Anna Jones Buttimore's Blog, page 10

Bad Reviews Part 1: Why I Write Them

I'm doing well with my new year's resolution to review every book I read. I've so far reviewed all six books I have read since 1st January. But this resolution has thrown up a bit of an issue.

On the whole, you see, authors (especially self-published authors) love reviews. They lend credibility to the book and help buyers know whether it is for them. But no one likes getting a bad review, and since I've resolved to review every book I read it's likely that there will be the odd bad one among them. I believe in being honest, you see.

I have so far read two books I hated. I gave them both two stars. The author of the first responded by thanking me for reviewing it and expressing disappointment that I hadn't enjoyed it. Very gracious and reasonable. But a  mystery defender of substandard literature took umbrage at my comments and ranted about how unfair that was, and how since I was a religious person (he looked me up on Facebook) I was obviously narrow-minded and thus couldn't properly understand the book. Not only that, but as an Essex girl I wouldn't have the brains to know good literature when I see it.

I know how it feels to get a bad review, and it's not fun. But I also get annoyed when I spend my hard-earned money on a book which had nine gushing five-star reviews and discover that my eight-year-old has a better grasp of grammar and story construction than the author. If no one is prepared to admit that, actually, that book isn't very good then I am being duped into spending my money on a substandard product.

I have never complained about a bad review. Ever. I do what this author did - I graciously thank the reviewer. And I post the review on my Facebook page just as I do the good ones. To do anything else is petty and pointless. If you do anything within the public domain you can expect criticism and you have to learn to live with it. If you can't live with it, you need to not write books.

So fellow authors, if you want me to review your book, beware. If I don't like it I will say so. (But on the flip side, if I give it four or–very rare–five stars, you know I mean it.)

Book Review: Hearts and Minds by Maria VA Johnson

I haven't actually sat down to read a book of poetry since I finished my English degree in 1990. Terrible oversight on my part. This book reminded me of all that is best about poetry: the ability to pack a real emotional punch in just a few lines, and the opportunity to indulge oneself in reading an entire book in half-an-hour.

This book felt a bit like the proverbial curate's egg, in that some parts were better than others. I felt that some of the rhymes were rather overreached and occasionally jarred, but the free verse was much better and the meter was always perfect - something I consider extremely important in poetry. It was broken into sections related to the topic or the mood and that made it something I might dip into at a later date if I'm looking for a poem to suit a particular occasion.

It was, at times, extremely personal. I happen to know the poet, and that might have been a little awkward, but somehow wasn't. It felt more as though a friend was opening up to me. I'd be interested to know if readers who don't know the writer feel the same way.

Overall this is a lovely little volume which leaves the reader with a sense of warmth and enrichment. Recommended.

Have You Bought The Saved Saint Yet?

"A ground-breaking novel, based on a true story, exploring the conflict between evangelical Christianity and Mormonism. "
You can hardly have failed to notice that I've got a new book out, and one I'm rather proud of. Hellen and I set out to do something quite unusual and courageous with this book and on the whole I think we achieved it. In fact, it came out far better than I expected (I think Hellen's input had a lot to do with that).

This is the first book I've written which had a purpose beyond entertainment, but it can't achieve that purpose without people buying it, reading it, thinking about it and talking about it.

It's selling steadily, but it's not yet setting the world alight. I'm sensing that there may be some uncertainty and reluctance among the target market, so this post will address some of the reasons you might have for not wanting to buy The Saved Saint.

1. I'm worried I'll be offended by it.
The book is about religious division and there are evangelical Christian characters who are very antagonistic toward and critical of the LDS Church. Conversely there are Mormon characters who are very critical of mainstream Christianity and some of its practices. But we've worked hard to make sure that no one tradition "wins" over the other one. So for every good Mormon character there's a good evangelical character, and we had lots of fun making our bad Mormon character (Avril) and bad Christian character (Niall) as nasty as possible!

While certain characters may be critical of the doctrines and practices of the church which isn't their own, the book itself is very firmly in the unbiased and the message it contains is that religious division is destructive and unChristian. In fact, every chapter starts with a quote about the importance of tolerance and understanding.

It's interesting to us that there have been just two critical reactions to this book. One was an Amazon review from a Christian who said that "the Christians in this book are no better than the Mormons", and the other was an email from a Mormon who didn't like it because she felt that the Mormons came off looking bad. So if both sides are offended, we've probably got the balance right.

