The Mistakes I Made

The following may well be regarded as 'mistakes' although some were unavoidable. One of the most valuable exercises I undertook was writing down reasons why people may dislike my books. While it may seem extreme, this practice helped me cope with the occasional negative review. ASPA was created to help others avoid similar pitfalls. As Lee and I gained more experience—particularly from speaking with various authors—we recognised the importance of having a strategy for self-published authors.

This realisation led to the creation of our 46-step guide (so please access it).

The list below includes choices that could have been different; however, it doesn’t necessarily mean I would change everything. I hope that sharing these insights helps those who are still in the early stages of their writing journey.

Title

The year 1541 holds particular significance for me because I wanted my stories to be set in York during the one and only visit of Henry VIII, and I should note that this visit was not necessarily made on good terms. I had hoped that many readers would be familiar with this story, but of course, most wouldn’t be. While other writers use dates as titles and write in chronological order, I understand that it isn't a geat choice. I always included a subtitle. For instance, '1541: The Cataclysm' but even so they aren't the most memorable titles!

Genre

This is one aspect I wouldn’t change. I am deeply interested in all the elements of my writing but particularly Tudor England. However, as a category within historical fiction, it is quite narrow, and I found myself competing against a few very famous names. The positive side is that sometimes my books were favorably compared to theirs (which I presume was due to a long night of heavy drinking).

Number of Characters

The books feature a group of misfits who secretly support the King yet have such integrity that they forge their own solutions. Alongside these characters, I included many prominent figures from the period. I considered this extensively, but truthfully, if you know who Henry VIII is, the rest becomes clear as I offer background information. Fewer characters, however, can make for easier reading.

Faith

I cannot tell stories about Renaissance England without addressing faith. Whilst I write about religion, I view faith as something distinct. It is what is at the core of people's consciences. Although there were a few atheists around at that time, most understood their own core values and what that meant and God was at the centre of their lives. The split in the Christian church created hell on Earth but added drama to my stories. However, I noticed that some readers react negatively to any mention of God, Christ, forgiveness, putting others first etc. And some can become quite angry.

Quirkiness

To say the least there are some unusual things which happen in the stories although all is explained little by little. I have been surprised at some people's imagination (or lack thereof) but it would have been easier to write something more mainstream and avoid the hassle!

If you are writing to make money, study the most popular genres first.

Kindle Unlimited

Most of the poor reviews I received came during the period when my books were offered for free through Kindle Unlimited. It took some time for me to realise that my very specific genre was now being read by people who typically wouldn’t engage with it, which explained the comments. Personally, I would not do this again.

Paintings

I thought it would be great to include four watercolor paintings to accompany the books, only to discover that the books would cost a fortune when printed by Amazon. I considered using black-and-white images but decided that they looked outdated. Whilst I’m glad I created the paintings (they have been useful for marketing the books) I should have thought this decision through more carefully.

Telling Friends

It seems almost inevitable that the first people you approach are acquaintances. I use that term intentionally because I believe that close friends would, by default, support you. However, I realised for various reasons that some people could be scathing, and those of you who are now experienced writers may recognise that envy can sadly play a role too. I eventually learned how to select people for feedback, even if it was negative.

One Book?

After finishing my first book and publishing it on Amazon, I spent a lot of time promoting it, only to realize that selling a single book was challenging. Many readers look for a series or authors with a body of work. Having just two books made a significant difference.

Amazon Ads

I was continually encouraged to persist with Amazon ads, but I had little success. It required endless patience to determine if they were effective. Conversely, I was discouraged from using Facebook ads, yet I can say that approximately 90% of the thousands of books I've sold were through Facebook advertising.

Reviews

My first twelve reviews were glowing, but the thirteenth was terrible. I believed the thirteenth review was correct and thought the others were just kind. I don’t understand why human psychology works this way, but it took me time to accept that I needed to focus on those who enjoyed the work, as they were who I was writing for.

Testing and Trusting Feedback

I took poor advice regarding the testing of my first book. I paid to join feedback groups, but much of the feedback was unkind and unbalanced. It didn’t help that one of the groups was American and I believe that they didn’t fully understand the genre or the humour. I genuinely wish I had never done it, as it was nothing like the supportive feedback I receive now from followers and readers.

Proofreading

I can write well—after over 40 years of pedadgogy I should be able to—but everyone makes mistakes. Typos and grammatical errors can be found in most books, and unfortunately, the proofreading of mine was not up to standard. That was my fault. Fortunately, the right person took on this role, and he has been doing the proofreading since, giving me much more confidence.

Audience

I didn’t initially have a specific audience in mind, though I suppose I aimed for a younger demographic. It took me a while to realise that certain segments of society read more than others, and I needed to consider this if I wanted my work to sell. I now believe the average reading age of a British person is around 13 to 14, and over half the population hasn’t read a book in the past 1 to 5 years. Whether we like it or not, people aged 50 and older read significantly more books than younger individuals, so I’m grateful that this demographic seems to appreciate my work.