I know, I know. You just want to write.\u00a0Same here. But successful\u00a0authors spend a lot of time perfecting their craft, finding the right publishing partnership, and doing everything it takes to make sure their books get discovered. They’re also spending time learning which marketing tactics work for their books, and which ones don’t. Sometimes that can be taught; other times, it’s trial and error on your part.<\/p>\n

All of it takes time. There’s no shortcut unless you can afford to outsource some of it — and even then,\u00a0it takes time to find, instruct, and supervise the team you assemble.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Stop rushing.<\/h3>\n

What’s your hurry? I remember working\u00a0with a self-publishing memoirist who had a fascinating\u00a0story to share, but a title that offered absolutely no\u00a0insight into\u00a0what her book was about. When I asked her to help me make the connection between the title and the content, she couldn’t, saying instead, “I don’t really like it, but I’ve got a cover with that title already and I want to get the book published as soon as possible. I don’t want to slow down the process by changing the title.”<\/p>\n

What’s more important here? Hitting an arbitrary deadline or making sure one of the most important components is as good as it can be?<\/p>\n

This attitude isn’t unusual. When I ask a question about something related to a work-in-progress, the answer is often, “I don’t have time to deal with that flaw. I’ve got to get the book out.” That flaw could be fatal. Do you want to take that chance?<\/p>\n

If you have the skills to write and publish a quality book quickly and\u00a0doing that helps you meet specific goals, then go for it. But if you’re blowing past key steps in the process for the sake of speed alone, then think about slowing down. You will probably produce a much better book.<\/p>\n