Writers Waste Years of Their Lives Before They Realize These Mistakes
Authors come to me for help after wasting 2+ years of their lives writing a book that won’t sell. Here’s what I tell them.
I’ve been a book editor and ghostwriter for 2 years. Here are the biggest mistakes most authors make when writing a book, article, blog, or social media post:
Boring openings
Advice and self-help are great, but they don’t sell books. What sells 100% of the time? STORY. Without the story, nobody is going to care. You may have the best advice in the history of all advice ever since the beginning of time. Without a story to hook your reader, nobody will pay attention. Always start with story. Why should people care? How can people relate? What will make them turn the page? Start with a compelling story and you’ll have loyal readers, as long as you stay on track.
Going on tangents
I recently edited a book for an author and cut 30% of his content. Not only was it repetitive, but it went on so many tangents it was hard to follow. This is a common trap for writers, especially book authors. One way to avoid tangents is to have a strong outline (I know, you’ve probably heard that before). But make your outline work better for you by considering the next common mistake.
Disorganized information
I used to be the kind of writer that would get an idea and run with it. I cared not for outlines or storyboards. I scoffed at notecards. My writing suffered for it. I wasted valuable time. I wish I could protect my clients from doing the same thing. Sadly, by the time they come to me, they’re already in a bind and don’t know how to get out of it. Don’t make the same mistake. Not only should you have an outline, whether it’s book chapters or bullet points for an article, but it should have summaries for each section. Train yourself to write a succinct summary for each chapter or point. Think about your chapter titles. Are they specific or too vague? Think of each title and summary like a laser pointer. This will keep you on track as you write. Not only that, but you will easily see the next logical chapter, and the next, and so on until you have the bones of your book or article.
Lack of flow
After you’ve taken the time to write a strong outline, you need to have the connective tissue that strings your ideas together. Jumping from one idea to another without transitions will confuse your audience. They’ll put your book down, or worse, write a scathing review on Amazon. Think of yourself as a hand that guides them through your book or article. Use transitional phrases to introduce the next idea and combine different elements to keep your ideas fresh.
Too many facts
Most people read for enjoyment. If they’re learning something new, it’s an added bonus. Many self-help authors will bog their work down with too many facts, too much advice, or a ton of statistics. Snooooooze. Nobody wants to read an encyclopedia. Weave story into every page. Be authentic. You are developing a relationship with your reader. They took the time to read your thoughts. Honor their time and your relationship.
