Rod Raglin's Blog, page 38
July 17, 2015
Improve your writing immensely with these simple suggestions
I’ve written, edited and critiqued hundreds of thousands of words first as a journalist, then as community newspaper editor and now as an author and paid facilitator of creative writing circles.
Most recently I’ve taken on writing and videoing book reviews of the work of new, self-published authors.
I’ve written a lot of book reviews, but in this category – new, self-published authors, I’ve so far done sixteen. The average star rating is 2.8, a bit better than I didn’t like it, but not quite as good as I like it.
A couple of these authors were brilliant, but most, though they have potential, are hampered by lack of craft. If they continue writing and reading I know they’ll improve. Writing is like most things – the more you do it the better you get.
New authors most often make the same mistakes, both in story structure and in writing and this has been the case with the majority of ones I’ve reviewed.
I seldom give writing advice, I mean who needs more, but if you’re a new author or an aspiring one here are some simple tips that will get your story off to a good start and some suggestions about how to improve the writing of it.
This is not to say I don’t still make these mistakes. They’re easy to see in other people’s work, but more difficult in your own – isn’t that always the case.
Before you write a single word ask yourself:
– what does your main character want?
– why do they want it?
– what is stopping them from getting it?
Now you can begin writing – by answering these three questions.
These are the basis of every story – Goal, Motivation and Conflict. If you establish these elements right at the beginning, and keep referring to them as you write your novel, your characters and the plot will stay focused.
Remember, the reader wants to know what this story is about so present this information in your first paragraph or at least get it in the first chapter.
Write as simple as you can, which is actually very difficult. Above everything else tell the story as story always trumps writing. I’d suggest you tell it straightforward in simple chronological order. If you want an example of simple, straightforward storytelling read The Lowlands by Jhumpra Lahiri. It’s powerfully simple and unfolds naturally in chronological order. It got short listed for the Man Booker Prize and won her several other accolades.
Here are six things that will label your writing as amateur and should be avoided:
Using too many adverbs. If you have to describe how your dialogue is being delivered it’s weak and should be rewritten.
Over explaining. Action should be explained simply or, in many cases left up to the reader’s imagination. Here again use a strong verb rather than a weak one supported by adverbs
Attaching action to dialogue. It’s dialogue – full stop – then a new sentence for the action.
Using speaker attributions other than “said”.
Too much description. Only minimal character description is necessary and it shouldn’t be dumped, but subtly inserted and only when motivated, ideally as part of some action.
Being over indulgent with your prose. We love our words but if they don’t develop character or advance the plot cut them.
So you’ve adhered to these suggestions and you’ve finished your book. Congratulations. Now it’s time to get it out there, right?
Wrong.
Most of the novels I’m giving two stars to have been rushed into publication. I know you’re excited, but remember – it’s never as good as you think it is, and it can always be better. Yes, always.
Here’s what I do:
– I revise a manuscript a minimum three times or until I feel it’s finished.
– Then I put it away for at least three months or however long it takes to get it out of my system.
– While I’m waiting to be purged, I work on something completely different.
– Once I’ve put some distance between my ego and the book, I’m ready. I take out the manuscript and send it to as many beta readers for comment as I can. If you don’t have a stable of readers who are free from conflict of interest, join a writing group online or otherwise and workshop the novel.
Once you’ve decided it’s time for the final rewrite gather all the comments and criticisms together and once again apply my six suggestions.
If you follow this method I guarantee your final version will be different and better than it was when you deemed it complete.
Keep writing and remember what Nietcszhe said:
The doer alone learneth
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at
Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
July 13, 2015
The inception of The Widower – my 6th novel
Ever think about who you really are, who you’d really like to be?
When we start out in life we have a pretty good idea of what we want to be. When I was five I wanted to be a cowboy just like Roy Rodgers (yes, I’m that old). By the time I was thirteen I wanted to be a writer. That stuck.
