What You Should NOT Do When Writing a Book
No matter how many books you’ve written, there’s always SOMETHING you wish you had done differently before each book went to press.
There’s usually an error or an omission of some sort, whether it’s a typo or forgetting to thank a person for their involvement in your book project. Sometimes it’s a glaring data error. Regardless of what it is, it’s never fun to discover it after it’s too late to correct it.
If you want to minimize potential regrets and sell more books post launch, you’re going to want to implement the following ten tips.
What You Should NOT Do When Writing a Book:
- Ignore the marketplace
Who’s your competition and how will your book be different from theirs?
What kinds of covers are they using?
What books in your genre are currently selling well and why?
Knowing the answers to these types of questions enable you strike a balance between what readers expect of your genre while differentiating yourself from your competitors. - Seek revenge
This is most common in memoir/autobiography. For example, a woman once wanted to enlist my coaching services so she could write a memoir to put her ex-husband “in his place.” This is the wrong motivation for writing AND it opens the author up to potential libel or defamation lawsuits. Needless to say, I passed on that project. - Be overly descriptive
While you definitely want to set the stage and enable the reader to envision certain objects or scenarios, don’t describe it ad nauseum. Paint some basic word pictures but allow room for the reader to imagine it for themselves.
If you’re writing fiction, beware of excessive dialogue as well. - Be vague
On the flip side of the coin, don’t be too vague in your writing. Be sure to convey a clear, fully developed message, thought, or thesis. - Use lots of adverbs
You might be surprised by how many adverbs can sneak into your manuscript. Don’t worry about this when you’re writing your messy first draft, but before you go to press, try to replace as many adverbs as possible with “strong” or “power” verbs.
For example, “She ate quickly” can become “She gulped her food.” “The bird glided smoothly” can become “the bird soared.”
By replacing adverbs with strong verbs, the sentences become powerful word pictures for readers.
6. Omit citations
Always cite your sources in the text, as footnotes, endnotes, or in a bibliography. This was probably drilled into your subconscious through all those high school and college classes you took.
But did you know this includes listing the reprint permission from the Bible versions you used to reference Scripture on the copyright page of your book?
And you know those inspirational quotes used at the beginning of each chapter or section of a book (and on social media)? You need to cite the ORIGINAL source of a quote, not a third party like Goodreads or BrainyQuote.com.)
This often requires a lot of research to unearth the exact newspaper article, speech, or book the quote originally appeared in. And sometimes you won’t find it at all because over the years, people simply attributed to a famous individual without that person ever actually having said it.
7. Write without feedback
Find a critique partner and/or secure a small number of trusted beta readers to read over your manuscript before it goes to press. Ask for honest feedback (i.e., constructive criticism) and be willing to be open to what they have to say.
This doesn’t mean you have to implement everything each person points out, but if there’s a consensus among most of them about particular points, you should seriously consider revising those sections.
8. Publish without hiring an editor
It doesn’t matter if you’ve taught AP-level high school classes, have tenure as an English lit professor, or are a manuscript editor by trade. If you write a book, you need a professionally trained pair of eyes to catch errors that you’d otherwise simply overlook AND to ask you pointed questions to clarify your message.
9. Design your own cover
Readers can tell. Trust me. Do yourself a favor and invest in a professional designer.
10. Do it alone.
Regardless of what kind of writer you are, you need a support network. People who truly understand the ups and downs, frustrations and little victories associated with the writing life. Join a writing group (virtual or in-person). You’ll be glad you did.
And if you’re a Christian author like me, I want to remind you to invite God into the writing process and work in a way that honors Christ.
There will be times when imposter syndrome sets in or you simply don’t know what to write. Those are the times you’ll feel compelled to throw in the towel. But those are also the times that God is waiting for you to stop struggling on your own and let Him work through you.
So there you have it – what you should NOT do when writing a book.
Which one was most helpful to you? Let me know in the comments!