2. I don't buy self-published books, they are usually substandard.
I agree that many (although not all) self-published books are published by the author because no reputable traditional publisher would ever want them, and they are often very badly edited. However, the reason The Saved Saint is self-published is because its controversial subject matter made it unsuitable for the generally conservative LDS publishers or Christian press. That left just secular publishers who generally avoid books about religion. So although one of the authors is a well-established writer with five traditionally published novels behind her, The Saved Saint could not have been published any other way. We also had it professionally edited.

3. It's too expensive
The Kindle version of The Saved Saint is $4.80 or £3.09, the paperback version is $10 or £7. We think that's pretty competitive, but we understand that times are tight. So if you're interested but just can't afford it right now, why not just download the sample so that you can see whether it is worth your investment? Or get together with a friend and buy the paperback between you? Or ask your local library to stock it? You could even ask your church to buy it for their library.

If none of that works for you, contact us via our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TheSavedSaint) because if you have a blog with a few followers and will agree to post a review, interview or some other publicity for the book, we'll send you a free copy. (In fact, get on over there and like the page anyway because we love to discuss the book and the issues it raises and that's where we do it.)

4. It's a Mormon book / It's a Christian book / I'm not religious
If you're not religious, fair enough - you're not our target audience. But you might still enjoy it if you get a kick out of seeing how horrible religious people can be to each other.

As for whether it's a Mormon or Christian book, it's both and neither. In fact, the book has yet to be baptised into any church.

5. I'm just not that interested - it's not my usual genre.
It's not anyone's usual genre because this type of book hasn't been done before. But not interested - really? This is a book written jointly by a Mormon convert who was formerly an anti-Mormon, and a Baptist who is also a lay pastor in an evangelical church, surely that's just a little bit intriguing? And if that isn't enough, it's based on a true story, and chapters are narrated from alternating viewpoints so the same events can be seen from two different perspectives. Sounds like something I'd find very interesting.

Convinced you? Right - here are the links you need:

Paperback from Amazon in the UK
Ebook from Amazon in the UK
Paperback from Amazon in the US
Ebook from Amazon in the US
And if you would like to buy it from me in person come along to Chelmsford Library on Saturday 16th February where Hellen and I will be signing copies.

Blog Tour Book Review: Make It Happen by Kylee Shields

In August 2004 I found myself single, obviously pregnant, and moving into a new LDS ward. Not an ideal situation, and one I was, naturally, somewhat embarrassed and self-conscious about. I was almost introducing myself to ward members with the words, "The divorce came through just two weeks ago!" But as luck would have it I had moved into the most wonderful ward in the world, and no one assumed, or judged, or speculated, or gossiped. Instead they set about making me feel welcome and threw me a house-warming party and then a baby shower - the first I'd ever had, despite it being my third baby.

Shortly thereafter several members conspired to suggest a particular single man in the ward as worthy of my attention and Roderic and I married in the London Temple in August 2006.
Anyway, the point of all this is that I know what it's like to be single in a church which values marriage above almost everything else, but only just. So I cast my mind back to those months of Single Adult Conventions, dire dances, awkward firesides and quiet desperation, and opened this book.

"Make what Happen?" I wondered vaguely as I did so. "Marriage?"

Only a few chapters in I realised I that this isn't a book about surviving single-hood, or finding a spouse, or dating (argh!) or learning to live with the burden of being alone. Far from it. This is a book about having a wonderful, fulfilling and happy life. At that point I decided that the subtitle–"A Guide to Happiness for LDS Singles"–really ought to be the title, and "Make It Happen" should be the subtitle (the "It" being "Happiness"). But then, titles need to be short and snappy.

Make It Happen is a book about having dreams and knowing how to follow them, about being a person who recognises and responds to need, and about getting out of the self-destructive "woe-is-me" rut and living your single life to the full.

In fact, I confess to a little envy, because those unburdened with family responsibilities have more opportunities to travel, to experiment, to make a difference, to fulfil dreams, and I think that is also the "it" which this book helps us to make happen. At one point, for example, the author lists ten of her life goals and then explains how she went about accomplishing them. Well, I have life goals too (finish painting the bathroom is right up there at number 1 at the moment) but they will all have to wait until my children have grown up. Assuming I have any energy left by then.

I'm going to make a dramatic step here and recommend this book to everyone, not just LDS singles. That's right, I mean you Smug Marrieds too. It's a great, life-affirming book whoever you are and wherever you are in life.