Life can be a dream killer – sometimes it’s our own fault, sometimes it’s circumstances beyond our control, sometimes the dreams aren’t realistic. Whatever the reason, not too many people I know are living their dreams.
I wanted to explore this in a novel not so much because I thought it would appeal to readers, but more for myself. Where do dreams go when life happens? And, given the opportunity years later, can those dreams be revived?
The Widower, my sixth novel, is about a guy that’s living his dream. At twenty-seven he’s a successful poet lauded by the literary establishment and revered by his contemporaries, the disenfranchised and rebellious youth of the sixties.
Then tragedy strikes and to recover he abandons the dream and chooses a new direction significantly different from the old one.
Thirty-four years later there’s another tragedy that releases him from the life he’s been living. He has one last chance to revive the dream he abandoned.
You can imagine after thirty-four years he’s accumulated a lot of baggage. Will that baggage, in the form of family, friends and financial obligations allow him to walk away to try to revive the dream he was living when he was a young man?
They only recognize him by the roles and responsibilities he’s assumed – a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a neighbour, a mentor, a valued employee and a prospective lover. But do these roles represent the real him and once they’re no longer valid or necessary who will he be?
Are you defined by the roles you assumed? Who are you really?
I had some preconceived notions of where I wanted this to go, but like all my other novels within a short time I was the merely the conduit of the characters, some of whom took on a far greater role than anticipated.
I told my protagonist’s story from other people’s point of view, not his own. I wanted others to comment on his changes and how they affected them. I wanted it to take place in real time, like a commentator telling you what’s happening, in some cases multiple POV’s commenting on the same scene.
It’s time for the story to rest, to purge it from my consciousness and let it ripen in my subconscious. When I resurrect it I’ll be in need of beta readers so if you’re interested send me an email.
Stay calm, be brave, watch for the signs
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at
Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
July 9, 2015
Sales of two books sends Amazon ranking soaring
Last month I had a little surprise in my bank account.
Three deposits appeared from Amazon totaling $11.04 for sales of the e-book edition of The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic.
Oh! my! gosh!
Upon investigation I discovered five e-books had been sold, one in March and four in April. Two were in Canada, two in the United States and one in Great Britain. Amazon doesn’t notify you when sales are made, and royalties are paid approximately sixty days following the end of the calendar month in which the applicable sales occur.
Since I’m more or less done with checking the reports and analytics on the sites my books are posted on I really have no idea what prompted these five strangers in three different countries to buy my book. I can’t think of anything I did during that period that might have brought my work to their attention.
Like Manuel, “I know nothing.”
If you’re an author with Amazon you can check your sales ranking. On April 13th, two copies of The BIG PICTURE were purchased which sent that book’s ranking soaring from 2,593,668 to 173,973.
For that day my book sold more than at least 2,419,695 other books on Amazon.
It’s not hard to understand how book promoters can make you an Amazon bestselling author – at least for a day or two. Three months later and coming up to The BIG PICTURE’s for anniversary I’m back down to 2,0008,844
It also gives me pause when I think of how many books are listed on Amazon that have very few sales, like none. Why am I surprised, up to that point I was one of them?
It’s all a mystery to me so I guess it’s still probably best to…
Stay calm, be brave, and watch for the signs (hopefully in my bank account).
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
June 29, 2015
Rush to publish fatal flaw for indie authors
Beta Readers needed
For my upcoming novel
Details in this blog
Before there was an opportunity to publish a book on your own, free, through sites like Kindle Direct/Create Space and Smashwords, would be authors had to submit their work to agents and publishers. The alternative was to come up with at least a few thousand dollars to have the vanity press publish it for you.
Though you may think everyone deserves the right to publish their own book the one thing the old system prevented was a lot of premature publication. Quite a bit of the stuff I’ve been reading falls into this category. The authors of these books haven’t matured as writers.
