First-time authors often stress about grammar and punctuation mistakes; however, there are even bigger mistakes that they often make that could affect their book sales. It’s important to remember that everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s a great opportunity for you to learn from their success and shortcomings. Below, we’ll cover the biggest mistakes first-time authors often make so you avoid making them.
Let’s dive in!
Weak Book Descriptions
Book descriptions are incredibly important. They essentially help sell your book. They need to capture potential readers’ attention and convince them that this will be their next read. A book description can really be a hit or miss. If it’s not strong enough, the reader will likely put the book back on the shelf.
Trying To Please Every Reader
Even though it would be ideal to please every reader, that’s just not a practical goal. Every reader will have their own interests and opinions. Trying to satisfy every reader will likely only leave you falling short. Focus on satisfying a specific genre, trope, and reader. This will help you to hit your target readers.
Neglecting Utilizing Social Media
In this day and age, neglecting social media is a huge mistake. Social media is a great opportunity to get your book noticed and to reach a broader audience. It’s important to keep in mind that people won’t know about your book unless you advertise it. Most people are on some sort of social media platform, so using that to your advantage is essential.
Not Growing Your Author Brand
After people read your book and enjoy it, they’ll likely look you up to find more titles. They may also want to learn more about you as an author. If you don’t have ways they can easily find your author brand, they could lose interest. Consider setting up:
- An email list/newsletter
- An author website
- Social media accounts
Underestimating Reviews
Reviews are more powerful than you may know. They can help improve the visibility of your book and convince other people to read it. Encourage your readers to leave a review.
Expecting To Be An Overnight Success
Every author dreams of becoming an overnight success, and while that would be nice, it’s not realistic. It rarely happens. Building a strong fanbase typically takes hard work, dedication, strong book marketing skills, and a lot of patience.
Not Building Excitement For Your Book
You won’t want to miss the opportunity to inform people of your book, build anticipation, and stir excitement. One of the best ways to do that is to post a countdown on social media of when you’re going to showcase your book cover and when you’re going to release your book.
Having A Weak Book Cover
A book cover is the face of your story, and it’s the first thing people see when they pick up your book. Your book itself could be fantastic, but if your cover is weak, your book won’t sell as well. It needs to grab people’s attention and entice them to read your book.
In Conclusion
Every new author will make mistakes. It’s a part of the journey, but learning from others’ mistakes can help you to avoid making the same ones.
When you need a showstopping book cover or graphics to promote your book, Book Brush can help! Book Brush is a tool for authors that takes the headache out of promoting your book. You’ll be able to create graphics in minutes that’ll get your book noticed. Creating graphics shouldn’t be a hassle, and it won’t be with our help!
