What’s the biggest business lesson you’ve learned?

Any business person will tell you, sometimes, it’s hit and miss.  I’ll say this is especially true of the book world.  With the insurgence of Indie Publishing and major use of the internet, comes changes so fast and furious, it’s hard to keep up.

I’ve learned many lessons along the way, some very good and some that cost me financially and emotionally.  I guess that’s just life.  This indie publishing community for the most part, is amazing.  Many authors are willing to share and are helpful.  But, there are still those who are jealous, back-stabby and overall horrible to deal with.  I’m sad to say, I’ve met a few of those.

With this industry, like many others, there are also so many cottage industries that come to be because of it.  For instance, the plethora of cover designers, PA’s (or so called PA’s), formatters, editors, proof-readers and the like that have hung their shingles is mind numbing.  I’ve dealt with cover designers who suddenly just flame out and never contact you again, without so much as a word.  This while in the middle of designing a cover for you and taking your money.  Yeah, that’s happened to me.

The most expensive lesson I learned was to never, never, never pay anyone to publish your book for you.  The outcropping of so-called credible publishers that RWA has now titled “predatory publishers” that would gladly publish your book for you for a fee.  This tiered with a laundry list of “add-ons” can run into the thousands.  Before I knew better, I got caught up in a scam like this.  Luckily, it didn’t cost me as much as many authors have spent, but needless to say, it was an expensive lesson.  

So, the biggest lesson I learned was the one above, do not pay anyone else to publish your books.  Smaller lessons, get recommendations from people you trust before you pay anyone for anything and never pay upfront.  If a cover designer wants to design your cover, you’ll get the finished product before you pay or, trust me, you’ll never see them again.  Luckily, that was only a $30 lesson, it could have been worse.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned?

 Let’s check out what my fellow bloggers have learned along the way.