Maturity as a writer comes in two parts – craft and humility. I think they develop hand in hand. The more you write the better you get, and the better you get, the more you realize you can always improve. With the knowledge you’re never going to get it right comes humility.
To put it another way if you haven’t done your 10,000 hours of craft, it’s not likely you’re going to have any humility. Still don’t get it? Okay, a lot of the new self-published authors I’m reading can’t write and having decided to prematurely publish their work shows they have no humility either, or perhaps I should I say, yet.
Completing a novel, though a real achievement and something to be proud of, doesn’t necessarily make worthy of publication. Yet that’s exactly what so many new authors do. Filled with hubris they forge ahead with unrealistic expectations. The book dies and so do their dreams.
Before you begin to think I’m sounding all high and mighty I should tell you I cringe when I think of the material I submitted to publishers when I was young and full of myself.
Just recently, when my publisher decided to issue my third novel as a paperback I was given the opportunity to “tweak” it. I soon abandoned the project and told my publisher to let it go out without any changes. After reading the first few pages I realized once I started I would pretty much want to rewrite the entire thing. It was just so, well, mediocre.
If you’ve got the guts you’ll consider this failure part of your apprenticeship, take what you’ve learned from negative reviews like mine at NOT YOUR FAMILY, NOT YOUR FRIEND BOOK REVIEWS and continue to write and improve.
So, to those new indie-authors whose books I’ve trashed here’s some advice I didn’t have space for or it wasn’t appropriate to include in the review.
DON’T RUSH TO PUBLISH.
– I revise a manuscript a minimum three times or until I feel it’s finished.
– Then I put it away for at least three months or however long it takes to get it out of my system.
– While I’m waiting to be purged, I work on something completely different.
– Once I’ve put some distance between my ego and the book I’m ready. I take out the manuscript and send it to as many beta readers for comment as I can. If you don’t have a stable of readers who are free from conflict of interest, join a writing group online of otherwise and workshop the novel.
– At some point I gather all the comments and criticisms together and begin my final rewrite.
If you follow this method I guarantee your final version will be different and better than it was when you deemed it complete.
Speaking of which, I need to increase my roster of beta readers for my forthcoming sixth novel. This is not critiquing, but rather checking for plot glitches, discrepancies or anything else you think might improve the work. Finding typos and dropped words is also really helpful.
Your reward will be satisfaction at having input into the novel and being recognized for your efforts on the Acknowledgements Page. I will also return the favor if you’re an author. Contact me at rod_raglin@yahoo.com
Stay calm, be brave, watch for the signs.
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at
Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
June 27, 2015
Help me choose the cover of my next book
Here are two covers I designed for my new novel
The Widower – Can Dreams be Renewed?
I need your help to decide which is best
If you let me know which you prefer,
I’ll enter your name to win one of three copies of my latest novel
FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend
Your choice of digital or paperback
Send me an email at
and indicate
SUNSET
OR
ADIRONDACKS
Contest closes July 31, 2015
June 23, 2015
Gimmicking your way to the Best Sellers list
Smashwords has just introduced Assetless Preorders (http://www.smashwords.com/preorder), an opportunity for the public to preorder your novel long before it’s finished, or for that matter even before you begin writing it.
You simply decide on the title, the price, the description and the release date. The cover is optional to get started. You can update any of the details about your book prior to its release.
Smashwords will deliver your preorder listing to iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Readers can then preorder your book and their credit card won’t be dinged until the e-book is released.
Why would you want to do this?
At iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, all accumulated pre-orders credit toward your first day’s sales rank. Theoretically, on release day your sales will spike giving you a shot at ranking as a best seller, though fleetingly, and since readers use retailer bestseller lists to discover their next read, a higher sales rank makes your book more visible and more desirable to readers.
According to Smashwords you only need 90 preorders to be on the top 100 best seller list. They don’t say how long you’ll be there (hours, minutes?).
You can then legitimately(?) use the tag “best selling author” to promote your work which evidently also resonates with book-buyers.
