In 2011, the publisher of my book Enchantment could not fill an order for 500 e-book copies. Because of this experience, I self-published my next book, What the Plus!, and learned first hand that self-publishing is a complex, confusing, and idiosyncratic process. An obvious sign of self-publishing is the presence of gaffes—unintentional mistakes that cause embarrassment—in a book. It's easy for authors to make these mistakes because editing, particularly copy editing, is a different skill from writing. Whether you're self-publishing a novel, writing a blog, or typing a term paper, here are the ten gaffes I've come across most often and how to avoid them. More »