_____________________________
As part of the blog tour, Kylee is giving away both an electronic and hard copy of her book, a $25 Amazon gift card, and $25 Target gift card. The drawing is a Rafflecopter giveaway, and there are so many ways to earn entries! You can earn entries by commenting on this or any of the other blogs participating in the tour (see the full schedule on The Book Bug); liking the Make It Happen Facebook Page, the Inspire Facebook Page or theForward Walking Facebook Page; friending Kylee; following either (or both) of Kylee’s twitter accounts:@kyleeshields and @authorkylee; following any of the blog tour hosts on twitter: @GeoLibrarian,@RyanHunter45, @lovingthebooks, @toobusyreading, @LiteraryTimeOut, @jinxtweet, @AnnaButtimore, @MarcusLane14,  @walnutspringspr, and @ALSowards; adding Make It Happen to your Goodreads shelf; liking Make It Happen on Amazon; following Kylee’s blog, Kigatsuku; writing a blog post about Make it Happen; or tweeting about the giveaway (once entry per day).Make It Happen is a collection of principles, blog entries, stories, and conversations had on couches, floors, kitchen tables, and at many single-adult gatherings. It is filled with practical ways to make changes in your life, find hope, increase faith, strengthen relationships, and build the kingdom. The book can be purchased online atDeseret Book and Amazon.

That Cheap Christmas Thing

Around this time last year I unleashed a fiendish plan on my unsuspecting family and friends. I told them that we weren't going to spend more than £2 ($3) on any adult at Christmas, and they were similarly limited in their gift budgets for us. We wanted people to make things, give service, or regift old items to us instead. And we would do the same for them. The idea was that rather than Christmas being a financial burden and a commercial exercise it would become a time we could focus more on the Saviour.

Well, Christmas came and went, and now people are asking me, "How did it go, that cheap Christmas thing?"

And the answer is that it went really, really well. I got some gifts which I was absolutely thrilled with. A friend knitted me a beautiful bag. My father-in-law gave me some delicious home-made marmalade. I got lots of elastics for my hair which is fantastic because I am forever losing them, and my husband's best friend used his DIY skills to build a bookcase in an alcove for us.

As for what I gave, I got some major bargains in charity shops including a new-in-the-box jewellery box and a complete Chinese meal set (crockery, chopsticks and bamboo mats in the unopened box) for £1 each. In the wonderful Poundland I found 2013 calendars then raided Facebook for pictures of the families I was giving them to and gave them personalised calendars. I found that Primark sells touch-screen gloves for £1.50, and my husband (an accountant) did some tax returns for free.

I have one particular friend for whom I buy a funny t-shirt every single year (it's what he asks for). I agonised over how to do it for under £2. Then I entered a competition to win a t-shirt, and won. Job done.

So all in all it was a successful and fun experiment. But probably not one I'll be repeating. It did rather tax my little brain to the limit trying to come up with great presents for less than the cost of a Happy Meal, and I saw lots of lovely things I would have bought in a normal year. We ended the year safely in credit and with December having been no more expensive than any other month (especially since we had been collecting Morrison's Savings Stamps all year for our Christmas groceries).

We didn't do it just because we wanted to save money, however, and it did serve to show me what gift giving is all about. We give gifts to people not to show off how rich we are, but as an expression of our love for them. I may have spent less than £2 on the materials for the cross-stitched family tree I made for my brother and sister-in-law, but I spent about 100 hours of my time, and spent much of that time thinking about them, and about what great people they are and how happy I am to be related to them, and remembering time spent together.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what Christmas is all about.

Medi

Medi, always a basket case.Just before midnight last night my cat, Medi, passed away. She was just a few weeks shy of her 21st birthday and over the last year or two had been getting increasingly thin and frail. So all plans for today's blog have been deferred, and instead this is a self-indulgent eulogy to my cat.

In May 1992 I was 23 and living with my new (now ex) husband in our own home for the first time. I had wanted a cat for a long time, so after seeing an advert in the local newspaper I drove to a modern housing estate just a mile from where we lived in Caernarfon where a semi-feral cat had adopted a sympathetic home in order to have her kittens. Apparently she did this every year, and once homes had been found for the kittens the cat would disappear into the wild again. The homeowners named her Nionyn (local Welsh dialect for "Onion") and had nicknamed her three black kittens Mini, Midi and Maxi. I paid them £5 and took eight-week-old Midi home in a box with a piece of the blanket she was born on for comfort.

