Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid

Common Self-Publishing Mistakes and How to Dodge Them

I've published ten books and made most of these mistakes at least once. Learn from my tuition payments — here's what goes wrong and how to sidestep each one.

Skipping professional formatting

Readers forgive a lot, but not a book that looks broken. Bad margins, inconsistent fonts, and unlinked contents scream amateur. Fix: use KDP's previewer religiously, or hire a formatter.

Designing the cover in an afternoon

The DIY cover is the #1 killer of good books. Fix: study your genre's top sellers, pass the thumbnail test, or hire a designer — best money you'll spend.

Publishing without outside readers

You cannot proofread your own book — your brain reads what you meant, not what's there. Fix: at least one careful reader who isn't you, ideally two. Beta readers catch story problems; a proofreader catches typos.

Pricing without looking at the market

Price in line with comparable books in your genre. Too high and you lose sales; too low and you signal low value (and earn less per sale). Check the top 20 in your category before deciding.

Treating launch day as the finish line

Most books sell the majority of copies after launch, not on it. Fix: keep talking about the book for months — content, interviews, promotions. Obscurity, not quality, kills most self-published books.

Ignoring categories and keywords

KDP lets you choose categories and keywords that determine where your book appears. Throwaway choices mean invisibility. Fix: research where comparable books sit and choose deliberately.

Do it right from the start: How to Self-Publish a Book