The 5 mistakes that make your book look self-published

The biggest shake-up the publishing industry has experienced in the last 20 years isn’t ebooks or audio—it’s the rise in self-publishing.

And it’s great, isn't it? For years the only options available were to try to get a traditional publishing deal or pay thousands of pounds to a vanity publisher. Now, anyone can successfully self-publish with next to no investment and few technical skills.

Or can they?

To paraphrase Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, we’ve been so preoccupied with whether we could self-publish that we didn’t stop to think if we should. The freedom self-publishing has given us comes at a cost: the market is now flooded with poorly produced books that aren’t doing their subjects or their authors any favours, simply because they don’t look professional.

So how do you make sure your self-published book doesn't look... self-published? Here are five mistakes that can give you away as a self-published author, and how to make sure they don’t trip you up.

1 COVER DESIGN

I cannot stress how much this matters. In house, cover designs go back and forth between designers, editors and sales & marketing teams for a reason: covers sell books. However fascinating your book is inside, if your cover is bad then your reader won’t even pick it up. It's your very first marketing tool.

And it’s easy to get it wrong:

You'll agree this is a pretty extreme example. But it does show how wrong things can go when you try to design a cover yourself. At the very least, this author should have used a template from a design website, but ideally they would have paid for a professional cover designer. Try the publishing platform Reedsy (www.reedsy.com), where you can search for professional designers with in-house experience. Just make sure you view samples of previous designs so you know they have a style you like. A professional cover designer should cost a few hundred pounds, but the value they will give your book is immeasurable.

2 TITLE

Your title is your first message to your reader. Most non-fiction books have a main title and a subtitle, and they do different things. A main title should be catchy and memorable—it should draw your reader in and make them want to know more. Try to use positive words, preferably ones that speak to your reader’s main fear or desire.

If the purpose of your main title is to catch your reader's attention, your subtitle should show what the book is about. Use it to explain what your reader is going to get from your book and how it's going to help them. If your book has a clear structure, e.g. a 10-step plan or system, it's a good idea to include that in your subtitle, as it will show your reader there's a process they can follow.

Above all, use common sense. Here’s someone who didn’t:

The main problem here is that the title is ambiguous—is this a book for beginners or a book about websites for beginners? It's simply not clear.

Here’s someone else who didn’t think much about their title:

The problem here is grammar. As a reader, I find the -ing verb in the main title ('being') at odds with the infinitive verb in the subtitle ('be'). It feels clumsy and unprofessional, and that’s because it’s inconsistent.

And then there’s just the plain crazy:

This is an example of the author failing to think about what their reader is going to get out of their book and simply using their subtitle to make a statement. At best this is unhelpful; at worst it makes you sound odd.

Instead, make your title clear, catchy and informative. Here’s a great example:

The title is catchy, uses a keyword people are likely to search for (mindfulness) and inspires the reader by offering them something they’d like (mindful kids). Then the subtitle shows how the book is structured (50 activities) and what the benefit of reading it will be (kind, focused and calm kids). If I were the target market for this book, I'd be in.

3 BLURB

A blurb is a brief description of the book, and it’s usually found on the back page of a paperback or the inside flap of a hardback. On Amazon it appears to the right of the cover image and below the purchasing details. It’s the first piece of proper writing your reader will read and because of this you need to think of it as the sales pitch for your book.

If your blurb is over the top ('Dive inside to discover the secrets of success!'), poorly written or the wrong length, you'll never get a second chance to make that first impression.

Remember: a good blurb doesn’t just describe the book. It hooks the reader in so they want to know more. I like to structure blurbs using my 4H method: the Hell, the Heaven, the How and the Hook. Here’s what they mean:

The Hell is the problem your reader is experiencing—their ‘pain point’. They might not have articulated it (no one says “My children aren’t mindful enough”) but it’s there all the same. Your blurb should tap into whatever it is that’s driving your reader. That’s the problem your book will solve.

The Heaven is of course the opposite. It’s the solution to the Hell in the first part of your blurb. It might be kind, focused, calm kids, or a more productive leadership team. Ask yourself what will happen if your reader reads your book. What does their solution look like? Describing this briefly in your blurb will encourage them to find out more.

The How speaks for itself. It’s the method by which you’re going to solve your reader’s problem. You don’t have to go into detail—that’s what the book is for—but you should outline it so your reader knows you offer practical information. “In ten practical steps…” “This foolproof method will…” By revealing what’s in your book you’ll build trust and credibility.

The Hook is how you should finish your blurb. What can you say to your reader that will make them think they can’t live without your book? If you’re stuck on this, think of a promise you can make them. What can you offer if they’ll just turn to the first chapter?

