5 Costly Mistakes that are Hurting Your Career (and How to Avoid It)

A career in writing can be a rollercoaster of steep learning curves. To avoid derailing your writing career, we've compiled a list of five common mistakes and how to avoid them.  
 
Costly Mistake 1: Editing 
 
You might have the most amazing story, but the reader will still abandon your book if it's riddled with mistakes. That’s why a professional editor needs to comb through your story pre-publication.  
The different types of editing your book should go through before publication are: 
 

• Developmental-editing 
• Copy-editing 
• Proofreading 
• Beta readers 

 
To get the most out of any editor, ensure your manuscript is as clean as possible. This way, the editors are not fixing simple problems, but are addressing mistakes that have genuinely gone unnoticed. 
To get a clearer idea of what type of editor your story needs, check out our post on different types of editing.  
 
Costly Mistake 2: Formatting 
 
An oddly formatted book can ruin a reader's experience. Again, your story may be remarkable, but if it’s difficult to even look at, it is unlikely many people will read your book.  
The key to formatting is making sure your book remains consistent and meets genre expectations. 
When formatting your book for publication, keep in mind: 
 

• Text alignment 
• Font size 
• Line spacing 
• Paragraphing 
• Page breaks 
• Margin spacing 
• Page numbers 

 
For more information on how to format a book, check out our post on four ways to format a book. Or, read through our eBook, Paperback and Hardback Publishing Package.  
 
Costly Mistake 3: Cover Design 
 
A book’s cover is like a film poster. The cover gives us the first glimpse of the story behind it. Skimping out on the cover can harm an author’s career in two ways: 
 

• The cover doesn’t entice the reader with the promise of an intriguing story, meaning that fewer people are likely to pick up your book. 
• The cover conveys a false message leading to misguided reader expectations. The reader may feel cheated and disappointed by the story.  

 
Getting the cover right is essential, so please feel free to contact our team to discuss a custom book cover.  
 
Costly Mistake 4: Market Research 
 
Let’s say you’ve written a beachy romance--a December release date may not give your book its best chance. Or a story about an unknown virus--it's unlikely to be well received post-2020.  
Avoid these blunders by developing an outline of a marketing plan: 
 

• Research trends on social media 
• Stay up to date on current affairs 
• Understand what tropes reel in your target audience 
• Look up price points of other books in your genre 

 
To get to grips with marketing your book, our Marketing and Aftercare team is on hand to guide you.  
 
Costly Mistake 5: Quitting 
 
The hardest part of releasing your book for publication can be seeing your book not do as well as you hoped. At this point, it can be too easy to make the worst mistake of your writing career: GIVING UP.  
But that’s the wonderful thing about writing. If one book does not go as planned, you can begin again. 
 
For tips on how to begin again, read our post on how to develop a writing habit.  
 
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