This is a journey through the 5 common mistakes that self-publishers make. I randomly selected a book from the local library. This had an interesting cover but the more I looked the more disappointed I was by the quality of this book. When you publish your book, eliminate these errors and produce a brilliant book.
Mistake 1 - Messy cover.
The cover of this book was very artistic and crowded. The title of this book was part of the artwork and I only could read half the title. Because I was determined to find the title on the inside pages and then reinvestigated the cover, all was revealed.
Most readers or bookshops won’t bother to find the correct title. Without the correct title clearly shown on the cover, people will be unable to promote your book.
Many times I find a plain cover far more powerful then a cluttered and fussy cover. Covers are marketing tools. Titles of books have to be clear and easy to find.
Mistake 2 - Incorrect page numbering
The page numbers of this book had Roman numerals on the left hand pages and Cardinal on the right hand pages. Even the Table of Contents displayed the page numbers in roman numerals and cardinal numbers. This is very distracting and makes the reader wonder about the quality of the book.
I did however learn what 189 was in Roman numerals CLXXXIX. Not something I will be using very day though.
This can be a simple formatting error from the desktopping process. This is one reason why proofreading is always recommended before printing.
Mistake 3 - Copyright page
The Copyright page is important in all books it states who owns the copyright and who to contact with questions.
The copyright is “… No part may be published in any form without the written permission of the publisher.”
This copyright notice is normal except for a small problem. There is no publisher listed. It asks us to contact the non existent publisher. Luckily, the author has put their contact details on the inside cover. But this is not normally done.
There are many ways to word the copyright page. The author could reword the copyright page to state that the rights are with the author. And contact the author with any questions.
Mistake 4 - No blank page
It may appear that having blank pages or white space in a book is a waste of paper but we are trained to read with chapters starting on the left hand page. Heading and subheading make reading easier and faster. This book had one chapter of 50 pages, fully justified with no headings. This was very difficult to read.
Chapters starting on right hand and left hand sides are becoming an acceptable option. In some books it works. I prefer to have chapters starting on the right hand side.
Use heading and subheading that groups and separates topics introducing white space that makes reading and researching books easier.
Mistake 5 – Editing
On the acknowledgement page this author thanks the editors. This is great but their occupations where also listed. If the editors occupations do not enhance the credibility of the book don’t include it. Having friends edit your book can be very difficult depending on the quality and expertise of their editing skill.
One glaring error in this book was the use of Ex. I think the author means example but the traditional and established use is e.g. or eg. It detracts from the flow of words.
The editing was disappointing in all aspects: from the simple proofreading to the complex content edit of overall flow and growth of ideas.
And Finally
There is an endorsement of the last page. What is the point of reading an endorsement after I have read the book? If you have an endorsement put it on the back cover. Tell the world that someone else likes your book. Make it a compelling argument to buy this book, your book.
Self-published books do not have to be poor quality. With a bit of planning and work self published book can be very high quality and can compete with books published from large publishing companies. Avoid these mistakes so your book is the best quality that you can produce.LeonaSeek Empower Inspire Balancewww.seibbooks.com.au