More about this e-book

A personal message from Andrew:

Through my years as an author, publisher, professional speaker, publishing-services provider, publishing consultant, and president of a regional publishing association, I've had the privilege of meeting at least a thousand authors and aspiring authors. Sadly, I've seen too many of them make the same mistakes when it comes to self-publishing, mistakes that cost them dearly in time and money.

I remember one author, a World War II vet in his 80s, who attended a seminar I was presenting. Afterward, he walked up to the podium to meet me and show me his newly self-published book. I could see the pride in his eyes. But I had to mask my reaction, because his book's cover had one glaring mistake (that I mention in my e-book) that made his book unsellable. Sure, he'd sell some copies to friends and family, and perhaps a few others. But the book would never make it into a bookstore (one of his goals) and certainly not sell in any serious quantities. I politely accepted his gift, asked him to autograph it, and chose not to crush his dream. He told me he'd had 1,500 copies printed.

Last year, another author emailed me asking for help. He'd signed up with a "self-publishing company" that had virtually promised him fame and glory, but in the end just left him holding an invoice for nearly $20,000. The author sent me a heavy packet documenting his frustrating attempts to negotiate with this company some mutually acceptable resolution. But they would have none of that — the reality was, they had adhered to the letter of the contracts he had signed. He hadn't heeded the ancient adage caveat emptor.

I tell you both of these stories to illustrate what drove me to write this e-book. They are but two of too many tales I've heard from or about authors who have experienced the crushing disappointment of their publishing dreams being extinguished. And in almost every instance, the mistakes they made could've been easily avoided — if they'd only known better.

But until now, all the self-publishing books and e-books out there have only told authors and aspiring authors what to do, largely ignoring what NOT to do. You'll find some self-publishing mistakes listed on a handful of websites and blogs, but nothing as comprehensive as what I've included in The 53 Biggest Self-Publishing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

I could go on and on, but really, there's no reason to sell you on it — because it's only $2.99! As I mentioned on the home page, I'm practically giving my e-book away because I didn't want you or any author to have any reason to "walk past these warning signs." Not to be overly dramatic, but some of the mistakes in my e-book could literally cost you thousands of dollars. I've seen it happen. Even the least of them will, at a minimum, waste your valuable time.

And please, let other authors and aspiring authors know about my e-book. Send them to this website or lend them my e-book (which is easy to do). I want to get the word out, so that every self-published book has its due chance for success. And I want to get the word out, so that you and every self-published author have the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of knowing you are making a difference in your readers' lives, the fulfillment of creative expression, and the benefits that come from meeting your personal publishing goals.

To your self-publishing success,
Andrew Chapman
Falls Church, VA
September 2011