Last year over 200,000 million books were self-published. The average self-published book probably sold less than ten copies.

The reasons for a book not to make it are many. Most self-published books need much more time, energy and yes, money, put into them than the author expects. If you plan to self-publish, here are ten important factors that stop most self-published books from making it big.

1. Poor writing. You cannot be your own judge. Nor can you expect your mother, siblings, and best friends to give you honest feedback. Your best and honest feedback will come from readers who judge your writing by the book they hold in their hand. Offer your book for free or at a low price and pay attention to the feedback. If it’s bad, don’t despair. Keep writing. You will get better.

2. Little or poor editing. No one can catch their own mistakes. You are too close to it. Besides missing some of the basics like grammar and punctuation, the vision that is in your head does not always come out in the writing. What makes sense to you may not be conveyed clearly enough to the reader.

3. Poorly designed cover. Covers sell the book, even for ebooks. Many authors think they can skimp on this point and still make sales. Not going to happen. Even if you know how to use Photoshop or other graphic design programs, if you have not studied book cover design and have knowledge of what is hot in today’s cover market, you will be losing sales.

4. No word of mouth. Thousands of authors work hard to create a book and then do little or nothing to start a buzz. Word of mouth rarely just happens. Authors need to start spreading the word in as many ways as possible.

5. No blog or little blog activity. This is one of the most important things you can do to promote your book. A six-month-to-a-year lead of building a blog presence is a necessity for self-publishing authors.

6. No social media. When it comes to selling books, who you know is going to be as important as what you know. And the more people you know the greater chance of success you will have in starting word of mouth. Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms are good places to start. Of course, you won’t have time to commit to all of them, but find one that you can relate to and start making connections.

Even good books will flop if no one knows they exist. As a self-publishing author, you have to promote in order to get your book noticed. At Wheatmark, we believe in helping authors with every step of the writing, publishing and marketing process. To attend a free webinar about “The One Way to Market Your Book,” visit http://authorsacademy.com