So you have written a beautiful manuscript and poured your energy and love into it. At this point, most first-time authors think they have finished their hard work — but the reality is, they are only near the beginning of their journey. It will be perilous and challenging, but if you plan well, ultimately rewarding.

Purchasing anything nowadays can be a scary process, particularly when you are entrusting your words and innermost thoughts in the form of your manuscript to someone you don’t know. Having been in sales over 20 years, I can safely say that if there is one thing that is consistent in sales, it is “if there is a service to be sold, there will always be salesmen to take your money”. Finding that perfect fit for you in a sea of salesmen and businesses can be daunting.

Here at FriesenPress, we’re in a position to see A LOT of self-published books. Not only that, we have the opportunity to work with each author individually, while also getting to know their goals and dreams, their manuscript, their book design and marketing efforts. It’s a process where we really get to know our authors well.

After working with hundreds of authors, however, we’ve noticed a few reoccurring errors that they seem to make. Fortunately, they are avoidable, and we’re here to tell you how! Here are the top six mistakes that you can learn from:

Getting self-published books into bookstores is often one of the first topics we are asked about in the Book Promotion Department at FriesenPress. Almost every new author wants to know how they can get their book into major bookstores across the country and they want to know the steps to make it happen. We see many authors make bookstores their first priority and when this happens, we must provide an overview of the realities of self-publishing and bookstores.