Pitfalls to Avoid When Authoring Your Debut Book

 

By Candyce Carden

I nearly abandoned my initial book more than once, yet God would intervene, prompting me to resume writing. After four years, I finally signed a publishing contract.

It’s been a long and winding road, and I learned some stuff along the way. Things I’d do differently if I could. Here are my top five pitfalls I’ve learned to avoid.

 

Five Pitfalls to Avoid

 

1. Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse

I read a lot of writing blogs and informative articles about writing and publishing. Most stress the necessity of a robust platform, so I started growing an audience through blogging and social media—a good thing. But I let this effort interfere with my writing.

 

I spent almost as much time building a platform as I did on writing the book. It’s fun to create memes and interact on the socials. Writing doesn’t always flow and can grow tedious. I allowed the pursuit of platform building to become a tool of procrastination rather than a complementary writing task.

Our priority must be to write the book. Track the time you spend on writing versus growing your platform. I recommend an 80-20% split in the beginning.

 

2. Don’t Try to Sell Your Book Before It’s Written

A respected publisher imparted some valuable advice at a writing conference. He listened to my pitch, looked over my one-sheet, and told me kindly but bluntly, “Nobody’s going to commit to an unfinished book from a new author.”

I had read that authors could submit nonfiction books before they finished them if they were about 75% complete. So, this unknown writer kept sending out queries and one-sheets—a waste of time.

Completing the book is imperative for new authors. An unproven commodity can’t sell blank pages no matter how creative the idea or poetic the writing.

 

3. Don’t Submit a Book Proposal without Input from Professionals

Pay the money to have your proposal critiqued. Many writing conferences offer this service, and it’s worth every cent. I diligently followed an outline found online to write my first proposal and felt sure I’d nailed it.

 

Then I scheduled a critique at a conference with an acquisitions editor. I learned I had only a vague understanding of book proposals. I was embarrassed, frankly. But I reworked it and sent it through two more critiques. One of them helped me fine-tune my marketing plan, and the other helped with content and formatting.

 

I wish I had hired a writing mentor (also available) to coach me through all this from the beginning. I would have saved valuable time.

 

4. Don’t Believe Everything You Read or Hear

 

Be open to what others say, but trust your instincts. Every writer’s journey is unique, and there are no generalizations.

 

I often received conflicting advice: “Nobody is publishing devotionals anymore. Consider transforming this into a Bible study,” one said. When I discussed that possibility with an agent, she told me I didn’t have the credentials to publish a Bible study. 

 

Another time I heard, “Your devotions are too long,” and “You need more length” on the same day. Do your own research and go with your gut.

 

5. Don’t Leave God Out of the Process

God was with me from the beginning of this dream, and I leaned heavily on Him. Then I’d hit a dry spell, and doubt would floor me. God seemed distant, and I’d think about giving up.

 

But giving up felt disobedient. This was our project, after all. Writing had activated a lifeline to God, drawing us close. So, I would begin again.

 

I came to know God far better through the writing process than through years of passively listening to sermons. I realized the work was worth it whether or not the book was published. A small, still voice assured me that reaching only one person was enough if she was the person God intended the message for.

 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

(Colossians 3:24 NIV

 

Signing Day

When I was ninety percent finished with the end clearly in sight, I sent the manuscript to a small indie market. A quick response from the publisher came: “When do you anticipate finishing your manuscript? We might have an interest in publishing it.”

 

Since then, I’ve signed a contract and completed the onboarding process. And now I wait for publication to become reality. Which brings me to another Don’t: Don’t give up. Fight the good fight and finish the race (2 Timothy 4:7).

Photo by Muhammad Daudy on Unsplash

Candyce Carden is a writer, educator, and nature lover whose teaching experience ranges from preschool to college. She’s written for a variety of magazines, devotionals, and compilations. Currently fine-tuning a devotional with a beach setting, Candyce and her husband divide time between north Georgia and Destin, Florida. The answer may not be at the beach, but should we not at least check?