THE MISTAKES NOT TO MAKE
With more than 4 million sales in her DCI Tom Douglas series, Rachel Abbott is one of the world’s most successful self-published writers. Here, so you can learn from her experience, she outlines what she got wrong when she started her self-publishing journey.
Mistake number 1 Failing to define what success looks like to me.
Publishing success means many different things to different people:
• Commercial success – afocus on profit
• Maximising number of readers
• Critical acclaim
• The simple joy of having published your book It doesn’t matter what drives you, provided you identify what it is.
I thought that just getting my book out there was an accomplishment. But when I made those few sales I realised it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted it to be a commercial success. It expectation. I sat and watched as it sold a few copies – mainly to friends or family who I had bribed to buy a copy (most didn’t even have a Kindle). But then it sold a stunning SIX copies on Christmas day 2011, and I was ecstatic! These had to be sales to people I didn’t know, and the buzz I got made me realise that I wanted my book to be a success.
But what did I mean by success?
So ask yourself why you’re doing this, and what it means to you. That will determine everything you do, from making your books free to download, to spending time on marketing (or not), and money on advertising. It can guide your every decision.