I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made many mistakes as an author, ghostwriter, and coauthor. After all, I have eighteen books under my belt—as well as the 100-plus I’ve directly contributed to throughout the past sixteen years. I’ve also worked across nearly every stage of the creation process as an editor, ghostwriter, author, and coach, which means I’ve witnessed, and helped fix, a lot of mistakes.

The good news about book writing is that mistakes are almost always fixable. Thank you, editors!

The bad news is that mistakes can cost you. Time, energy, money—and even the book itself. Many authors give up because they get confused or burned by mistakes made during their book-writing process. As a book-writing coach, that’s where I come in: to help authors avoid mistakes in the first place, and when they do happen, to help them reorient and find success on their author journeys.

Mistake 1: Writing by the seat of their pants

In fiction, we call this “pantsing”—writing without an outline. Some novelists can do this well. Most can’t. And if you’re writing nonfiction, this is almost never a good plan.

Of all the mistakes first-time authors make, not outlining is one of the most egregious. I know it takes time, but it also sets you up for true success as an author.

I know an outline can feel limiting. But hear me out: an outline creates writing freedom. It helps you vet structural issues, avoid scope creep, and ensure you’re writing effectively to your reader. It gives you a road map so you aren’t staring at a blank page, wondering what the heck to write next. And it provides you with a high-level overview of the book you’re writing, so you can see the forest through the trees.

Another benefit of outlining is that it enables you to clarify and create frameworks and simplify and clarify messaging. Powerful!

The authors I work with generally create outlines fifteen to thirty pages long, which I know sounds absolutely insane to most people. But it works, as evidenced by the growing catalogue of award-winning, best-selling books by the world-impacting authors I’ve had the honor of supporting.

Mistake 2: Writing in bursts instead of with consistency

I know you dream of running away for a month and writing your book without interruption. Me too, friend. Me too.

But unless you’re uniquely blessed, that likely isn’t possible. Many authors fool themselves into thinking that the next best thing—the thing they need—is a four-hour-plus writing block every week.

Don’t make this common first-time author mistake and think you need tons of time to be able to write. Instead, focus on consistency. Neuroscientific research shows that accessing flow state is the result of consistent daily habits. Those habits teach your brain that it’s time to write, and over time, you’ll be able to write incredible amounts in short blocks of time. It won’t happen in the first week or sometimes even the first several weeks, but if you stick with it, it will happen. It’s brain science!

Mistake 3: Not getting support

Unfortunately, Hollywood has perpetuated an incorrect idea of what it takes to write a book. Take Love Actually, one of my very favorite movies. Jamie Bennett, an author, goes on a solo trip to a lakeside cabin to finish his manuscript. He sits in a little room overlooking the water, alone. He writes alone, on a typewriter no less, and being alone allows the book to finally flow out of him.

(Spoiler: that book also gets blown into the lake, but if you’ve seen the movie, you know the manuscript had to be sacrificed for love to bloom.)

But you don’t have to go it alone. One of the biggest mistakes I see first-time authors make is thinking they can’t get support on their author journeys. Heck, many of the authors I’ve supported over the years didn’t even know a book coach existed before they found me!

You could work with a nonfiction book coach like me, either 1:1 or in a group like my program, Idea-to-Draft. Or if your budget is tight, there are lots of ways to find community, such as free groups at your local library, or joining a community like the Author Influence Circle (the coolest place on the internet for aspiring and published authors!).

You could engage with a peer for accountability support. And when the draft is done, you can (and should) hire an editor to refine the book. And on and on, across every stage of your book journey, through publication, launch, and long-term marketing, there is almost always a coach or group you can join.

Please remember: you don’t have to go it alone! And while Love Actually is romantic, it’s not realistic.

What would you add? Please share more mistakes first-time authors make in the comments—perhaps mistakes you’ve made yourself! I read and respond to every comment and love hearing from you.