Smashwords even goes as far as giving you data as to which day of the week (Sunday) and time of the month (the first week) to plan your release so it has minimum competition.
Just how you go about getting those 90 preorders is up to you. Most book marketeers suggest you have the lowest introductory price possible and guilt everyone one you know and their friends into buying the book. For those legitimate readers (non-related, non-acquaintances) make sure you indicate this is a special pre-order price after which the price goes up (maybe).
Begin your promoting by adding the preorder special to the back matter of your previous e-books. Sounds like a good idea if anyone was buying them.
As my ongoing commitment to read and review the work of indie-published authors I’ve discovered some exceptionally good novels that have received little or no recognition. Assuming these authors have done everything possible, legitimately and morally, to get their book traditionally published and exposed to the public, I would suggest for their next book they park their integrity and give the preorder gimmick a try.
I mean, what’s the downside?
The first draft of my sixth novel, The Widower, is just about complete. If I start now and upload the necessary information, Smashwords will give me a year runway to launch day. Taking into consideration what they say about the day of the week and time of month, I’ll plan to launch on Sunday, July 3, 2016. Maybe I can coordinate a launch at Amazon simultaneously.
I somehow doubt this will make a difference. It’s like all those other “tried and true” techniques that never amounted to anything. There’s obviously something missing when I continue to find really good novels languishing in book oblivion, undiscovered and unappreciated despite being offered free.
I am beginning to think maybe you need a modicum of success to begin with if any of these techniques are going to work, a primer, so to speak, of loyal followers to kick-start the process.
Tough to form such a cabal when you’re starting at zero and dropping.
No doubt the launch of The Widower will be as inauspicious as the release of my other novels, but the process might be interesting. I’ll keep you posted. Until then…
Stay calm, be brave, and watch for the signs.
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
June 3, 2015
Video book reviews – an oxymoron?
Are video book reviews an oxymoron?
I mean, if you read books why wouldn’t you prefer to read book reviews instead of watching them?
Just a second, I love to read but I also enjoy television documentaries and news shows. Hmm.
I’ve been motivated to do video reviews by my wife. She’s an avid fan of YouTube and watches videos of reviews on every thing imaginable including Dollar Store Hauls – videos of purchases people have made at Dollar Stores.
How could anyone be interested in watching something like that? Well, they are. Some of these “Haul” videos have hundreds of thousand of hits as well as subscribers.
I like writing book reviews and I know how much I appreciate it when someone takes the time to review one of my books. I also think taking a few moments to jot down my thoughts on what I enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about a novel, and maybe how it could be improved helps my own writing.
I guess there’s also a chance it might encourage someone to pick up one of my books.
I have no idea how many people read my reviews – certainly not as many people as watch “Haul” videos, but if I could get just a few thousand to watch a book review video it would be win-win – for the author of the book I reviewed and maybe for my own work.
I call my channel Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Book Reviews and explain that these are honest, constructive reviews free of conflict on interest of works by self-published authors. I’ve written dozens book reviews but only three reviews are currently on my channel.
I figured this would be pretty easy but so far it’s been a huge learning curve and taken way too many hours. If you’re not into book reviews you might want to watch one anyway just for a laugh. On camera I open and close my mouth like a guppy, gaze off camera, and constantly bob and weave like a moving target. The production quality is embarrassing.
I’m learning and if I continue I promise they’ll improve.
But will I continue? So far my site has recorded only a few hits and likely half of them are from me checking to see if I haven’t inadvertently edited out half the video or that the lighting’s so bad all you can see is a shadowy figure – you got it, bobbing and weaving.
The web address for Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Book Reviews is
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
Stay calm, be brave, watch for the signs (and the video)
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at
Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
May 30, 2015
I’m happy for your success, Tim Grahl. That’s right. Happy.
