Joseph Hunt's Blog, page 9

J. K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy: Talk about Cover Art

So the front cover for J. K. Rowling's adult book has been released, and all I've seen is pure negativity aimed at it.





I've been ranting quite a lot today at all the hate I've seen over this front cover... and I'm just sat thinking to myself, are you all completely stupid, or is it some bandwagon thing that I forgot to get on? And I say stupid because, I don't think these people get the concept for this cover art, and yes, it's simple (in fact, I could have probably done this on Photoshop) but that's not the point... or maybe it is.




I don't know.




Why are you getting so upset over this front cover? 




She's J. K. Rowling for crying out loud, she created the world that is Harry Potter, and for most of us, she made our childhoods magical... is that why you're upset; because she's gone for a new audience and a new genre?




I congratulate J. K. Rowling because I think that this cover represents her bold decision to write for adults, and writing in a whole different genre... and maybe it's that which some people can't get passed, or maybe they just want to hate it. This book has nothing to do with Harry Potter, not a single thing (although you could say that the colours are symbolic of the Gryffindor colours). Or maybe you guys are just upset that it's so different from all the other covers that we've been seeing lately... and by that, I mean, all those covers that look so similar because they're busy with "beautiful" characters.




THIS COVER WILL STAND OUT AMONGST THEM!


It's been cleverly constructed, even if you think it only took one person 5 minutes to put together... then I'm sorry, that's your loss, and your naivete. I bet there was a team working on this and they would have had discussions on what font they wanted J. K. Rowling's name in. It wasn't some 5 minute cover job. And hey, this plain style of cover could become a trend... I know that I love plain covers because when I see those covers with the "beautiful" characters on them, it doesn't do much. I'm just like "oh, another one... they all look the same anyway".



And please, for crying out loud, please... do not tell me that you're disappointed. Why? Because she's a writer and she's not stopped after Harry Potter. I'm sorry but there's only so much living you can do in one place before you have to end it... and you'd probably be even more disappointed if she said "I'm going to continue the series" because it just wouldn't be the same.



Little, Brown Book Group have this posted on their website.



When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. 



After reading this don't you think that the cover is very fitting?



I love this cover because it looks retro, it looks like one of those hand-drawn pictures that you saw promoting holidays from the 1960s - 80s. I'm not sure. However, it gives me this image of the town where the novel is set, and I can picture it. I'm actually really excited to read it! And it's going to sell on her name alone.



Anyway, she's not there to try and make money, she has enough to retire, but you can't retire from a passion.



Also, with all those negative comments, come them coming, I mean, you're only helping spread the word and the image... I guess that's why they say all publicity is good publicity!




What are your thoughts? Love it? Hate it?

Why?

Are you going to read it?



-Joseph

(also, only just noticed but yesterday I was calling this book 'A Casual Vacancy' ha!)





Comment. Follow. Share.

Writers Are Superheroes!

Writers are superheroes... well, we created superheroes, right? But then again, I guess someone out there will say something like "yeah, they also create murderers as well, does that make you a murderer" and I'm going to nod, yes, yes it does make us murderers, but not real ones, just fictional killings... the same with not being a real superhero, although I would like a cape and some spandex!



Writers are the creators of huge worlds that have previously been untapped by others, and creating something amazing that can suck a reader in and make their head spin with all these characters, and places, and ideas. So, in a sense, as writers we are superheroes and we have superpowers.




SUPERPOWERS?!


Yes. That's right, and no, I'm not disillusioned, but I'm coming clean. I have superpowers, just like all writers... it's writing that's our superpower and making people feel things from reading your writing. I guess you could say that we're emotional manipulators... but in the best of ways!



We provide hours of fun and enjoyment, and we don't ask much from the people who read our writing, we occasionally ask for reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and a few dollars/pound for our latest eBook, but it's totally worth it... and from the hours, days, months, sometimes years of writing and editing that we poured into that one eBook we're not asking much from you. So another super power would be dedication, and if we're not dedicated, the reader will be able to feel that, they'll know... readers have their own superpowers!



And I suppose just being able to write is a superpower to some as there are days when I hear people say "I've got writer's block" etc. and all those other excuses and reasons which I don't believe... that's right, I don't believe in it. However, it does have a Wikipedia page, so it has to be true... and if I don't believe it, then it isn't true, and won't affect me. Right? (Well, that definitely ties in with the whole disillusioned thing.) Ha!




Are you a superhero?

If you could give writers a new name, what would it be?

Can you think of any other superpowers that we have?


