…that cost me thousands of dollars
1. Writing free samples:
There are people who have started an entire book project without even looking at a sample. Then there are others who walk away after having a sample. They are certainly entitled to say no, but when they walk away with your sample saying “I will use this as a template to write my book,” it pierces your heart. Lesson learnt: If you don’t value yourself, no one else will. I still (rarely) write samples though, just that they aren’t pro bono anymore 🙂
2. Saying the same things on call:
As someone who gets tens of inbounds a week, I figured I was repeating the exact same things to everyone. So I prepared a PDF that has everything about my book ghostwriting process, along with the FAQs. I send it over to prospects when they reach out, which allows them to sit with it and process their thoughts, and then we get on a final call to formalise things. Win-win! (And how much it has helped!)
3. Underestimating the time:
Well, this isn’t a full-blown mistake. Since I take on only limited projects at a time, I am able to finish on time. But I have to understand that the person on the other hand is not only working on this book. So allow them time to get back, while at the same time you do your work on time.
It would be very easy for me to put my glory out there on the internet giving an impression that I live in a la-la-land however, when I share my mistakes, it makes md accountable as well as helps people who are observing from a distance (and I know there are some).
Hope these help! 😊