How to Avoid the 11 Biggest Mistakes of First-Time Authors

"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-timeauthors 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 bypublishing standards. The vast majority of books fail to earn outtheir advance. Instead, develop a personal marketing plan to leverageyour career off your book. Instead of trying to make money on the bookitself, use your book to open doors, promote your credibility, andbuild relationships with readers.

2. Writing without a contract Never write a book without asigned contract.Instead, prepare a polished proposal and two sample chapters.Publishers are increasingly selective the titles they accept. Often,less than 1 in 20 titles proposed are published. Writing a book thatisn’t accepted is not a good use of your time.

3. No agent You must be represented by a literary agentPublishers rarely accept unsolicited book proposals. Unsolicitedproposals are frequently returned unread or are simply discarded. Theright agent will know exactly which publishers might be interested inyour 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. Thetitle represents your one and only chance to attract the attention ofacquisition editors or bookstore readers. Successful titles stressthe benefits readers will gain from your book. Successful titlesarouse curiosity and offer solutions. They often include consonantsand alliteration (repeated "hard" sounds like G, K, P or T).

5. Title versus series Focus on a series of books rather thanan individual title.Publishers want concepts that can be expanded into a series ratherthan individual titles.

6. Going it alone Successful careers involve a nurturingsupport 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 yourenthusiasm while providing ideas, assistance, and feedback.

7. "Event" writing Write a little each day rather than "goingaway" to write your book.Stress is an author’s biggest enemy. When you attempt marathonwriting, you’re putting an unrealistic burden on yourself. "Whathappens if I come back and my book isn’t written?" Commit to write 45minutes a day. This reduces stress and continuously reengages yoursubconscious mind.

8. Self-editing Avoid unnecessary self-editing.It’s far more important to complete the first draft of your book thanto agonize over the perfection of every word. Editors will ensurethat 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 distributingbooks. But, they are not set up to give your book the marketingattention it deserves. A single publicist may represent over 100books! If you want your book to succeed, you have to promote it aswell as write it.

10. Failure to backup and save Save frequently when writing.Always save before printing. Never turn off your computer withoutmaking a copy of your files for off-premises storage. Never end awriting session without printing out a hard copy of the latest versionof 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 relationshipwith your readers. Your plan should identify opportunities fromconsulting, newsletters, audio/video recordings, seminars, speeches,and yearly updates etc.

Conclusion: A book can, indeed, change your life.But, you must take charge take a proactive role in promoting andleveraging its success. To learn more Visitwww.PublishedAndProfitable.com. Subscribe to Published and Profitableand download a free sample lesson from my four-week Profit From theAuthor Inside You course.