When I finished NaNoWriMo last November, I was proud of my accomplishment. I'd never written a book before, and I was eager to share it with whoever wished to read it. I attended an event in December entitled, "So you wrote a book. Now what?" and received lots of advice about publishing, publicizing, and getting my book out there, but the single biggest piece of advice was to wait.
Wait?! Why wait? I want to be a published author. But it turns out it was sound advice. I did not wait to publish on Kindle and Nook until I'd received my paperback proof from CreateSpace. I was thrilled to have my book out there and wanted to share it with the world. Upon receiving my proof, however, it became clear that I may have jumped the gun -- reviewing the proof has shown me no fewer than 12 corrections that should be made, nine of which MUST be made. So I continue to proofread and edit so that the paperback copy is free of errors. When I am done, I will definitely resubmit the Kindle and Nook editions with the corrections, but I am now waiting to make sure my copy editor and I get through the entire book, make all the needed changes, and incorporate them into what, I suppose, I will have to call the second edition.
So, all you authors out there, I submit to you my best advice. Wait. Wait until you have read a paper copy of your book before you publish, whether digital copies or print copies.
Sure wish I had...