-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.

Guest Post: Ellie Mack - Flash Fiction (2/7)

Hi, guys! It's that time of the week... the time when I have a guest from the Virtual Blog Tour! And this week on the tour we're going flash fiction pieces! YAY! And I have Ellie Mack, and I think you guys need to give her a big hand as this is the first piece of flash fiction that she has ever written!



So the brief was to go to a website were the image changes every day, I think this was Thursday's image... so it just shows you guys how long I've been holding onto this little gem of a flash fiction piece! Here was her prompt... and below it is her flash fiction "Take Aim"!











Take Aim

By
Ellie Mack




                Ethan
Baldovani adjusted his zoom lense.  Nora
Snowe was at the water’s edge pacing in front of the same bench where she’d
been meeting him.  Ethan didn’t know the
man’s name, he didn’t care.

                As
he clicked another few pictures his anger stirred.  Why was she being so stubborn?  Nora was as beautiful as ever, her thick dark
hair hung down her back, begging him to run his fingers through it.  Her full lips beckoned for him to run towards
her and kiss her. Her lush curves were far too visible for other men to see.
Why did she insist on wearing those snug fitting jeans? She was his damn
it! 

                He
could forgive her abrupt halt to their wedding, it wasn’t uncommon for brides
to be nervous.  Why she insisted on
playing this ridiculous game, he didn’t understand.  He had given her time to come to her senses
yet she still insisted they were through. This parade of men that she flaunted
before him infuriated him.

                They
hadn’t even begun their life together, how could they be through?  He kept himself busy making sure everything
at their house was perfect for Nora. 
Ethan had paid a small fortune for the decorator to reproduce exactly
the pictures from Nora’s dream folder.  A
ridiculous amount was shelled out for the life sized painting of Nora that hung
over the fireplace.  Everything was in
place, except Nora.

                Out
of the corner of his eye he caught the movement.  The tall slender man she’d been meeting with
was moving towards her.  Ethan shifted
his camera angle, taking several shots to make sure he got different
expressions.  Nora turned, then took a
few jogging steps towards him.  They
embraced.  Ethan clenched his jaw, his
lips tightened to a white line of fury as he noted the pleasure Nora displayed
openly towards this other man.   She used
to greet him with that smile.  It was
Ethan’s right to kiss her, to hold her, feel her body against his.  Ethan often fantasized about taking her on
their wedding night.

                That man had no business having
his hands on Ethan’s woman.  His blood
pressure rose with his anger.  It was
time to teach him a lesson, just like that nosy cop.

                As
the couple sat on the bench, hand in hand Ethan fumed.  When Nora leaned in and kissed him, Ethan
wanted to scream.  It had been nearly a
year since she’d given him one of her smiles, much less her affections. By the
time the couple walked away hand in hand, Ethan had devised how he would
eliminate yet another man that dared to touch his woman.





Ellie Mack lives in a small town near St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a BS in geography/cartography. She has worked for Department of Defense, county government, as a substitute teacher, and various other jobs. Her hobbies include reading, bicycling, playing Tombraider, and Dance games such as Dance Dance Revolution, and Zumba. Between being a mother to two teenage girls, a wife, homemaker, and a mortgage loan officer, Ellie writes paranormal romances.


Ellie’s first erotica piece is appearing on http://storytimetrysts.blogspot.com/
Ellie’s blog can be found at: http://quotidiandose.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/passion-2/



What did you think of her flash fiction?

Do you write flash fiction?



-Joseph





Comment. Follow. Share.

Publishing in July!

This post is going to be a simple post. This post is going to be about me! (Aren't they all!) I am super duper excited to release Lumen, as well as a short story from my mini-collection "Hunted". I'm going to release all 5 short stories over a 5 week period! Hopefully you'll LOVE them and be asking me for the short stories from the second collection!




I'm just going to quickly mention the distribution portals above, well, it will be going to Kindle first, and then through Smashwords it will go to the premium catalogue and then to Apple, Diesel, Kobo and Barnes & Nobel, however I have been told that this can takes months to process (very unhappy Joe) BUT you'll still have it through Kindle, and Smashwords! So yay!




So what do you guys think of my promotional piece for Hunted and the 5 short stories that are going to be published from that!? I'd tell you the order that they were going in, but even I don't know that yet! One thing I do know, you will love them!




July is going to be pretty amazing, right? YES!









Are you ready for July?

Are you ready for Lumen?




-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.

Are You a Writer?