4 TYPESETTING

Contrary to popular belief, typesetting is nothing to do with typing. It’s simply the way a book is designed inside. Good typesetting should be almost invisible—it should never distract from the reading experience. It includes everything from chapter headings, page numbers and margins to paragraphs, boxed-out sections and lists. A typesetter will also take care of strange hyphenation and the positioning of images. Needless to say, poor typesetting will make your book look self-published.

Simple mistakes like margins that are too narrow so you have to crack the spine of the book to read it or inconsistently positioned page numbers all contribute to the subtle feeling that a book wasn’t published professionally. The choice of font can also be a problem. Wacky fonts or a poor choice of serif/sans serif will make your book look amateurish.

If possible, invest in a professional typesetter (I have some recommendations), but if you really can’t afford this then at least use a formatting tool to get the best possible finish. The Reedsy Book Editor is a good one, and you can see what your book will look like as you go along.

5 STRUCTURE

It sometimes surprises people when I talk about book structure. Do books have to have a structure? Well—yes. The truth is that, a bit like typesetting, a good structure is almost invisible, but a bad structure stands out a mile. The way your contents page looks can reveal a lack of structure, and even if it doesn’t it will soon become apparent when the reader starts the book.

Aim for a one-page contents page that has a consistent layout. Use consistent parts of speech in your chapter titles too (all verbs or all nouns) and avoid rambling headings. The structure of your book should be logical and transparent (think of it as a progression from A to B, and show the reader this in the contents page), and as simple as possible. Even professional writers get the structure wrong sometimes, so if you need help with this ask me about my Book Planning Days.

Publishing a book yourself might be easy these days—but that doesn't mean it's simple. Knowing where to invest your budget and taking care of the details will make sure your book sits alongside its traditionally published counterparts with confidence.

If you need more advice just book one of my publishing consultation calls, and, for reference, here are a couple of successful authors who self-publish well. Remember: it can be done, and it can be done well.

Dan Norris – The 7-Day Startup; Content Machine; Create or Hate

Stephen Pressfield – The War of Art; The Artist’s Journey; Do the Work

Writing a memoir? Read this first

What does ‘memoir’ mean to you? Is it something a famous person writes at the end of a long life? Is it a get-rich-quick scheme for minor celebrities when they haven’t got much to say? Or perhaps it’s a self-indulgence—something you write when you think you’ve had an interesting life and your children are sick of hearing about it?

Whatever the negative connotations surrounding memoir, it’s a thriving genre in the publishing world, and if you’ve got a story to tell you’d be surprised how successful you could be. For example, what if I told you that Call the Midwife is a memoir? Or This is Going to Hurt? They were both written by ordinary, non-famous people who had an interesting story to tell.

So should you write a memoir? And if so, how do you go about it? I’ve worked with dozens of memoir authors with varying involvement, from light editing to complete restructuring to rewriting projects when the author needs more help, and in that time I’ve found general principles for memoir writing that will help you to get started.

Here are my top tips for writing when the main character is you.

Find the theme

The best memoirs can be summed up in one sentence—or even, in some cases, a word. So what’s your story about? Tara Westover’s memoir Education covers many events, mainly a childhood spent in the grip of a controlling cult. But she summed it up nicely in one word in the title: it’s about the empowering effect of education and the journey she took to find it. So what’s the theme of your story? See if you can sum it up in a sentence, and you’ll be more like to create a joined-up narrative.

Pick out what’s unique

Although it might be interesting to you, you don’t have to include everything that’s ever happened to you in your memoir. The best memoirs are not ‘cradle to grave’ but focus on the events that fit around your theme. Kidnap victim Terry Waite might have had an interesting early childhood, but that’s not what readers of his memoir Taken on Trust want to read about. So what is it about your story that’s unique? This should be the focus of your book.

Take a step back

Although memoirs are by nature very personal, it will do you good to take a step back and get a wider view of your material. What’s the hook? The thing that will make someone sit up and take notice? Like novels, memoirs need a plot and ‘Woman grows up in middle-class Oxfordshire’ is unlikely to be it.

Isolate your market

No one ever succeeded by writing a book that will appeal to everyone. So who is your market? Who’s going to want to read about your experiences? Isolating this reader and working out what will make them pick up your book will help you to focus and write your story. Your reader has a lot to choose from, so they’ll need to have a reason to choose to read about your experiences. Find what resonates with them and write your story just for them.

Think commercially

Have you got a platform you can use to promote a book about your experiences? Do you have any social media accounts. A publisher looks at how you can promote a book yourself, so work hard to create a presence online. Publishers also do their research. What other books are there on this subject? Spend time immersing yourself in your genre and find out what you’re up against.

Interview yourself

If you were asking the questions, what would you want to know about your experiences? Imagine you’re a journalist and are interviewing for a newspaper article. What would you want to find out? Chances are that’s what your reader will want to know too, so you might need to be more open than you think about personal details. Good memoirs are honest, even raw at times, and tell the truth, so if you’re not prepared to lay things bare you might want to reconsider.