I changed her name to Medi, which is Welsh for September (the month I was born) and also a bona-fide Welsh name.

My husband wasn't too pleased about the new arrival. He loved cats, but his own childhood cat, Tigger, had died just a few days beforehand and he and his parents hadn't got round to telling me. Neither had I consulted him first about our new kitten. Never mind, she was very cute and I was sure she'd grow on him.

In fact, she turned out to be a truly horrible antisocial cat. She bit, she scratched, she hissed and growled. As a kitten she climbed my legs with her claws, and the first time we took her to the vet for her injections he suggested we never bring her back. My dreams of sitting in front of the fire with a purring cat on my lap evaporated. Medi was never going to be a lap-cat, and she almost never purred. We referred to her as "Medi-evil" or "Satan's Little Helper". When people came to visit I had to warn them not to try to stroke the cat, and there were often tears when children failed to heed the warning.

We considered giving her to an animal shelter for rehoming except that we knew she wouldn't be rehomed. Who would deliberately take on a sociopathic cat? And that would mean she'd have to be put down. So we were stuck with her.

But she was an excellent mouser. In those days we were living in a rambling old vicarage with outbuildings which had formerly been stables and a coach house and they were riddled with rats and mice. Once Medi reached adulthood we had dead rodents on the doorstep every day for several weeks, and then were never troubled again.

She was also very understanding and intelligent. About four years ago a stray black cat came in through our cat-flap and adopted us. We named him Salem, and although he looked a lot like Medi he couldn't have been more different. He loved being petted and cuddled, and purred and miaowed constantly looking for attention. In fact, if the children were asleep he would butt their hands and faces until they woke up and fussed him. Needless to say that was extremely annoying because the children got no sleep. But Salem was (naturally) terrified of Medi, and Medi suddenly took it upon herself to sleep on the foot of Ceri's bed thus ensuring that Salem would keep away from the children at night. After a couple of weeks we took Salem to the Cat's Protection shelter and he was rehomed, and Medi went back to her usual habit of going outside at night.

As she grew elderly (and apparently she was 140 if you believe in cat years) Medi tolerated being fussed a little more, and even seemed to enjoy being held. She may not have been a particularly nice cat, but we loved her anyway. She has been part of my life for a long time and I will miss tripping over her. The funeral will be in our garden at 5 p.m. today.

New Year's Resolutions

I think I may be overdoing it. My new year's resolutions are:
Lose weight. Again. I say this every year, and yet I end each year heavier than I started it. No diet clubs this time (done them all) or faddy eating plans. I'm just going to stop snacking on cakes and doughnuts and bread and instead try to eat more fruit and vegetables. And that doesn't mean banana bread and carrot cake. My kids are in this with me and we've all done the Wii Fit this morning. So fingers crossed.Do all my Visiting Teaching. I decided that I would do December's Visiting Teaching by delivering Christmas cards to all my sisters. And then found that I couldn't remember who they were or where they lived. Not good. By December this year I want them all to be fed up with the sight of me.Read and review books. I love reading, and I'm filling my Kindle with lots of free self-pubbed titles. I know the authors would really appreciate reviews and it only takes a couple of minutes to post something on Amazon or Goodreads. Or both.Write something every day. Even if it's just one word I will open one of my WIPs and write. (That should be an easy one to keep because I find I really love writing.)Finally clear out the garage. It's damp in there, and stuff we keep there usually ends up pretty manky. And yet despite that I'm in the habit of flinging things in there when I don't know where else to put them. So this year I'm going to bring out one thing every day and find it a new home elsewhere in the house.Do some family history. My amazing Dad has done lots, but I don't do anything much with the information he sends me. It's time I actually paid some attention to my ancestors, learned more about their lives and maybe even uncovered some family secrets.Get some food storage. The world is getting to be a scary place, and several times over the last few years I've wished we had our year's supply in. We have some wheat, but I'm going to take a good stab at getting at least three months' supply of food, water and toiletries by the end of the year. BOGOF here I come! Floss my teeth daily. My teeth are in pretty good shape, but every six months when I go to the dentist she suggests I see the hygienist. Now, my dentist is NHS but the hygienist is private and thus costs money I don't have. So I always say No. I know what she'd tell me to do anyway - floss daily. So I'm going to try to make sure that when I see my dentist in June she doesn't try to refer me to the hygienist.Is there any hope of me keeping all or any of these, do you think? Well, I'm going to give it a really good shot at least. What are your resolutions for 2013?

