Mistakes--you've gotta hate them! Even a small mistake (think plot holes, inconsistent characters, factual errors, etc.) can totally tank a great book. How many good books could have been great had the writer not make a small mistake? But those mistakes are totally what help us writers to improve, and I'm glad that I've made so many mistakes in my short writing career! Oprah said it best: "Learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more of who you are." In the publication of my first book--In the Days: A Tale of the Forgotten Continent--I made the mistake of rushing. I wrote, edited, and published the book in the space of two months. Definitely not enough time to deliver a quality product AT ALL! Not only were there a few mistakes (typos, character stuff, world-building, etc.), but I rushed the launch as well. I sold way too few books. But that's life! Now that I'm launching my next book--The Last Bucelarii (Book 1): Blade of the Destroyer--I'm going to do it right! I avoided the mistake of typos, plot holes, and errors by having it professionally edited, going over it repeatedly myself, and giving it to beta readers. I avoided the mistake of rushing the launch by giving myself 4 months to prepare, and I have compiled a list of nearly 200 people who will help me out. I have nearly 150 people who will read an ARC and write a review. That's pretty epic! Best of all, I didn’t rush into publishing the book myself, and now it has been picked up by a publisher. It sets the launch back a bit, but I now have a team behind me to ensure that the book is as professional as possible! Mistakes suck, but boy do they teach you to get it right VERY quickly! I hope to keep learning from my mistakes as I go, and I know that my writing career will only blossom as I avoid the things that I screwed up in the past--and that I'm screwing up now. Make mistakes now, learn from them, and let them help you kick ass in your future!