When I started my first book I had no idea that many of the common mistakes first-time authors make were sliding into my draft.
All I knew was that I wanted to write a book and was plunging ahead with drive and persistence. What I didn’t realize is there are specific tips for plotting, themes in storytelling, and even ways to write dialogue that apply to both fiction and nonfiction.
The good news is, we’ve now spent over ten years in the publishing industry and have taught more than 8,000 authors how to write, publish, and market their books.
Training our students includes teaching them the common mistakes first-time authors make, how to avoid them, and how to make choices that will positively impact their publishing trajectories.
Today, we’re letting you in on seven of these mistakes! Let’s take a careful look at each one.
Common mistakes first-time authors make: what you’ll learn
Common mistakes first-time authors make
It’s hard to know what you don’t know, and that’s why we’re here to teach you the seven common mistakes first-time authors make. Once you have a grasp of these mistakes, you can embrace creativity as a skill, grow in your craft, and become a publishing success story.
One brief note before we jump into it: Learning writing rules takes time. It’s okay if it feels overwhelming at first (that’s normal!). When I first started, I literally printed out a list of over 20 writing rules and kept it by my computer as a typed. This was a very visual reminder!
Just take it what you can, choose one or max, two rules to try to follow, then get into the writing. The actual act of writing is one of the best teachers out there.
1. Not creating an elevator pitch
It’s easy to think that distilling 50-100k words into one sentence is a waste of time. This is one of the first, and biggest, mistakes first-time authors make.
Why? If the author can’t share the crux of their story in a phrase or sentence, it’s unlikely they truly know what it’s about.
This creates a book that doesn’t follow a cohesive structure or core plot or theme. As a result, beta readers can’t connect and the book falls flat.
You can fix this by crafting an elevator pitch before writing. Simply distill your book into a single sentence. Here is a post on how to write a story pitch.
2. Neglecting research
Research is crucial, whether you write fiction or nonfiction. Fiction often means researching the time period of your story setting and nonfiction calls for deep research into your chosen topic or theme.
The reason many first-time authors neglect research is that it takes away from what they want to do—write!
A quick fix for this is to block ten minutes of each hour of writing time for research. Set a timer, get to work, and when your time is up, get back to writing.
3. Telling, not showing
One of the most common writing rules, and one of the most difficult to adhere to, is the show, don’t tell rule.
Of the common mistakes first-time authors make, this was one of the rules I most struggled with. One of the reasons I struggled with this was because I didn’t choose a point of view (POV) character.
More on this in point number 4, but there is an easy fix for this: Whichever character you are writing, make sure you only see, hear, smell, touch, and taste what that character can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste.
4. Forgetting to choose a POV character
In the classics many of us studied in school, we read stories that often had an omniscient narrator and wrote from many different characters, sometimes even all in one scene.
My writing mentor calls this “head-hopping” and it can feel very disorienting to modern readers. To help with this, he says it’s crucial to establish one POV character per scene, ideally per chapter, and possibly even per book.
How do you choose the right POV so you avoid at least one of the many common mistakes first-time authors make?
He says to choose the character who has the most to lose. If we’re thinking of The Hunger Games, imagine Gale as the POV character. It would’ve been an interesting read, but Katniss had the most to lose: her sister, Prim.
5. Writing without tension as a through line
Tension is said to be the engine that drives fiction, and this is true for nonfiction as well. Consider the bestselling book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
All the way through the book, readers wonder who the young boy will turn out to be. Will he follow Rich Dad’s steps and earn a good living for himself, or Poor Dad?
Tension in fiction keeps readers turning pages long after the romantic subplot or comedic relief character have taken a backseat. Forgetting to include tension is one of the common mistakes first-time authors make, even in standalone scenes.
While I coach writers and authors, I also learn from coaches. Recently I worked with a book coach who told me, “Perhaps we need stronger tension in this scene: either your protagonist does A and risks B, or does C and risks D.”
If you truly want to write a book that sells, write a book with a clear line of tension in every scene.
6. Using purple prose
I get it. If you’re a writer, you want readers to see you as a writer. But, of all the common mistakes first-time authors make, one of the quickest routes to revealing your “greenness” is trying to come across as a writer.
Purple prose is writing with elaborate, ornate words that simply are not necessary. This type of prose screams, “Look at me. I’m a writer!”
Writing that resonates with readers subtly communicates the story in a way that is easy for readers to digest.
One caveat: If you write a character who speaks with elaborate, ornate words, then by all means, go for it…within the dialogue.
(The Pulitzer Prize Winner, James, is a standout example of how to use dialogue that matches the characters speaking this dialogue.)
7. Forgetting to put the reader first
“Reader first” is the mantra my writing mentor lives (writes?) by. While writing is a deeply enjoyable pastime, and learning all things self-editing can be very rewarding, it’s important to remember that writing is about the reader before it is about the writer.
If you aren’t writing to your target audience’s pain point or felt need, it’s going to be difficult to make money publishing books, no matter how much time you invest on the writing (or marketing!).
How to avoid these very mistakes
I mentioned some ways to avoid the common mistakes first-time authors make, but let’s get even more actionable.
Hire a book coach
Working with a coach can help you bounce light years ahead in your process as well as your understanding of writing in general.
I’ve worked with multiple bestselling authors over the years and the results have been praise from editors at the Big 5, placing in writing contests, and even a full manuscript request.
If you want specialized help, schedule a free consult with our team.
Ask for beta readers
While the average reader may not know all of the common mistakes first-time authors make, they do know what type of book they like to read, and don’t, and are therefore crucial to the writing process.
Ask for feedback. Consider what they say. Fine-tune as necessary. Your future self will thank you. Remember, reader first.
If you truly want your book to be about your readers, it’s crucial to get reader insight as early as possible so you can build your book around what your readers want.
Read books on writing
Writers read, right? Yes, and you should read outside of your genre as well. What I mean is, read books on the writing craft!
Here are a few to help you get started:
- On Writing, Stephen King
- On Writing Well, William Zinsser
- Story Trumps Structure, Steven James
Don’t forget to start writing though. It’s easy to procrastinate the actual writing process by endlessly learning about the craft!
Bonus list to look out for
While I covered many of the common mistakes first-time authors make, here is a more extensive list to look out for.
Feel free to save this list and keep it handy as you write:
- Editing while writing
- Too many characters
- Bad dialogue
- Misusing dialogue tags
- Writing for everyone
- A weak introduction
- A weak plot
- Confusing timeline
- Failing to identify the reader
- Head-hopping
- Too much explanation
- Poor cause and effect
- Vague writing
- Not describing the scene
- Over describing
- Unbelievable conflicts
- Unliterary literary writing
- Viewpoint
If this feels a bit overwhelming, remember, you don’t need to go it alone. We have a team of experts ready and able to help you succeed.
Common mistakes first-time authors make: take your next step
Whew, you made it to the end. Well done! Now that you know what you didn’t know before, take your next step by using our free resource below!
