Top 6 Problems You Might Face When Self-Publishing Your Book

Many new authors might think it is easier to self-publish a book, without knowing the difficulties they might face ahead. When you are using a publishing service such as Smashwords, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), or Draft2Digital, it may look so simple. 

It is also true that uploading and publishing your Microsoft Word file and adding a quick homemade book cover can be insanely fast as well as straightforward. It will take you less time, and it costs almost nothing.

But, will your book sell? As you will get only one chance to self-publish your precious writing, you need to do it right. But first, you need to know how to self publish a book, and what problems you might face so that you can avoid them. 

Self-publishing has come a long way in recent years, and there are now a number of hybrid publishing options available to authors. With hybrid publishing, authors can enjoy the best of both worlds: the freedom and flexibility of self-publishing, with the added benefits of professional editing, design, and marketing support.

As a result, hybrid publishing has become an increasingly popular option for authors who want to retain creative control over their work while still ensuring that their book reaches a wide audience.

Whether you’re looking to publish your first book or your hundredth, hybrid publishing may be the right option for you.”

Read the article to know the top 6 problems and the solutions to succeed in self-publishing and sell your books more.

1. Research And Analysis

The first problem you might face as a self-published author is finding the right readers for your book. No book can be meant for everyone. People do have different choices. So, the first step of self-publishing your book should be marketing and research. Spend some time to identify your potential readers. You will find the internet helpful in this case as it has simplified the process to some extent. 

Keep browsing and check out the competitive titles in your genre to know what holds your audience’s interest. Analyze the book review and understand reader insights to know their likes and dislikes. Based on your findings, tweak your manuscript according to their taste. Or better you do this research just before writing your manuscript to have a satisfactory result and improved writing. This will help you to market the book better.

2. Editing Your eBook

Though you are an expert with your insights and experience to write your book, your book might disappoint the readers if grammatical errors are present in it. Sometimes long and winding sentences along with a lack of thought flow as well as consistency can make your readers feel annoyed. So, it will be best to hire professional editing services to avoid these mishaps. 

If your budget does not agree, share the manuscript with someone you can trust, one who can give you the right feedback on something that seems to be far too detailed or not clear. 

In case you cannot find this kind of assistance, hiring the services of a freelance editor can be a good idea to refine the book. For proofreading, use online services. For instance, Grammarly can be an effective tool for self-editing. 

ProWritingAid is another tool that can help you with some in-depth analysis as well as provide detailed reports on different aspects of the writing. You can use these tools to find out any grammatical errors, repetitions, spelling mistakes, typos and overused words.

3. Book Formatting

Poorly formatted e-Books irritate the readers most. While formatting, you need to give thought to margins, text justification, consistency in titles, font size, line spacing, headings and subheadings. Also, concentrate on image placement as well as description. 

Avoid inconsistencies as it is not just unpleasant to the eye of the readers but also diverts them away from the reading experience. It is a big sign of a poorly formatted book. Make sure when formatting your text for e-Books and PDF books they are also perfect to read satisfyingly.

4. Book Cover Design

When publishing a book you will find that nothing kills your book more than a cheap cover design. The platform you pick to self-publish your book will provide you necessary tools to design its cover.  Investing in professional book cover design services can be a great idea rather than just DIY. 

The quality, the color scheme of the design, the interest it evokes, the message it provides, font, and content placement can either break or make your book. So, when you are unfamiliar with design tools, investing some money to hire a professional e-Book cover design service can be the best thing to get a cover that will intrigue the readers. This will help to capture the reader’s attention and motivate them to purchase your self-published book.

5. Book Description

Another problem you might face is your book description. Give extra thought to your book description just like the book cover as it is an important means to draw in your audience. Make a description wisely to inform the audience what your book offers. Let them know what they will gain by reading it. Add your keywords in your description as you are selling and marketing it online. 

Providing a proper book description can be tricky even if you have a great command of the subject, and writing them back cover as you need to blend in an appropriate sales pitch. Hire professional content writing services if you don’t have the confidence to carry it out to give your book an appealing back cover description.

6. Marketing

The next problem you might face in self-publishing is marketing. Your writing will be lost in the big crowd if you do not market your e-Book properly. Major publishers always have an extensive plan in place for marketing their books using print as well as digital media. However, when you are a self-publisher, you might have a limited budget. So, the best option is to use your social media account to market your eBook. 

Use the ones that provide more connection between you and your audience among the several social media channels. Use Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. whatever goes with your writing type to get connected with your ideal audience and market your e-Book as much as possible. You can also request your social media savvy acquaintances and friends to help you in amplifying your message.

To Conclude

While self-publishing your book, make sure you are aware of the problems mentioned above and be ready with the solutions. Being prepared for everything will ensure your self-publishing book becomes a good one to gain a big audience and will help drive sales.