Five Sure-Fire Ways to Fail as a Book Author

For many years I've written on the positive
ways to succeed as a book author in these articles. Yet there is another path
which many people take on the road to publishing their book. Here's five
sure-fire ways to fail as an author:



1. Believe if I build it, they will come. These
authors pour energy and effort into building a great website for their book.
While a website is important in your book marketing, it isn't everything. You
may have the slickest well-written website but without telling people about it,
no one will come. There are millions of websites online. If the author doesn't
drive traffic and eyeballs to see your content, then it does not help you or
your book sales. There is much more to the process than simply building a
website and hoping (without action) that people will come.



2. Believe I know everything there is to know about
publishing. I've met authors (some of them even well-known bestselling
authors) who believe they know everything there is to know about publishing.
These people ooze confidence. I've spent decades in this business and read the
trade magazines and other things constantly. Things are constantly shifting in
publishing and there is always more to learn—and I do learn new things all the
time. Overconfidence can be a pitfall for authors. It is great to believe in
yourself but be balanced in that view.



3. Believe the publisher will sell my books for me
without marketing. Publishers make and release amazing books. Yet
without marketing and telling someone about that book—then no one will purchase
it. No matter how you publish your book (traditional, hybrid or
self-publishing), the bulk of the marketing effort will fall on the author.
Authors are fooling themselves if they believe their publisher will sell the
books—with or without marketing. Yes publishers can get your book into
bookstores—but it is the author's marketing efforts that get readers to purchase
the books.



4. Believe attending a writers' conference is a waste of
time. For an author to go to any event (local or far away), you will
invest time and money in this process. If you attend these events with the wrong
expectations or attitude, then you will set yourself up to not get anything out
of it. I believe every author can cut down their learning curve from attending
writers'
conferences, meeting the right people and applying the information they
learn to their book and marketing efforts. Knowledge without action is worthless
but you can certainly meet many of the right people at a conference. If you
haven't been to a conference or haven't been for some time, I encourage you to
make plans and a commitment to get to a conference (check out
this link for a list of some conferences). Attending a conference can
invigorate your writing life and success as a book author.



5. Believe the title, cover and publisher do not
matter. Each of these elements are critical in the book purchase
process. I've bought books because of a title or a cover design. I've also not
purchased books because of the publisher.  Many consumers do not notice the
publisher and I admit to being a more sophisticated consumer than many people.
These elements are a critical part of the book production process and essential
for your success.



I've written about only five of many different ways a book
author can fail. The details are an important part of the process. Maybe I'm
missing a critical way for an author to fail? Let me know in the comments
below.



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