My Christmas Wish to all my Friends

This Christmas I wish you all the best that the season of peace on earth and goodwill to all men has to offer:

My your little darlings be angels in the school nativity play, not cows*May your panto hero actually be able to hear you shout "He's behind you!"May you remember to blow out your advent candle before it burns halfway through to next week*May your carol singers actually sing carols, rather than mumbling a half-hearted verse of "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and then holding out their hands for money*May the children remain peacefully asleep as Father Christmas places their filled stockings on their beds, and may they remain peacefully asleep until the sun has risenMay you remember to put on your shoes when you go to church, and not find yourself standing in the foyer in your slippers trying to pass them off as a festive statement*May your crackers contain hats that fit, jokes that are funny, and novelty gifts that are actually useful*May your sprouts, parsnips and carrots taste sweeter than any vegetable has a right to, and may there be enough roasties to go round. (And may you not forget the bread sauce this year.)*May your Christmas pudding flame elegantly without setting off the smoke alarmMay the children be so enthralled by their new toys that they let you have Christmas day afternoon in peace to watch the Queen's Speech, Room on the Broom, Doctor Who and Downton Abbey.May your mince pies always come with "warm, with custard?" as an option.In short, Merry Christmas!
(* applies especially to me.)

I Wore a Skirt to Church on Sunday

I'm very grateful to have permission to reproduce here something by Carrie Stringham Teasdale. I've never met Carrie, but her words had quite an impression on me so I sought her out to ask whether I could share them on my blog. 

As background this past Sunday, 16th December, was designated by a group of Mormon feminists as "Wear Pants [Trousers] to Church Day". They felt that being required to wear a skirt or dress to church is indicative of the oppressive and patronising attitude in the LDS church towards women. Now, whilst I'll readily admit that it is a patriarchal church, I personally have never felt less valued or respected in it, or in any way inferior to my brothers in Christ's church. I also only ever wear skirts or dresses because I find them way more comfortable than trousers. In fact, I don't currently own a pair of trousers (that fit). I have held some pretty major callings (on the Stake Public Affairs Council, YW President, Primary President and currently Seminary Teacher) and really don't have any hankering to be Bishop. 

But enough of my waffling. Here's what Carrie had to say on the matter:

This Sunday, as most of you know, is one that is making the news for members of my religion. The theme for the day is neither Christmas, caring, Christianity, love or devotion. It is a few people's idea of Feminism. We live in a world of free speech. We attend a church that discusses free agency as a given right. Today is the day women show up to church in pants. A simple protest that, frankly, makes me sad.

I listened to a talk given by a member of the Quorum of the 70, visiting my stake in Colorado growing up. It changed my views on a lot of things in both religion and life. It began with a baby tantruming and an embarrassed mother hustling to get her child out of ear shot for the sake of the speaker and the message. The speaker smiled and nodded at the horrified mother and veered entirely off of his talk. In fact, he set his papers and scriptures aside completely. He commended her for stalwartly attending church with a young child, as he was a father himself and it was rather difficult to keep a baby behaving the way you'd like for three hours of the day. Not only did this mother sacrifice her time and patience, but the speaker took note of her thoughtfulness in helping others to feel the spirit and the personal meaning the talks in the meeting might have for them.

Then this speaker continued on, blowing my little Mormon girl mind. He mused at how much he loved the sound of children's crying in church. It meant someone was trying. He loved the smell of cigarette smoke lingering on someone next to him, because it meant someone was putting aside something they struggled with to say to God that they were trying. Then he mentioned that one of his favorite things was seeing someone in jeans, with messed up hair, or people sneaking in late. It floored me. Why on earth would he say that? I had sometimes heard women gawk and complain about these things and how trashy a person was, or I would see people roll their eyes as a mother got up for the third or fourth time with a screaming kid and eyes rolled.

He said a few very simple things that have impacted my take on my worshiping since. The Gospel isn't a complicated thing, people are. The Lord knows this and everyone is simply asked to give their best, no matter how small an effort it is, it is an effort. He spoke of the way everyone sins in their own way and that that person reeking of cigarettes in a room full of avid non-smokers put aside their pride and came to worship God despite the obvious mark of someone who wasn't living the Gospel the same way as someone next to him. Yet, that other person had their own sins, maybe ones they can hide easier. How brave and reverent a person must be to sacrifice pride for their God in the face of their fellow church goers' ideas of who they were. In this talk, this speaker went on to say that jeans may be all a person has, that we are asked to give our best to the Lord and wear our nicest things out of reverence to Him when in his churches.

