#1:  Choosing speed over quality

Authors sometimes become impatient when it comes time to get published because they have worked on their books for so long, once the writing is done, they are anxious to get it published. That's understandable.  What isn't understandable is sacrificing quality and service. Authors are well-advised to avoid publishers that claim to publish "instantly" or in "24 hours." After the time it took to write your book, do you want it published right, or overnight? Avoid the instant gratification of "instant publication" no matter what those "instant publishers" charge because the only one looking at your book will be a computer. High-quality book publication should take between 6-15 weeks.

#2: Losing rights

One of the main advantages to publishing a book nowadays is having the flexibility to keep all the rights to your work. Your rights are valuable. So read your contract. Your rights should clearly stay with you. For
instance, there are some publishers out there that not only keep the rights to your current book, but also keep "right of first refusal" for any subsequent books you write, too.   What if you don't like that publisher?
You might be stuck with them.   By rule of thumb, nearly all self-publishing firms allow the author to keep their rights while nearly all traditional publishers take the rights.

#3: Focusing only on up-front costs

It is easy to see how authors would only be concerned with the up-front cost of publishing.  Many publishers leverage this by low-balling up-front fees in exchange for elevated "back-end" costs down the road.  For example, your author copy price might be twice as high for each copy you order yourself. How many copies would make up the up-front difference?  The cost of marketing support/services can also vary greatly. One company might charge upwards of $20,000 for a book video trailer, for example, while you can get
a book video trailer somewhere else for $500. Over the long term, these price differences can really add up.

#4: Focusing only on printing

It is true that the manufacturing process and cost of printing a book is a large part of the publishing cost, particularly for off-set print runs via a traditional printer.  As a result, many authors concentrate solely on cost
and quantity of printed books instead of considering a more important factor - how they will get their books into the hands of readers. Anyone can "print" a book, but authors are well-advised to consider how
their books will be distributed and made available to the book buying public. Some publishers only offer their books from their own websites. Others offer books through one of the two major U.S. book wholesalers, but
not both. Be sure to select a publisher that can make your book available through as many channels as possible, including Ingram, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Baker & Taylor, Wholesale Direct, Espresso Book Machine distribution, Amazon Kindle, and many others.  Only a handful of elite publishers offer this level of expansive book availability while others, particularly those associated with bookstores, tend to only offer distribution and availability through their stores -- go figure.

#5: Forgetting about marketing support

Understandably, many authors are so concerned with the publishing choices that they forget about an equally important part of successful publishing -- marketing and promoting the book after it is published.  Do you want a box of printed books delivered to your door and at the same time, never hear from your publisher again?  Of course not. Successfully publishing a book means choosing a publisher that offers on-going marketing support in the way of optional services and products after the book is published.

About the author:

Brent Sampson, bestselling self-published author of "Sell Your Book on Amazon" and "Self-Publishing Simplified," has helped thousands of authors realize their dreams of publishing and distributing their books worldwide fast with Outskirts Press. Now when you go to http://outskirtspress.com you can get THREE FREE E-BOOKS about publishing and successfully published authors.