6 Time-Wasting Low-Content Publishing Mistakes to Avoid

So you’re SUPER excited to start your low-content publishing business and ready to get to work? You should be! 

Low-content publishing is the exact business model that’s allowed me to: 

• stop working in an unfulfilling 9-5 job
• become my own boss
• earn over $500k
• pay off $45k in debt

One of the questions I get asked the most is, “Rachel, how long will it take for me to start making money on KDP?” 

There are obviously some “x factors” at play, such as:

• your skill set
• the amount of time you have to invest
• your willingness to be patient while learning

Fortunately, though, there are some ways you can speed up the process! 

In this article, you’ll learn: 

•  6 things you should avoid doing that will only waste your time, money, and energy
•  the one thing you should focus on to start getting those sales rolling in

You can learn more by watching this video or reading below for a summary of everything I discuss. 

(This post contains affiliate links, which means—at zero cost to you—I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!)

6 Time-Wasters To Avoid 

I’ve learned through my own experience (which has included some PAINFUL lessons) that investing your valuable time, money, and energy into the wrong things can CRUSH your business before you even make your first dollar.

Sure, “busywork” can make you feel like you’re doing something, but in reality it’s just preventing you from building a successful business. Here are 6 examples of time-wasting activities you should avoid when getting started. 

Registering a Legal Entity Too Soon

At some point, you may want to register as a legal entity (an LLC, for example) but this process can be quite costly and is not necessary when you’re first starting. 

I would not recommend registering a legal entity until: 

• you’ve validated that low-content publishing is a viable business model for you
• you’ve identified this business model as something you enjoy and can see yourself doing over the long haul. This will definitely take work! 

I made the mistake of registering my first online business too early and the result was that I wasted approximately $500 on a business that went absolutely nowhere. 

I strongly recommend holding off on registering an official business until you know you’re going to make money and you know you’re going to keep at it for the foreseeable future.

Trademarking Your Brand Name Too Soon

Along the same lines, and for the same reasons, don’t apply for any trademarks until you’re actually making money. 

Trademarks can be super expensive, and it’s just not necessary unless the name or phrase you’re using proves to be a valuable asset that would benefit from protection.

Building a Website

Sure, websites are useful. But when you’re first starting your business, absolutely no one is going to find your site. A website is only useful if it receives traffic, and it’s to be expected that you’re not going to get much in the beginning. 

Eventually, when you’ve got your business going, you may want to start building a website. You might even include your URL inside of your book to generate some traffic that way. 

The point is, don’t waste time creating a site in the beginning. In the event you already have a website, however, it would be easy to create a page where you can house your books. 

Creating a Logo

Having a logo can be a great way to add some legitimacy and visual consistency to your brand, but you don’t need to spend time on this when you’re first starting out. 

In the beginning, you may even be experimenting with multiple pen names so your logo might change. Having to create multiple logos will cost you time and money. Once you’ve had a few sales and are seeing some traction you should create a logo. 

The logo design process doesn’t have to be complicated. You can keep it really simple by creating one in Canva. Check out my video How to Create a Logo in Canva once you’re ready. 

Creating a Social Media Account

Similar to a website, social media only works if you have followers. Unless you’re already known on social media and have a good number of followers, putting a lot of effort into social media isn’t the best use of your time. 

Once you’ve started making some sales you can start looking into a social media strategy to see if this would benefit you. 

Buying Ads Before You’ve Made a Sale

Amazon ads are meant to amplify your success, not create it out of thin air. Ads can be a money pit if you don’t know how to use them effectively. Be sure to check out my interview with Stacy B., one of my star Low-Content Profit Academy students who went from $0 to $5K US months and her first $500 day on KDP—with no ads!!!

I strongly recommend having a few sales under your belt before you invest in Amazon advertising. Creating and managing ads is an entirely different skill set that will take some time to learn. 

Now that you’ve learned the 6 time-wasting low-content publishing mistakes you should avoid, let’s discuss the ONE THING you should be doing when starting out as a brand new low-content publisher.

The ONE Thing You Should Be Focusing On When Growing Your Low-Content Publishing Business

The ability to focus is a big part of success in business. There’s one thing you should be hyper-focused on when starting your low-content book business. That one thing is creating books! 

This means that when you’re first starting out, you should do nothing but:

• research
• design
• publish

That’s it! 

At this stage, everything else is just busywork that will distract you from building your business.  You will also need some time to determine whether you really enjoy low-content publishing AND if you can make money doing it.

I suggest giving yourself a “trial period” (about 3 months) to experiment with low-content publishing to determine whether it is a viable business model for you. 

Once your trial period is over, ask yourself these questions: 

• Do I enjoy spending my time this way? Be honest with yourself. Most of us will admit that we got into low-content publishing because we heard we could make a lot of money doing it. There’s nothing wrong with that; however, you do need to enjoy the work itself. If you don’t enjoy it, it won’t be something that you’ll be able to commit to.

• Is this something I can commit to over the long haul?  Overnight success in this business is rare. This business model will take significant time and effort to start seeing significant results. 

Yes, you can generate passive income in the first few days; however, it’s going to take some work to grow a 6-figure business. Is this something you can see yourself doing in the foreseeable future? 

• Am I making any money? Remember, if you’re not making any money you’ve got a hobby on your hands, not a business. 

If several months of solid effort go by and you haven’t made any money, this probably isn’t the business model for you. That’s okay! There are still plenty of other business models you can try. 

If you are generating sales, you’ve proven to yourself that you’re capable of creating something and selling it online. Now it’s just a matter of refining your processes and honing your skills. 

Remember, if you can learn how to make $1 online, you can learn how to make $10, $100, $1,000, $10,000 and so on.

Check out my video, Knowing When To Quit or Persevere to help you decide if this is the right business model for you. 

Bonus Tip: Separate Your Finances

Speaking from experience, once you start making a few sales (and only then), open a separate bank account so that you’re keeping your business finances apart from your personal finances. 

I created a TOTAL NIGHTMARE for myself several years ago trying to reconcile business and personal transactions that were not separated. I had to hire an accountant to help me straighten it all out. It took me a good amount of time and money to get it all fixed, so DON’T BE ME! 

Make sure your finances are separated and that you have a bookkeeping system in place, even if it’s just a simple spreadsheet. The main objective is to keep things simple and streamlined so that, come tax time, you’re not having to spend hours untangling everything. 

Your future self will thank you! 

In this article, you’ve learned 6 time-wasting activities you should avoid when you first start your low-content publishing business and the ONE thing you should be laser-focused on. Remember, it’s the pointless busywork that’s going to keep you from making money!