Have people other than your boyfriend and your mom examined your manuscript objectively? Good editing is critical.
Have you included Library of Congress information? International Standard Book Number? Cataloging in Publication information? When it is time to start on the technical details of your book, the Library of Congress is a virtual one-stop shop.
Do you have an Advance Book Information form? This is also indispensable to the self-publisher. Many in the publishing industry rely solely on this form for inclusion in many important directories including R.R. Bowker's Books in Print.
Have you obtained permission from other authors and publishing houses to reprint their material? This can take anywhere from a month or two to six or more. North American reprint rights for even one line of another author's text usually costs $50 to $85. Occasionally, a publishing house will determine that your intended use of another's work is "fair use" and they will grant you permission free of charge. This step applies mostly to writers of non-fiction, by the way.
Have you enlisted other authors and interested, important souls to review your manuscript in advance and offer their endorsements for the back or inside cover of your book? How many times have you based your decision to buy a book on the expert comments printed on its cover? This is a very important--and sometimes time consuming--step.
Have you carefully considered what font and graphics you'll use? Determined your page count? Designed your book's inside text pages and cover?
Have you obtained print quotes from several printers? Choose carefully and make sure you're comparing apples with apples when considering different printers and what they can do for you.
What's the BIGGEST mistake self-publishers make?
Just because you write and self-publish your book doesn't mean that it well sell. The only thing more challenging than developing the discipline to research, write, and produce a good book is developing the stamina to market and distribute it.
On-line booksellers such as Amazon.com have greatly eased the self-publisher's burden. Self-publishers have near-equal footing with traditional publishers with Amazon's advantage program. Finally, known as the "largest non-profit trade association representing independent publishers of books, audio, video and CDs," Publishers Marketing Association is a good place to start especially when it comes to finding a distributor. Remember, you can have the best book in the whole world, but if you don't work at marketing and distribution, nothing will happen.
