Ok so you’ve written a book,had it edited and are now ready to publish it online. You think that’s enough? Well think again.
It appalls me to see how many so called “writers” out there hurt themselves by making such rookie mistakes. Yes I know we’re all green when we first put ourselves out there but here are a few tips to make sure you are coming accross as a professional, and not some wanna-be.
1)Calling yourself an “award-winning writer”: Ok so you won Joe-Bob’s creative writing contest. So what? Have you won a Pulitzer? Or a Hugo? There are so many “Awards” out there it’s funny how newbies think this will come across as impressive. When these writing contests solely exist to generate income. Save the personal accolades for when you win a worthwhile award.
2) Using a Twitter Auto DM to spam your book: This is one that really fucking pisses me off. The impersonal DM. If I’ve followed you that does not give you the right to send me this DM. First off, it’s really annoying, and 2nd it makes you come across as a spammer who is only interested in marketing their products, instead of genuinely connecting with someone who is a living, breathing person.
3)Craft: quite possibly the most important of them all. If you think you’re a writer just cause you slapped a few pages together and have joined all the other wanna-bes out there, go to the back of the line. I see so many poorly-edited books out there, with crappy covers that look like they were designed by a 4 year old. When you’re trying to navigate the literary jungle, you want a book that shines on its own and is properly formatted, edited, with a professionally designed cover. Don’t care how small your budget is, there’s tons of great artists out there that can make your beloved book look like a winner.
So there you have it folks. Some solid advice from someone who’s made their share of mistakes and has lived to tell about it. Writing is serious business, so make yourself look respectable when putting books out on the market. It just might make all the difference.