In one stake I was in, there was a focus on keeping reverence in the chapel. People were asked to slide in to the center of pews to make room for late comers, the elderly who needed the outside seats and young families who would likely need to get up and down quickly to avoid disrupting the meeting. As a teenager, it astounded me to realize that simply scooching in a bit helped keep the meeting reverent. My mother enlightened me a bit explaining that people come to church for God, but they also come to get their ducks in a row, to become better people and they come to learn. By making an extra effort to make church better and a place to learn and better ourselves, we show selflessness and a love for other people even though we generally go for ourselves and our own salvation.

Back to the issue at hand. I've read the articles on this protest. Nice pants suits and slacks are what protesters are supposed to wear. Not too bad, right? At first it seemed pointless, as I have seen quite a few women wear pants suits to church already. Then I went back to the realization that this isn't about pants. It is about shock. Making your own issues rise above those of the people coming to worship. There are women going to church today, in hopes of getting so much notice that church leaders will be like "Oh, well then by all means, wear what ever you want, worship however you want."

See, the funny thing is that you ALREADY can. Anyone CAN wear pants to church; some women already do. People may judge you, thinking you are disrespectful or too poor to have a skirt on, but there aren't any rules against it. Those judging people have their own issues to answer for. It is your choice whether you think it is the most reverent and respectful thing you can be doing and if your heart is in the right place. If you really are just going to worship, I would hope that you do the best you can to worship the best you can. Frankly, it is none of my business. I suppose it is like that speaker said, at least you are going and trying to better yourself... right? Going to church is hard for me some days with dragging kids and doing hair and making an effort to just be there to show my Father in Heaven that I care. I may show up frazzled, frustrated and just trying to make it through the 3 hour block, but I go to church because I want to get past my own faults and just keep trying. I want to show God that to me, my life is about Him as much as I can make it be. What I don't appreciate is a movement to undermine the reverence of a meeting I sacrifice to attend.

How would it make the Lord feel to realize that these women are so focused about having all the glory of the day, about having the Gospel be more about them today, that the Sabbath is more about personal entitlement than the Saviour  Is it so important that we care more about what is covering your hind side than if your fellow worshippers get to worship and get the messages and spiritual growth they are hoping for today?

The Hierarchy of Authors

It occurred to me recently that there seems to be a pecking order for authors. That some command more respect and admiration, or are considered more talented, than others.

At my first meeting at the writing group I attend we had a talk by one of the members. Her first book had been picked up by an agent and a bidding war had followed between two major publishers. She chose Harper Collins and was offered an advance and a three-book deal. Wow. I was pretty star struck, I admit. (I bought her books, by the way, and they were indeed extremely good. You could buy one here.)

I'm a published author too, but I don't have an agent, I didn't get an advance and Harper Collins isn't my publisher. I took a different route and was published by a small publisher serving a niche market. So while that still makes me a traditionally published author, it's certainly a step down from Michelle Cunnah's level.

A few people in our writing group are self-published authors. If you read my blog regularly you'll know that I change my mind about self-publishing as often as I change my clothes, but what it boils down to is that they have published without the validation of an industry professional prepared to invest in their work. So maybe that puts them another rung down the ladder.

And below them are the aspiring authors who are still honing their craft or completing their first manuscript and haven't been published at all yet. Yet. They aspire to the lofty heights of those who cling precariously to the higher rungs.

It's very easy to be in awe of writers who have huge sales, rave reviews in national newspapers, or are backed by big names, but I like to think that the work itself should be what authors are judged on. Yes, a lot of self-published books are put out which are really poor quality, but we've all read books by big name publishers and wondered why on earth some acquisitions editor or agent thought it was worth investing in. Who hasn't read a book and thought, "I can do better than this"? And there are many self-published books, or books put out by small presses, which are extraordinarily good.

If we're going to position authors on a ladder according to how highly we esteem them, then we shouldn't judge on their publishing deal, the number of books they have put out, their route to publication or even how many copies they have sold. We should admire them because we have loved their books, and recognise their talent and the work they put in.