[image error]
Now, anyone can call themselves a writer... it's true, if they've written something, they can be called a writer. If a build something, say a shed, I can rightly call myself a builder. But I'm not a builder, I don't have a passion to build things or watch things being built etc.



I know that I shouldn't say this, but we are kind of defined by how we title ourselves, when people ask me about myself I say "I'm Joseph, and I'm a writer." because that's who I am, I am that kid who stayed indoors most of his childhood and wrote and read and wrote and read... but that's probably not what they're thinking. However, I've also known that I was a writer, and I've not wanted to be anything else... I'm not going to be one of those people who turns 30 and says... "oh, I should have done what I wanted to when I was younger" because I'm doing it all now... or maybe I will turn 30 and think, I really want to be a builder! Maybe. But it's likely that I won't.



I know some people who don't call themselves writers because they haven't published anything, and perhaps  if they do start using the term writer, they'll become more confident in their abilities, or that could be seen as an over-confidence, and some people would rather seem shy than be all "hey, I'm a writer, it's what I love to do, and yes, I am good at it."




What Defines a Writer?


The NEED to write. Yes. It's a need, it's a want, it's a hunger... writing is so much to a writer, and it's all they ever want to do, it's on their mind 24/7. Also, writers can never really go on holiday because a writer can't take a vacation away from the mind because they're always inside it!



Maybe this is just me but as a writer, I get a really warm feeling inside when I get the correction variation of you're/your and there/their/they're etc. it's like I know I've done something right, and it's like "HELL YEAH! You knows your grammar". Please tell me if this happens to you? I know that to some people getting the correct spellings comes without a second thought, but I take time to go over them to make sure.




(There's no definitive guide to being a writer, you're either a writer, or you're not.)


We aren't stereotypes, we just share similar traits, or I think we share similar traits... you could be totally different to me, and still be a writer... but you're a writer nonetheless, and that's all that matters.



If you see that list of things below "Joseph Eastwood's Blog" up there, I say that I'm a "Writer. Blogger. Author. Editor. Poet." yes, these are all different titles, and yes, they all mean different things, but I'm sure you could branch them all under writing.




Do any of the definitions hit you?

Are have I left any out?


-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.

Guest Post: Joe McCoubrey (27/6)

Let's welcome Joe McCoubrey to my blog today!




There are many reasons why people read
books. Some find them educational and instructional, others revel in the drama
and pathos provided by a good thriller or whodunit. Me? I just like good
old-fashioned escapism – something that will take me away from the normal ups
and downs of life and transport me to a time and place a lot more exciting than
where I usually find myself.




It’s hardly surprising therefore that my
favoured genre is action and adventure, though I tend to balance this with good
regular helpings of crime thrillers and the kind of mysteries that will tax the
power of deduction. In the latter case it’s great – but often too rare – to
find a story that has one of those I-didn’t-see-that-coming type of endings.




The two most recent novels I finished
fit nicely into those two main categories – the first was by established
British author Mel Comley (these
days she lives in France) and the second was by another Brit author, Andrew Scorah, who has produced a
fascinating debut novella.




But first to Comley. Her latest book Foul
Justice is the fourth, and possibly her last, in a series involving a detective
heroine, Lorne Simpkins, who manages somehow to juggle a hectic, and often
disturbing, social life with the job of catching the bad guys. I just like how
Comley seamlessly weaves both strands together in a way that’s entertaining and
riveting.




Meanwhile Andrew Scorah has produced a
little thrill-a-minute gem in Homecoming , the story of a Special
Forces soldier who returns home to England to face enemies every bit as
ruthless as those he met in Afghanistan. Scorah doesn’t let up on the action
from minute one, but it was his earthy dialogue I found compelling. Here’s a
sample from the opening chapter:




He looked
up at me through eyes glazed with his usual poison of choice, a potent cocktail
of Quinalbarbitone and pseudo-ephedrine, mixed with his other best mate,
Jackie-D.

"Well,
here he is, the man of the hour... girls meet Jimmy Dalton, war hero and hung
like a donkey."

"Good
to see you too."

Paulie
turned to the girls. "Give us a moment eh, gotta lot of catchin' up to do
with me mucker!"

They smiled
at me and sidled out from behind the table, hitching down their almost-there
skirts, and disappeared into the crowd looking for more prey.

"You'll
be catch somethin' from Dollys like them," I said taking a sip from my
pint.

"Too
late for that, mate!"

I almost
choked and he went off in a fit of hysterics.




