9.1 rEAliSTiC AND UNrEAliSTiC ExPECTATiONS fOr A BOOk One of the most common problems we see from authors are unre- alistic expectations about what a book will get them. So many authors have fantasies in their head surrounding their book, and those fantasies lead them to make bad decisions about their book. A book is a wonderful thing and can help both you and your readers immensely, but it doesn’t work well unless you have realistic expectations for what it can get you. I’m going to walk you through the most common unrealistic expectations authors have, then explain realistic expectations for a nonfiction book. UNREALISTIC EXPECTATION #1: “MY BOOK WILL SELL MILLIONS OF COPIES!” The first fantasy authors usually have is about book sales. Some authors truly think that their book will sell millions of copies. rEAliSTiC AND UNrEAliSTiC ExPECTATiONS fOr A BOOk · 363