When you finish the last sentence of your manuscript, it’s a high like no other. You’ve done it—you’ve written a book. But if you’re an indie author navigating the next steps on your own, that triumphant feeling can quickly spiral into confusion. Publishing a book independently is empowering, but it’s also a winding path full of decisions, distractions, and well-meaning missteps. I’ve made some of them. I’ve seen others make them. And now, I help authors avoid them.
If you’re just starting your journey, here are seven of the most common mistakes I see new indie authors make—and how to sidestep them with confidence and clarity.
1. Rushing the Publishing Process
After months or years of writing, the excitement to finally hit “publish” is intense. But pushing your book out into the world before it’s truly ready can hurt your credibility as a writer. Whether it’s skipping an edit, settling for a poorly designed cover, or publishing without a marketing plan, rushing can backfire. Your book deserves to be polished. Take the time to do it right. Give it the same care you gave your manuscript. The world can wait another month or two—trust me, your readers will thank you.
2. Trying to Do Everything Alone
One of the most beautiful things about self-publishing is that you’re in charge. But one of the hardest things? You’re in charge. And that can be overwhelming. You don’t need to become a cover designer, layout expert, typesetter, and distribution guru overnight. You need to know enough to make informed decisions, yes—but bringing in help is not failure. It’s wisdom. You can still be fiercely independent while hiring professionals to make your book look and sound amazing.
3. Underestimating Formatting
Formatting is deceptively technical. Fonts, line spacing, margins, page breaks, front matter, back matter—it all matters. Your manuscript might look clean in Word, but once it hits Kindle or gets uploaded to print-on-demand, the quirks show. Broken paragraphs, uneven spacing, weird indents… readers notice. And it pulls them out of your story. A poorly formatted book just doesn’t feel trustworthy. If you’re not ready to learn formatting yourself, hire someone to help. (This is a service I offer, and I can walk you through it.)
4. DIY Covers That Don’t Deliver
If I could sit every new indie author down and say one thing, it would be this: do not DIY your book cover unless you’re a professional designer. Your book cover is your billboard. It speaks before your blurb ever gets read. It’s what makes someone click—or not click. A beautiful cover says your book is worth reading. A cheap or poorly formatted cover can sink your sales before you even get started. And contrary to popular belief, good cover design doesn’t have to cost thousands. There are affordable, experienced designers out there (myself included!) who can help you craft something that feels aligned with your story and your genre.
5. Skipping or Skimping on Editing
Spellcheck and Grammarly are not enough. (Although I do recommend Grammarly, and I used it throughout my own process.) I also used Autocrit, an online editing platform that helped me catch repetitive words and stylistic patterns before I ever handed it off to a human. But eventually, I did hire an editor—and that’s where things got real. Honestly, I blew my budget out of the water hiring an editor. I wasn’t planning to spend that much, but the experience was worth every single penny.
She helped me shape my story, see blind spots, and find a flow that I couldn’t reach on my own. I planned for editing, yes—but I didn’t realize just how vital and transformative that part would be. So budget accordingly, and don’t cheap out on your editor. A good one will elevate your entire book.
6. Launching Without a Marketing Plan
We focus so much on writing and editing the book that we forget we’re also now in charge of selling it. There’s no shame in not knowing how to market. Most of us didn’t go to school for it. But launching a book without any sort of plan—no launch team, no mailing list, no social media presence, no Amazon categories researched—is like whispering into the void.
You don’t need to become an influencer. But you do need to talk about your book. Build a little buzz. Connect with readers before you ask them to buy. Even simple strategies like setting up a Goodreads page early, emailing a few friends for reviews, or posting behind-the-scenes content can make a difference.
7. Letting Fear Keep You Quiet
When I released When the Window Closes, I felt vulnerable. I had just shared a deeply personal story about caring for my mother during her Alzheimer’s journey. I worried about how it would be received. I worried if it was “good enough.” And yet, I knew someone needed it. That woman sitting alone after losing her parent. That daughter trying to juggle caregiving and family and grief and guilt. I wrote it for her. So even when I felt unsure, I shared it anyway. Don’t let perfectionism or fear hold your book hostage. It doesn’t have to be for everyone—it just needs to be for someone.
Self-publishing is hard work. There’s no sugarcoating it. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. You get to own your story. You get to create something real and lasting and deeply personal. Yes, there will be bumps along the way. You will make a mistake or two. We all do. But if you walk into this with your eyes open, if you ask for help when you need it, and if you give yourself grace as you learn, you’ll find your way. And your book will be better for it.
If you’re looking for guidance, you don’t have to go it alone. At Mount Cooper Publishing, I help indie authors turn their raw manuscript into a finished, polished book they’re proud to share. I offer services like cover design, formatting, ebook setup, and audiobook mastering—all budget-friendly and customized to your story. Whether you need help with just one piece of the process or the whole thing, I’d be honored to walk with you on this journey. You’ve already done the hardest part—you wrote the book. Now let’s bring it to life.