There are thousands of new books published each year. Of these thousands, only a few will make it to mainstream media. Sadly, most of the time, the problem isn’t the lack of an audience or exposure—it’s the authors themselves.This is especially true for authors who choose to self-publish.

It would be careless to say that any author is lazy. After all, writing a whole book is an incredibly tiring and time-consuming task. However, there is such a thing as lazy writing. Often, authors finish writing a book, look it over once, and decide that it is good enough.

This is an incredibly damaging mindset. If you look at the processes traditionally published books go through, you’ll see that they go through an extensive copyediting and typesetting process. The editing process involves thorough work, reviewing the entirebook multiple times to get it just right.

Now, think about how many traditionally published books end up being successful. The odds are incredibly slim for a book to be noticed as much as the author hopes it will be. With the extensive editing process that goes into a traditionally published book, you’d expect to see nearly all of them reach success. Sadly, if you’re putting less effort into your book prior to publication, you really can’t expect your book to be successful.

You could make the argument that you genuinely believe in your book’s potential. You could even say that the right readers will fall in love with your work and understand your vision. You need to remember, though, that writers who work with traditional publishing companies have taken the time to perfect their manuscript prior to submission.

The world of traditional publishing is incredibly competitive. The reason why is because conventional publishers hold written works to a standard that they know will sell. Self-publishedauthors often forget that the finished product is all you have to offer your readers, and if it isn’t exemplary the first time around, they likely won’t come back for more.

Due to the bar being set quite low for self-published books (it’s practically non-existent), authors often forget to put in additional effort to make their finished book more professional.

This is especially true for authors who refuse to hire a cover design professional or at least an artistto create the cover. Yes, it’s cheaperto go on Photoshop and do the work yourself. But let’s face it—unless you’re a whiz at editing and digital art, it’s probably going to look like a DIY project.

You might be worried about the costs that go into hiring professionals to help you out. However, finding an excellent self-publishing company will help you ease the burden. Publishing companies likeAgora Publishing make it easier for you to create the best product you possibly can.

You should look into companies that genuinely have your best interests at heart. Some companies honestly do not care if your book succeeds or not. Often, writers fail because they overlook the importance of doing thorough research.

Moreover,authors fail to validate the facts they state in their manuscripts, or they simply don’t take the time to look into a company’s services to see if they would be an excellent fit for their book.

You should take the time to find a company that has first-hand knowledge of the literary market and can guide you in the right direction while still giving you complete control of your intellectual property.

As a writer, you must always be in pursuit of knowledge and responsible when imparting it. This is virtually unattainable if you are not open to learning about the industry you’re trying to break into.

What you should never forget is this: Don’t be lazy. Self-publishing is thrilling, and it is even more exciting to think that you can control the publication of your life’s work. But, according toDavid Carnoy, only an estimated 2 percent of self-published books are actually good.

Putting your time and resources into something is essential to reach your goals. In this case, ensuring your book is the best it can be prior to publishing will ensure that it is a success. This ultimately allows you to make a living with your passion. You wouldn’t want to be part of the majority of self-published writers, would you?