Now, we’re all human, and we all make mistakes. In lots of ways, mistakes – especially in writing – can be good. They give us a chance to learn what works and what doesn’t. They can teach us things about our own abilities and where we perhaps might need to focus our attention in order to improve further. But when we make mistakes, it is definitely important to take a step back, reflect – and then fix them.

This is particularly true of independent publishing, where you are entirely responsible for your own career and sorting out your own blunders. There are probably as many mistakes out there to make as there are writers in the business. After all, we all have our own special ways of making a bit of a mess of things. However, there are some common issues that we can identify with regards to independent publishing, so let’s take a look at some of them… and some of the ways you could fix them.

Not editing properly

Not editing enough is one of the big mistakes you can make as a self-published writer. When our industry is often criticised for putting out work that is littered with basic errors, it’s common sense to make sure you do your duty and ensure your book is properly edited.

One of the big ways of fixing this mistake is simply to put more time aside for the editing stages of your book. Don’t rush it. Make sure you focus on it rather than being distracted by all the other issues that go along with publishing a book. And don’t always take your own word for it: get other people to look at the book too. If you can, pay for an editor and proofreader to give the work a good going over.

Then edit it some more. Don’t forget the final proofread, either. Typos and silly errors can creep in at any stage of the writing process; don’t get caught out right at the end.

Creating an unprofessional cover

Book covers are another area where independent publishers can fall down. It can be easy to think ‘oh, I’m only publishing an e-book, the cover doesn’t matter that much so I’ll just knock something up myself.’ If you are a technical, graphic design genius, great. Go for it.

If not, step away from Photoshop/Paint/other miscellaneous graphics programme on your computer. Get a professional to do the job for you. The cover is something that is relatively easy to fix, and the expense is definitely worth it.

Not checking the work of external help

However, if you do decide to hire a proofreader/editor/graphic designer, make sure you check out their work first. One of the biggest mistakes you could make is to hire someone who isn’t right for the job. You need to make sure they’ll do right by you and provide you with a good service, so don’t just go with someone who offers you a good price and seems OK.

Do your research. It can take time to find the right people to help you with your work, but it would take even longer to fix the results of a botched editing job. Putting in the effort up front to talk to people and check out the best sources of help is definitely time well spent.

Not formatting properly

Your book looks great in Word, right? That means it’s properly formatted and ready for e-book publication, doesn’t it?

Not always so. Formatting e-books can be oddly fiddly, and there are very precise ways of doing things. Chances are, bog-standard formatting isn’t going to cut it and your work won’t display properly. One way of fixing this is to learn how to do e-book formatting yourself. Alternatively, there are plenty of good formatting services out there, and again, this can be an expense worth shelling out for as it will save you a lot of time and stress in the long run – and it will help your finished product look more professional.

Publishing too early

We’ve saved the really big one until last…. When you’re eager to self-publish your book, it can be tempting to hit the publish button too early. Naturally, you want to get your work out there, but rushing to publish is rarely the right way to go.

If you’re really serious about independent publishing, there is definitely something to be said for taking your time to perfect your work, to learn about the industry and ensure you have a good plan in place ready for when your book actually hits the shelves. Reining in our desire to get our book out there can be a tricky one, but just think how you’d feel if you published your book only to realise it was still home to some colossal errors.

It’s just not worth it. Learning to pace yourself and take all the time you need for your writing is definitely one of the most important things in independent publishing.