Tim Grahl
Book Marketing Legend
Internet Marketing Pioneer
Out:think Group
Dear Tim,
First, let me thank you for sending me your emails and allowing me to download your Book Launch Crash Course. I‘ve never subscribed to any of your programs, but I find the emails informative and have even used some of your ideas.
You asked me to take a minute and give you a bit of feedback so here it is– I’m afraid it’s a bit more than a bit and strays off topic – a bit.
I love writing and I don’t care too much about sales. This is a good thing considering how poor the sales of my books are. That probably makes me not an ideal candidate for your marketing strategies and most of what I’m going to say is probably just so much nonsense to a guy like you.
I was keen when you were sending emails about “facing (your) fears and moving right into uncomfortable territory” promoting your book “Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book [Kindle Edition]”. Let me just say, since I don’t want you to feel bad, I never considered subscribing to your service, but the “fears” and “uncomfortable territory” intrigued me.
It was when it appeared you’d fall short of selling 10,000 copies in one year and you slashed the price and “begged” (well, that’s what it sounded like to me) your followers/friends/strangers/do-gooders/anybody receiving your emails to buy your book so you could attain your personal goal that you lost me.
Quite remarkably, you made it sound as if they were “begging” to help you and you, albeit very reluctantly, were “going to accept (their) kind offers to help”. Even now as I write this the spin you put on that desperate entreaty leaves me feeling uncomfortable.
But I guess that’s the difference between you and me, you might say between success and failure. You’re the guy who’s prepared to achieve success by whatever means necessary, and I’m, well, I’m not.
I want writing to be my one true thing and I’m just not willing to sacrifice my integrity for sales. If that sounds self-righteous let me say I realize integrity is subjective so this is my integrity we’re talking about.
I won’t guilt my family and friends into rating or buying my books, I won’t go online and beg for sales, I won’t let my personal ambition make me “insufferable” to the person most important to me.
Delusional maybe, but not insufferable.
I’m happy for your success, Tim, that’s right. Happy.
I’m happy for the other author’s you’ve helped achieve success, though I wonder, have there not been any failures? No? It’s a wonder then why you have to keep sending out all these solicitations and aren’t like, you know, overbooked by soon-to-be bestselling authors.
Anyhow, keep sending me your stuff and, as long as it’s free I’ll keep considering it and poaching any good ideas that come along.
Thanks and good luck with your new program Launch a Bestseller.
Rod
P.S. I’ve mentioned your book, your crash course and your new program and I thought you were the one who’s supposed to be “relentlessly helpful”.
P.P.S. This took more than one minute.
30
Video book reviews of self-published authors now at
Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45n8K4BVmT248LBTpfARQ
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
May 14, 2015
Undiscovered literary geniuses – yes, really!
When I began my commitment to give honest, no conflict of interest reviews for the work of new, self-published authors I wasn’t expecting much. I’m a tough reviewer and I wasn’t prepared to lower my standards and though I try to temper my criticism with suggestions on how the work might be improved, I sometimes find that’s a challenge.
Considering that I’m reviewing my peers, most who have had as much or more success than myself, you might ask what good are my suggestions? Probably not very good, but I’ve found well considered negative reviews had more to offer, more to learn from, than the “loved it, couldn’t put it down” non-specific five star rating (yes, I’ve actually had a few of those).
What I wasn’t prepared for were some of the best books I’ve ever read.
Two books so far have been astounding – the voice, the diction, the wit, the wisdom, the originality, the conception of plot, the being swept away by the prose. I was enthralled.
The books are War in a Beautiful Country by Patricia Ryan and Not Lost For Lookin’ by Lexi Boeger. They were both offered free on Smashwords and as far as I can tell have had very limited success.
I’ve always maintained “if it don’t sell, it ain’t good”. I mean, how else can you gauge success or even improvement without becoming totally delusional. By delusional I mean thinking you’re an undiscovered literary genius when you’re actually a shitty writer. Sales, or the lack of them, is my benchmark.
