Offer editing/revision solutions to writer sharing draft pain points.

Published on 06/05/2025KOL Promotion Opportunities

Based on the Reddit post "First book mistakes?" (ID: 1l3lebm) and its comments, here are potential influencers or active community members for collaboration, along with suggestions and expected benefits:

  1. A user in the thread '1l3lebm' shared their repeated mistake: "It had too many extra blank pages and I forgot to add page numbers." This highlights a common frustration with book formatting and the technical aspects of manuscript preparation. This person, having faced this issue twice, could be an ideal candidate to test or review book formatting software, a pre-publishing technical checklist, or a manuscript formatting service. Benefits include practical feedback on usability, a relatable testimonial for authors struggling with formatting, and identifying key features needed in formatting tools.

  2. A user in the thread '1l3lebm' described a key writing challenge: "My protagonist was too quiet. This meant that other characters stole most of the scenes..." This points to a common difficulty in character development and crafting engaging protagonists. This person could be a valuable collaborator to test or review character development guides, writing software with character arc tools, or a workshop focused on creating strong protagonists and dynamic dialogue. Benefits include insightful feedback on the effectiveness of craft resources, a compelling case study if the resource helps solve their issue, and content that resonates with writers facing similar characterization challenges.

  3. A user in the thread '1l3lebm' expressed frustration with their experience: "Spending months querying, hiring a developmental editor off Reedsy, and our proofreader choice ended up being a flop as well." This underscores significant pain points in the author services ecosystem, particularly in finding reliable editors and navigating the querying process. This person would be an excellent candidate to test a new platform for vetting and hiring freelance editors, review a comprehensive guide on selecting publishing support services, or provide feedback on improving existing author service marketplaces. Benefits include critical user insights from someone with negative experiences, a powerful testimonial if a new service solves these issues, and actionable feedback for improving the author-freelancer collaboration process.

  4. A user in the thread '1l3lebm' mentioned their difficulty: "I still don’t know what genre my first book was. I still don’t think the concept was horrible, but the plot was a disaster." This reveals a struggle with fundamental story elements like genre identification and plot structuring, common among new authors. This person could be a suitable candidate to test or review tools that assist with genre analysis, plot outlining software, or a developmental editing service focusing on structure and genre conventions. Benefits include user feedback on the intuitiveness and effectiveness of early-stage writing aids, a testimonial that highlights overcoming foundational writing hurdles, and validation for products addressing these specific author needs.

Origin Reddit Post

r/selfpublish

First book mistakes?

Posted by u/theTrueLocuro06/05/2025
I'm about to start mine. What were your first book's mistakes?

Top Comments

u/DoubleWideStroller
Solidarity.
u/smoleriksenwife
Spending months querying, hiring a developmental editor off readsy, our proofreader choice ended up being a flop as well.
u/RobertPlamondon
My protagonist was too quiet. This meant that other characters stole most of the scenes and I couldn't turn the banter up to eleven unless there were three people in the room. I also though
u/TheLandoSystem59
Putting the F word in it. People don’t like that, especially older people who tend to read more than other demographics.
u/apocalypsegal
Read the wiki and learn stuff. Learn how to tell stories before you even think about publishing. Everybody makes mistakes, but no one has to make all of them.
u/No-Yogurt6594
My first book mistakes happened twice now. It had too many extra blank pages and forgot to add page numbers.
u/OnlyReflection6
not putting paragraphs, it looks like a letter
u/DCON_Youtube
Starting posts on Reddit about writing rather than just writing. 
u/LoveAndViscera
Publishing draft 5 instead of draft 7.
u/A_Abrems
This is embarrassing, but I wrote my first book back when I was 13. Of course, as a 13 year old dyslexic child who was never taught the proper rules of prose, it sucked. My declining mental h
u/Lemon_Typewriter
Im rocking in a corner reading that!
u/AverageJoe1992Author
"First book mistakes" usually end up being things to do with publishing, rather than content. Content is subjective. Don't worry about 'mistakes' until you have something to publish
u/SillyCowO
Don’t worry about the marketing until your first draft is done and edited. Don’t toss the first draft because it’s “bad.” The first draft is supposed to be bad. It’s the bones for your stor
u/Substantial_Salt5551
I’ve heard other people say this on here too (so I think it’s common?) but I still don’t know what genre my first book was. I still don’t think the concept was horrible, but the plot was a di

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