My next port of call will be the new Jack Higgins tale A Devil is Waiting – number 19 in his
Sean Dillon series, though I have to admit I’m hoping it has a bit more
substance to it than his previous few, which have been a bit predictable and
had the feel of a repetitive production-line franchise. It releases tomorrow.




My next can’t-wait title will be the latest offering from Lee Child –
his latest escapade for Jack Reacher entitled A Wanted Man, due to be released in August. I haven’t missed one
title in this long-running series and I’ve yet to be disappointed.




Overall I get through at least two or three novels per week. My reading
shelf is full of David Baldacci, Stephen Leather, Vince Flynn, Matt Hilton,
Brad Thor, Austin Camacho,  Sean Black,
Clive Cussler, James Paterson….and many more.




Between them they manage to take me into exciting and interesting
worlds. It’s why I read books. I can’t imagine life without them.




Joe McCoubrey is a former journalist turned author. His first
novel Someone Has To Pay is being released shortly by Tri Destiny
Publishing, with number two already in the bag and number three halfway there.
In between he has written a short story which was published last month in an
Action Anthology. To find out more about him check out the following links:




Blogsite: http://joemccoubrey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/joe.mccoubrey

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeMcCoubrey1







Why do you read?

What's your favourite book?

Genre?


-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.

The Stages Before Publishing!

I was talking with a friend and she was asking me why I won't release Lumen yet. I told her that I'd written it and everything was coming along well... but Lumen isn't ready.



Writing, editing, and publishing is a lot like having a child... although I've never had one, I can only imagine this is what it's like... and I'm having another, I'm having another 21 in fact, and they're the ones that are planned.... I can guarantee though that there will be some unplanned novels/novellas in the mix! Ha!




So at first you're in the ideas stage with your book, at this stage your baby is just a foetus in the womb, here you're just deciding on the characters, the plot, and everything else. (I know that some people aren't planners, and that's fine, but this is my story.) Now that you've decided on everything and you've got a bunch of new clothes for your characters to wear, and you've got the food that they're going to survive off; for the first couple of weeks this will be your breast milk, that will be the initial writing boost but then you hit the lull.




So, now that we've got the child all planned and everything, and we know when it's due to be born... now, by born, I mean when the first word of the novel/novella/short story is being written, that's when your baby hits the birth canal... yes, it's tough to get those first words out, to entice the reader into your writing (or to entice your baby out of the womb). However, when you get into writing it, the words just slip out... like the baby. And it's only natural to want to clean your baby off---meaning: going back to edit your first bit. Well, sure, you clean it a little bit... but don't be fixated on constantly trying to make it all neat and prim the first draft.




Now, once you've finished writing your book your "baby" will have turned into a "toddler" and they're a nuisance, they're always messy and you want to scream at them when they scream at you. (Just in case you are wondering, I am only 19... but I have loads of siblings who are a lot younger than me, so this is where this bit is coming from.) This is the part that I like to call EDITING! Yes, the fun part! This is where you raise, or drag that child up until it hits puberty...




Some people have published their books when they're in the puberty stage... and only bad things can happen to them! So you can't release your book into the wild into you know that it's an adult. It's only right that this analogy is the one that you should follow (not preaching here or anything because that would be wrong).




Your Book is an Adult When...




You've come to terms with the fact that you're not going to change another thing in it's life, and everyone is going to see your book in the same way. And unless your book goes through a mental breakdown (true story) then you may change stuff.




Or maybe it will say "hey, writer... I think I'm ready to leave. You've polished me as much as you can now. If you want you can take a last read through, because nobody is perfect... I will have my flaws. Can I spread my wings and fly now." (also a true story)




You know when your story is ready to be published... it's an innate feeling.




I'm not sure what you guys are supposed to be taking from this post, but this is how I envision the writing / editing process... and maybe you do as well... and if you don't, then----




How do you envision this process?

What did you think of mine?




-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.

Prologues: The Untold Story!

There is a lot of debate as to whether a book needs a prologue or not, and it's the writer's decision, if they want one, then they'll write it, and if not, then they won't... that's simple. However, there are some people who will be like "no, I don't like prologues, EVER!" similarly, people who go "yeah, I love prologues" << I'm that person. I do like prologues, but only when they're used properly.



So it was around today that I finished Lumen last year, and I'm now really annoyed at myself because I haven't self-published it yet, and I've been writing other things and not wanting to read over it. NOW it's almost done and it will soon be released! Don't forget to add Lumen to your Goodreads 'to-read' list.