But apparently, there really are some undiscovered literary geniuses out there, sales or no sales.
War in a Beautiful Country and Not Lost For Lookin’ aren’t perfect. They both could use the services of a dispassionate and objective editor, but who couldn’t, and they both have issues with formatting, but they are so much better than most of the traditionally published, critically acclaimed literary novels I’ve read lately that it gave me pause.
Everything being equal (and it never is), and these author’s are actually attempting to get their books published traditionally, why is crap being accepted when brilliance isn’t, my books aside?
Here’s what I think.
Agents and publishers don’t take risks. Despite what they tell you on their website they really aren’t looking for new talent, they’re looking for a paycheck, something they can take to the bank.
Critical acclaim is a commodity that can be purchased or bartered for.
Book endorsements on the covers of bestsellers are likely swaps arranged by the publisher – if you plug his book he’ll plug yours, and the majority of reviews are paid for (oh, yes they are) and only the positive ones used. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that if it’s paid for it’s usually positive.
Perhaps the only bastion of integrity for book reviews are newspapers and newsmagazines where there doesn’t appear to be any advantage in lying, unless you’d impugn your integrity for a free book. Just a second, I know journalists that would impugn their integrity for a free meal. Hmm.
Unfortunately, as a journalist I’m familiar with the media’s pack mentality – they all cover the same stories, the same topics and, in the case of books, they all review the same books, usually hot titles already on the bestseller’s list that don’t need another review.
So what’s a writer suppose to do if you don’t have hundreds of dollars to pay out for reviews and don’t know any famous writers who will endorse your work? How do you get reviewed and make that essential connection with readers?
Write, pray, hope?
For me, I take solace in the words of Nietzsche,
“Art is the proper task in life.”
He also said, “The doer alone learneth.”
I am doer so I guess I’m still learnething.
Keep writing.
Stay Calm, Be Brave and Watch for the Signs
30
My new novels, FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
April 25, 2015
Stop apologizing for being a writer
Nietzsche said, ���The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.���
Who���s gratitude was he referring to?
I write quite a few book reviews and it���s not uncommon for the author to comment on what I���ve said. Invariably they say thank you if the review is positive, and they apologize if I don���t like their book.
Is that the appropriate response?
Even if your book is poorly written but you���ve been honest and done your best isn���t that a remarkable feat?
What you���ve done is taken nothing and from your own wit and imagination created something. No one gave you a recipe, a blueprint or any type of plan beyond perhaps some suggestions, most of which you probably ignored.
How many other achievements in your life rank up there with writing a book? It���s not an accident of biology, the manifestation of greed, or the manipulation of public opinion. No one promised you unconditional love, wealth or fame and power.
And yet you���ve considered this project for years and labored for hundreds of hours on it.
You���re proud of your accomplishment and so you should be.
Why then do you thank someone when they offer a few crumbs of praise? Worse yet, why do you apologize when they���re critical of your accomplishment?
A more appropriate response from the reader or critic might be:
���Thank you for writing this book. I appreciate your commitment and the time you put into this worthy endeavor. Unfortunately, I didn���t enjoy it (or the opposite) and here���s why.”
Your response should be, ���You���re welcome,��� or none at all.
Does it matter if people read your book? Does it matter if they liked it or didn���t like it? Does their opinion diminish the act of creativity?
I think it���s time to stop apologizing, time to stop being embarrassed for being a creator.
It���s time to look them in the eye and say, ���I���m a writer and no my books don���t sell. Do you have a problem with that?���
Well, maybe it���s not time for that just yet.
Stay calm, be brave, watch for the signs
30
��
My new novels, FOREST ��� Love, Loss, Legend and The BIG PICTURE ��� A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic are available as e-books or paperbacks on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU and as e-books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/raglin
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher���s website for excerpts from, and buy links to my Eco-Fi series ECO-WARRIORS, that includes Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More ��� Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
