The Ten Commandments for Aspiring Writers (Handed Down by a Non-Prophet Reader)

I. Thou shall not attempt to write a book until thou hast learned how to write.
(Develop a working knowledge of correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax.)

II. Thou shall not publish until thou hast produced a work worthy of publication.
(Be patient. Write, re-write, proofread, polish and finalize to the best of your ability.)

III. Thou shall not edit thy own work.
(The eye often sees what the brain anticipates that it will see rather than what is actually there.)

IV. Thou shall create or obtain the best quality design work possible.
(The cover and layout design may attract or discourage potential readers.)

V. Thou shall have as many formats of thy work available as possible.
(Different readers and commercial vendors prefer different formats: print, electronic, audio.)

VI. Thou shall insure that thy promotional tools are effective and appealing.
(Blurbs, excerpts, advertisements, blog posts and websites should be concise and polished.)

VII. Thou shall not spam.
(Constant and repetitious pleas to read and review your work irritate potential readers.)

VIII. Thou shall be realistic and humble.
(Readers should declare a book thrilling, fantastic, remarkable or great - not the author.)

IX. Thou shall not obsess over nor challenge readers' ratings and/or reviews of thy work.
(Readers who rate/review do so to share their opinion with other readers, not the author!)

X. Thou shall not offer an incentive in exchange for a review (money, free book, swap, etc.)
(The Federal Trade Commission requires that all such reviews include a disclaimer stating so.)

Most people heed only those Biblical Commandments with which they agree and choose to ignore the others. So will it be with the above. Many believe that anyone who ignores any Biblical Commandment may suffer dire consequences. So may it be with the above.