I’ve seen a lot of those types of observations in online book marketing groups recently. More often than not, they’re commenting on facts that I take for granted to the point where it doesn’t even occur to me that you might not know that.

That’s partly because I’ve been connected to book publishing for a looooong time — my first tour around what is now Book Expo America happened in the 1980s, and my first book was published by Kensington in 1995.

So many of today’s authors are new to book publishing, though — and they’re new to both traditional publishing and self publishing. There’s a lot they don’t know yet, but there’s also a lot the veterans don’t realize, too, because the industry is constantly evolving now.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve paid more attention to “I didn’t know that!” observations that have surprised me because I thought everybody knew that.

Of course they don’t! How could they?

With that in mind, here are five things you want to know now. They’re things I thought you knew, but I’ve discovered you probably don’t.

1. A traditional book publishing contract isn’t an option for most authors-to-be.

It is harder and harder for a professional writer, even, to get a publishing contract for a great idea. In the past, if you were a solid writer with an interesting idea, you had a shot at getting a deal that would pay an advance against royalties with a publisher that assumed all publishing costs.

That has changed. Now, that solid professional writer needs a platform — a built-in audience waiting to buy the book — in addition to a great idea and might even have to collaborate with a content expert.

So . . . if you are completely new to the writing world and your question is “Should I try to get a publisher or should I self publish?,” the answer is probably, “Self publish.”

2. Readers don’t care when your book was published.

Fiction readers want a good story that’s well-written. It doesn’t matter if it came out three months or three years ago. They just want to be entertained.

Nonfiction readers want useful, relevant information they can trust. The publication date for nonfiction matters only when the industry has changed enough that a book written five years ago, for example, is out of date.

Obviously, a book about a technology topic has a shorter shelf life than the biography of a historical figure, but readers don’t lose interest in that tech book in three months.

You should be promoting your book as long as it’s available for purchase.

3. Even authors with traditional publishing contracts have to promote their books.

The most common author comment related to this is, “I thought my publisher was going to do more to support my book.”

I don’t know who’s responsible for managing author expectations about what publishers will and won’t do to promote any author’s book. Maybe it’s the agent. Or the editor. Or the in-house publicist.

In any case, even if you’ve received an advance to write a book, you’re expected to contribute to the marketing. That’s why the marketing section of a proposal is so important.

4. If your book looks and reads like a traditionally published book, nobody will know it’s self-published.

If you’re self publishing, you have two goals:

1. To write a book that is so good that readers recommend it to others.
2. To package that excellent content so that it looks just like any other book in its genre in a bricks and mortar bookstore.

The reasons for this are probably obvious, but here’s one you might overlook: Many media outlets say they only review traditionally published books. That’s because those books have been vetted. An editor has acquired the book and worked with the writer and a team of publishing pros to improve and polish it.

As a result, the book reviewer working for a magazine or newspaper knows that he’ll be reading a book that has been through a quality control process. It’s a safe bet that it’s decent.

Self-published books don’t come with quality assurances. But, if you use the same processes and resources as the big-time publishers, nobody will know that it’s self-published.

Pro tip: Create a publishing company and get your book’s ISBN through that company so it’s listed as the publisher. Be creative enough with your publishing company name that it’s not obvious that you’re the publisher.

5. People will disappoint you.

Here’s the deal: Not everybody in your world wants to read what you write.

That’s hard to accept, I know. But it’s a fact. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to put your energy into finding and reaching the people who really will want to read your book.

Oh, sure, let your friends and family know you’ve just published a book. Enlist their help getting the word out. But don’t expect all of them — or even most of them — to buy and read your book, because they won’t.

It’s not personal. It’s just that people have different tastes. You might not like the types of books I write; I might not like the types of books you write. It has nothing to do with either one of us as a person or our relationship.

It’s just that we’re all different. So manage your expectations and you’ll be a happier author.

What have you learned about book publishing or marketing that you wish you had learned a lot sooner?