I mentioned Lumen just then because I wrote a prologue to that. If you want to read it: Prologue, Lumen! I know that if you're ever in doubt then you should just cut it out, but I feel like I need to keep this in because it's what the story came from, THIS is what the rest of the story formed from... I'm just in doubt as to whether the book needs it. But then again, who's to say what a book NEEDS.



Let's start with what the word 'prologue' actually means. You can't write one until you understand one. Prologue (Greek πρόλογος prologos, from the word pro (before) and lógos, word). It's basically the information that you give before a story, it can give background information, which you need, especially if you're setting the book in some completely different world etc. or something has happened to society which you feel the reader would benefit from knowing before the reader starts reading. It could also have something to do with the main plot, or sub-plot.



I've created a bit of a rant-like list thing, where I'm going to say "why you should" and "why you shouldn't" so then you'll know if you're doing it for the right reason or not... in my opinion, obviously.



Why & When You Should Use One




1. To pack in some action and make the reader want to read more!

2. Because it gives something away, but not too much that it could have been explained in the first couple of chapters.

3. Use it to show an even from the past. It doesn't have to be directly linked to the first couple of chapters at all. It could be something where the questions you had from the prologue are answered right at the end, making way for the second book.

4. Like the above, use a prologue to hint at some SUPER EVIL VILLAIN WHO WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Muahahaha!




Why & When You Shouldn't Use One


1. Don't use it as a huge back story for your characters etc. you're not allowed to do it in Chapter 1 and you're most certainly not allowed to do it in the bloody prologue.

2. NEVER take a paragraph or two from the middle of the book and call it the prologue. You'll only make your reader feel cheated when they read it later on in the book. I have felt cheated (unhappy face).

3. If it doesn't add anything to your story. (Although sometimes I'd like to disagree with this, because it's your story, if you like it, and you want it, then have it, you are after all writing for yourself --- WELL YOU SHOULD BE!)




To prologue, or not to prologue?

Do you have any tips you'd like to share?


-Joseph

(I hope this helps. I hope you can understand what I'm saying, sometimes I can go off on weird tangents.)




Don't forget to comment.

Or click the "follow" button.

And if you'd be so kind, please share!

So You Want to Be Successful?!

I found this picture floating around my Facebook news feed the other day, and so I gave it a read and I was like "OMG. How bloody true is this! Why aren't more people sharing this? People need to know that success doesn't have to be hard or full of blood, sweat, and tears!" as you can gather, I totally agree with each of these points, and if you can't read them there, then I'll list them below. So this isn't specifically designed for writers, although I am going to relate each of the points to writing, and give you my pointers on being successful... take them if you like, every little helps, right?




1. They Create and Pursue S.M.A.R.T Goals!
What does S.M.A.R.T stand for? (S)specific, (M)measurable, (A)attainable, (R)realistic, and (T)timely. Each goal you set must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. I'm actually familiar with these goals as I had to do them all of the time in sixth form, and I guess I set these for my writing all of the time. I'm specific with how MUCH I want to WRITE in a DAY. I can get all the points in their. 


2. They Take Decisive and Immediate Action!
This isn't me at all. I'm such an indecisive person, however for my writing, I am very decisive, I know what I want with my writing and I will take immediate action, although that could be something else to falter me on, sometimes I can take action but then realise down the line that I didn't want to go that route. Lesson: before taking action, think about it first.




3. They Focus on Productive, Not Being Busy!
I love this one, because I can be completely busy, but not productive in the slightest... I think this one goes out to all the hours that I've spent pointlessly wondering around the internet and doing nothing at all but "being busy", now, productivity is what you need to focus on (it's simple, it's there in the title) and I've wrote numerous blog posts on the topic of getting your butt off the internet and into some word document.



4. They Make Logical, Informed Decisions!
I guess this point ties in with the second point, especially were immediate action is needed. If you want to be successful you always have to think of the possible outcomes to doing something, and if they're negative, then I guess you should steer clear of them, because I'm sure you're not trying to brand yourself as that "bitchy" character, are you?


5. They Avoid the Trap of Trying to Make Things Perfect!
Well, I guess I'm going to have to start telling myself that everything I write doesn't need to be perfect, and I know that I try so hard with my writing. I also know that there isn't a writer in the world who is a perfect writer, so I should start being realistic and just get my shit together, basically.





6. They Work Outside of Their Comfort Zone!
I'm not sure what this means to a writer, does it mean writing in different genres? Writing in places that I've never written in before... maybe in the cold? Ha! Maybe it means sharing your writing and doing things that might make you feel anxious. So I guess I shall start sharing more work!




