8 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not think you don’t need to know how to format the
interior. If you do, at best your readers will be treated to several blank
lines. At worst, your book will resemble something created by a room full of
monkeys on keyboards. (Yeah, it can be done but that one page with only the
word “then” on it took the cake)
7 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not think that cute Crayola picture done by your
youngest on the cover is relevant to the book. If you do, at best you will miss
some sales due to the confusion. At worst, you will get some letters from
outraged parents who thought the story of a mass murderer was a kids story. (Ah
well, you can always refund the money)
6 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not think you don’t have to follow the instructions
on the publishing site. If you do, at best you will finally give in and start
over following directions after wasting many hours. At worst, you will be
locked out of the site for one hundred years. (Most places have no sense of
humor when it comes to messing with their process).
5 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not think the various choices offered by the site
are not significant enough to understand the differences. If you do, at best
you may end up with a book that does not make you happy. At worst, your book is
so expensive to produce you have no royalty or room to promote. (You are
independently wealthy Right?).
4 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not think you don’t need to order a proof copy. If
you do, at best you will miss some of those little messy typos and double
periods. At worst, you totally missed the fact that you mislabeled the chapter
headings and now have two of each. (The reviewers will have so much fun
pointing out the mirror effect).
3 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not rush the process. If you do, at best there will
be something overlooked but no one will notice. At worst, you forgot to include
the dedication that you already read aloud to the recipient. (Hard to convince
the person you were sincere after this omission).
2 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not think you can skip the marketing. If you do, at
best your family and friends will carry you for a couple of sales. At worst,
you will be one of several hundred thousand books published at the same time
and will be entirely lost in the numbers. (You did expect to sell your
beautiful book right?)
1 If you decide to
self-publish your book, do not lay awake at night worrying about possible
mistakes instead of planning every detail. If you do, at best you will feel out
of control. At worst, you will have a lot to worry about since without planning
mistakes will happen. (Even with planning there could be some, Nobody’s perfect).
Share this:
No comments:
Post a Comment