Trust the Experts- Self Publishing Mistake #1

A common error that new authors make when working with a ghostwriter or graphic designer is that they don't trust their opinion. This can be costly both upfront and in sales of your book.

When you hire a ghostwriter, you are buying their expertise. They have written and ghostwritten a number of books, and should know the tricks and pits of the trade. They know what sells, and what is cliche.

I try to produce what my clients want, but I also try to guide them through the process. Many authors have strong feelings over cover design and titles. In the world of traditional publishing, authors do often get a choice- a publisher chooses both the title and cover design, sometimes with little or no input from the author. Why? Because a publisher is in the business of making money and they know what sells. They are investing in the author to produce the book, and they want to be sure it sells. They will also have a strong influence over the content and editing of a book.

When a person decides to self- publish, they have all of the control, but that is not necessarily a good thing. They might have a great story concept, but that is not enough to sell a book. They must have a kick ass title and cover to attract consumers. Books are indeed judged by their cover- that is why we still have brick and mortar bookstores. People like to browse shelves and when a cover attracts their attention they will pick it up and flip it over.

A self published author will often hire experts that can write, edit, and design their book, however at times they cannot get out of their own way. They have strong opinions even when the expert they have hired tries to dissuade them. An expert not only has skills and experience, they have perspective. They can look at the book with a trained, objective eye and give advice.

No expert is 100% correct, but if someone hires one.they should at least trust and listen to what they are saying. If a cover concept does not work, the author should take a breath, step back and seek counsel on it. That does not mean friends and family. You need colleagues and professionals that are not afraid to tell you the truth.

In the end, the author must decide on all things if they are self publishing, but if the title is not catchy or is too cliche or clever, people will roll their eyes, but they will not usually buy. If the design is wrong, it may look unprofessional and again a person will pass on the book. If a person opens a book it looks like a document from MS WORD, again the book will not make it.

Authors work hard to earn their money. When they are self publishing, they are making the investment. If you had heart surgery, you would not tell the surgeon how to do it. If you needed repairs on your car, unless you are a mechanic, you would not tell the repair shop how to build and engine. In both cases, you would pay money for their expertise. Why not in book publishing?

The Coolest Gadget

The Coolest Gadget

Delivered to my hands, my wife gave me the coolest gadget three years ago. I did not know just how cool this technological marvel would be, I only looked down and was in awe.

This gadget has gotten more sophisticated and wondrous over time. It upgrades constantly, especially when it is in sleep mode. Every day, the coolest gadget shocks and surprises me. How could such a perfect gadget exist? It is so sophisticated and its inner workings are still a mystery to even the smartest scientists. Its memory capacity is endless, and the more it interacts with its environment the smarter it becomes.

If I were to write a review about my gadget I would say that at times it can be very loud, that it spontaneously goes into sleep mode, and that it eats up energy like crazy. The longer I have it, the more energy it requires, and if its energy restores are not immediately refilled, it becomes very loud and most other functions become inoperable.

It does require constant maintenance and attention, as it is very fragile and they have not created a functional shell that will protect it from falls. Its upkeep is at times expensive, and over time that cost goes up, but it is totally worth it.

Unlike other gadgets, phones and computers, the coolest gadget brings joy and newness to every day. I cannot wait until I am finished with work every day to play with it. I take it everywhere I go, and everyone loves to comment on my cool gadget.

Proudly I smile as people guess how old my gadget is, as they always assume it is older that it is. People say, “It seems like such an advanced model. It is so sophisticated for such a young model, and it seems like it is quite a handful.”

“You have no idea,” I smile.

He always distracting me while drive with incessant questions, and he has programmed himself to be funny. I do not have fear of breaking laws concerning talking and driving, but he is not quite hands free quite yet. He still requires my hand when we cross the street.

I may not have the only model of my coolest gadget in existence, but each gadget is individually made with love. I do not exactly own my gadget; in fact, it owns my wife and me. We share the gadget with one another and with the world. It makes me upset when I see other people’s gadgets neglected, or hurt. These gadgets have lifetime contracts. We cannot trade them in, or cancel our contract because we claim we are bored with them. How could my coolest gadget ever be boring or worthy of anything less than my best?

My coolest gadget does interact with other gadgets and actually seeks out them out wherever we go. It is fun to watch the interactions and the learning that occurs between the gadgets. While my gadget is only three years old, the existence of similar gadgets have existed since the beginning of time. 

It is sad because one day my gadget will get too old and will go out into the world to learn on its own. I had two other cool gadgets before my current one, and they both left too soon. My current gadget is a different model than the first two, it has different hardware, and there is great debate about other differences between the two models. I believe both offer the world so much, and their differences are beautiful and powerful in their own ways.

The two most memorable days so far have been the day my coolest gadget upgraded to independent mobility and the day it began mimicking sounds and words. Since those days, my coolest gadget has not stopped moving or talking.

My gadget has this superpower of making me cry with happiness. It is this starburst in my chest that occurs when he does something amazing, or says something so clever and funny, it makes me ponder the true existence of God, because only something greater than anyone here on Earth could have conceived of something so divine.  

There is one word it learned a couple of days that I will never tire of hearing it repeat- Dad. My coolest gadget is my son. He trumps any technological wonder that has or will ever be created by humankind. He is a perfect machine, conceived with love and he has a heart made of gold that makes the entire world around him glow.

If you ever see my cool gadget somewhere, be sure to say, “Hi Max.” and he will reply, “So what did you do today?”

What did I do today? I got to be a dad to the best son in the world. I love you Max.