Think about tense and time

Your voice as the author is the only thing your reader is going to hear. So how are you going to write? The tense and other stylistic devices you choose will depend on the feeling you want to provoke. Adam Kay wrote This is Going to Hurt mostly in the present tense, like a diary, while Terry Waite chose to alternate between his time in captivity and his previous life. Remember that you have several options and you don’t have to keep everything chronological. Not all memoirs start at the beginning.

Don’t forget dialogue

Dialogue brings a story to life, and you can use it in your memoir even if you can’t remember exactly what was said. Construct conversations that further the plot and add depth to your characters. You might be writing non-fiction, but this is still a story.

Zoom out

Zooming in and out when telling a story gives it depth and relevance, and nowhere is this a more helpful technique than in memoir writing. As well as telling your story, how can you incorporate a wider view? A travel memoir should include interesting details about the history and culture of a place, for example, not just your own personal journey. This is Going to Hurt is not just Adam Kay’s experiences of being a junior doctor but a manifesto for the better treatment of doctors in the NHS. Find the bigger picture and make your book about more than just you.

Whether you’ve started writing a memoir or have never thought about it until now, use these tips to think about the structure, style and purpose of your book. Don’t forget to think like a publisher (even if you intend to self-publish) and look for the commercial value in what you write.

And if you need help with structuring, editing or writing your memoir, email me to chat about your ideas.

sophie@sophie-bradshaw.com

How do I develop a daily writing habit?

When I create bespoke writing schedules for my authors, it never fails to take them by surprise that they could write a non-fiction book in as little as four months. They can't believe that they could have time to write a book alongside running their business.

So what’s the secret to getting a book written in months rather than years?

Dedication, passion for your subject, confidence and perseverance are all key when writing non-fiction, but one of the simplest yet most important things is building a good writing routine.

Authors who join me for a Book Planning Day benefit from a bespoke writing routine that works for them, but here are a few general tips that will keep you on track:

Understand the value of ‘compound writing’

The concept of compound interest—that the interest you earn on your money accumulates exponentially if you reinvest it—applies to writing too. It’s what I call the ‘snowball effect’ of a regular writing habit. It works like this: you write 500 words every day for two weeks. You now have 7000 words. But you also have momentum. The 500 words you’ve got used to writing becomes easier, and then you find you’re able to write 750 words each day. The 7000 words you started with becomes 17,500 by the end of the month, and by the end of the next month it’s more like 40,000 words. Writing makes writing easier. The more you do it, the quicker you get.

Don’t take days off

Routine is everything, so making your writing habit about when you’ll write rather than if is an important step. You know you have to brush your teeth every day, right? It’s just a case of when you do it before you leave the house. Make writing like brushing your teeth. Setting yourself time before the day has begun is helpful. Don’t tell yourself you need to do some writing today—just ask yourself when you’re going to do it.

Get to know your amygdala

One of the tricks to building a writing routine is just that: a trick. It’s about fooling your change-resistant brain into accepting a new habit. When we do something new, our amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for alerting us to danger) senses things are about to change. In the wild, change is usually bad, so we resist the new habit. To get past the amygdala, we need to trick our brains into thinking nothing’s different. This is all a roundabout way of telling you to start small. Setting yourself impossible challenges you know you won’t achieve doesn’t work in this instance, so make your routine something you know you can do. In the beginning that might be to write the headings for a chapter. However small it is, you’ll be able to build it up once your brain is used to its new habit.

Do it anywhere—and everywhere

My 10-year-old daughter’s top writing tip is to always have a pen and paper with you, because you “never know when you might get an idea”. She’s right—but for us digital adults it’s even easier, as we always have a method of taking notes right there in our pockets. Use your phone to jot down ideas when you have them. You can even use a dictate app like Rev to record them in audio. Whatever you do, take your writing with you on the road. Some people get their best ideas in the car.

Don’t worry about quality

Stopping to edit is one of the worst things you can do when trying to build a writing routine. If you’re tempted to overanalyze, consider using an app like Blurt that hides what you’ve written. You’ll be able to focus on writing instead of editing, and you won’t lose confidence because you don’t like what you’ve done so far. For the really adventurous there’s also The Most Dangerous Writing App. It deletes your words if you stop typing for five seconds. Now that’s scary.

Find an accountability partner

If you work best with someone to guide you, find a willing partner who’ll hold you to account. Some of my coaching authors say the best investment was just knowing they had to send me some writing each week. Deadlines focus the mind, so having someone expecting your work at regular intervals will help you to keep going. If you can’t afford a coach, why not use your social media account or blog to stay accountable? If you commit to publishing an article each week, you won’t want to fail publicly.

Building a writing routine is key if you want to write a book quickly. But even if you’ve got all the time in the world, never underestimate the importance of momentum. If you’d like someone to keep you accountable and give expert, constructive feedback on your work, just get in touch here.