Following are 11 biggest reasons most first-time authors fail to receive rewards they are due.

1.Unrealistic expectations. Don’t expect to get rich off your book, even if it’s a success by publishing standards. The vast majority of books fail to earn out their advance.

Instead, develop a personal marketing plan to leverage your career off your book. Instead of trying to make money on book itself, use your book to open doors, promote your credibility and build relationships with readers.

2.Writing without a contract. Never write a book without a signed contract. Instead, prepare a polished proposal and two sample chapters.

Publishers are increasingly selective about titles they accept. Often, less than 1 in 20 titles proposed are published. Writing a book that isn’t accepted is not a good use of your time.

3.No agent. You must be represented by a literary agent. Publishers rarely accept unsolicited book proposals. Unsolicited proposals are frequently returned unread or are simply discarded.

The right agent will know exactly which publishers might be interested in your book. Agents can also negotiate terms more effectively than you.

4.Weak titles. Titles sell books. The title of your book is like headline of an advertisement. The title represents your one and only chance to attract attention of acquisition editors or bookstore readers.

Successful titles stress benefits readers will gain from your book. Successful titles arouse curiosity and offer solutions. They often include consonants and alliteration (repeated ‘hard’ sounds like G, K, P or T).

What happens after your book is published has a great deal to do with whether you become published and profitable… or just published.

A book proposal is a direct-marketing document intended to persuade publishers to edit, print and distribute your book. It’s a sales piece intended to communicate inevitability of your book’s success.

Your book’s marketing plan, however, is intended for an audience of one – You! It’s not intended for your publisher. Rather, it’s intended to identify revenue streams that you will develop after your book is published.

Your marketing plan should describe profits you will earn above and beyond royalties from sales of your book. It should describe in detail your market and steps you will take to earn this income.

The reason to prepare your marketing plan now, before you sign a publishing contract or write your book, is that success of your marketing plan depends on way your book publishing contract is negotiated.

Coaching and consulting

Let’s assume, for example, that you plan to use your book as a way of enhancing your visibility and credibility among your target market. At simplest level, you will want to include your web site address at several points in book. Knowing this goal, you can insist that publisher agrees in writing to include your web site address in specific locations in your book.

Remember: promises don’t make it! Let’s take worst case scenario. You and your acquisition editor agree that you can include five mentions of your web site address in book. However, as often occurs, acquisition editor, after signing contract, fades out of picture.