7. They Keep Things Simple!
This and number five go perfectly together, as when you're keeping things simple, you're not trying to overcomplicate it, and therefore not trying to make it super perfect... and more often than not, the things which are more simple and easier to read (not in like a "I'm stupid, I read pop up books" kind of way) are those that are better written. So keep your shit simple (and concise), or people will get bored!



8. They Focus on Making Small, Continuous Improvements!
This can definitely be applied to writers as we are constantly making improvements to ourselves and our writing, sometimes simultaneously. And we're always editing our writing, and they're often small and continuous improvements until we release the writing. So FOCUS on getting better at writing, it's the only way to succeed.



9. They Measure and Track Their Progress!
This and the first go hand in hand, because through making the S.M.A.R.T targets you are shown what progress you are making, maybe it's small, maybe it's huge, but you should always measure the progress that you are making. It could be for peace of mind, or for your editor etc. I'm always tracking my progress and if you've been following my blog for some time now then you'll know that I go through a round up at the end of every month.






10. They Maintain Positive Outlook as They Learn from Mistakes!
This is on my list, to be happy all of the time! I'm going to put this point in the same boat as constructive criticism because there are quite a few writers who aren't taking criticism on board, even though it might help... so they need to be happy, at least happy enough that they know someone is trying to help them become better writers. And what are mistakes there for? They're to learn from!


11. They Spend Time with The Right People!
I guess that's why I use Facebook for, to spend time with the right people... and by the right people, could this mean networking, because I do love networking, and to be successful you have to be able to network as well as being a nice person to speak to... nobody wants you if you have a horrible attitude!


12. They Maintain Balance in Their Life!
I'm not sure what balance they mean, but as a writer my balance is writing, social networking, food, water and shelter... all I need to maintain balance. And I think I'm succeeding at this one!


Are you going to try any of these?

Do you think that this is accurate?


Now, you might be thinking, there are people who are rubbish writers and they get publishing contracts etc. well, they're kind of 1 in 1,000,000 so don't get your hopes up, and you want to be successful right? Well I hope that these step thingies work for you!



-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.

So You're a Bestseller?!

Something has annoyed me today... and it's actually quite rare when I'm not annoyed at something or someone. Today I'm annoyed at people who direct message (DM) me on Twitter with "Hey, thank you for following. Check out my bestselling book here: (insert Amazon link)" and believe me when I say this, I always unfollow those people and I don't check out their "bestselling book" because that shit annoys me!



Please stop telling me that you're a bestselling author, because that doesn't mean a thing to me! You know why it doesn't mean a thing to me, because if everyone has the title of BESTSELLING *curse word* AUTHOR, then the value of something being a bestseller isn't going to have much value at all. And have you read some of the stuff that the traditionally published bestsellers are writing, I mean, Stephanie Meyer, E. L. James (kind of says it all there) anyone can be a bestseller... and let's face it, if you have to go around telling people that you're a bestseller, than you're probably not.



I know that some of you are going to a little angry, especially if you're someone who does this, and that's fine, you're allowed to be, just know that it annoys people and probably not the best way to go about it.




How Do You Even... ?


Where do people even get the gall to say that they're bestselling authors anyway? Is it because they spent a week at #1 in some weird sub-sub-category on Amazon? It's a little bit silly that people are going around and claiming to be "bestsellers" when that is exactly what they're doing. I mean, if you spend a couple of weeks at #1 on the actual genre, and not a subcategory on Amazon, then by all means claim to be a bestseller, because someone somewhere will have heard of you... but you probably won't be first on that list because it's usually the people who have paperbacks and stuff for sale in shops etc.



Oh, and a little reminder, BESTSELLING authors have to sell, they can't claim something is popular through the hundreds of thousands of FREE downloads that it's received, because everyone loves a freebie, and it doesn't mean that you're book is good or being read because people have downloaded your FREE book.



I feel that unless your name pops up on some respectable list saying that you're a bestselling author... you shouldn't say that you're a bestseller, not unless you sell over 100,000 books a month or something.




Why Claim It?


There are definitely good points to BEING a bestselling author, and that is the promotional and marketing value, but that's totally different to SAYING that you're something. And even then, people aren't always going to believe what you tell them. You have to give your readers credit, and like I said before, if you have to go around telling people that you're a bestseller, than you're probably not.




Do you agree with me?

What do you think is the definition of a bestseller?


-Joseph




Comment. Follow. Share.