All writers should write - but should all writers publish?
I love writing. Always have and hopefully always will. Even when I couldn't find a publishing medium I wrote. Because I had to.
That's the way it is for me, not a job, not a business and I certainly don't do it for the respect. Honestly, you should see some of the judgmental looks I get when people hear that I write romance.
These days there are a lot of books out there. With hundreds arriving on the market everyday. As readers, our time is precious, not to mention that very few of us have bottomless bank accounts. So when I do purchase a book, my expectations are always high - great characters, gripping story, hot romance, laughs, thrills, mystery - whatever genre, I just want an excellent read.
But finding those great books is getting harder, just because of the sheer volume out there. And let's face it, not all of it is good, in some cases it's shockingly terrible. I took a punt on a new author the other day - the book sounded sexy, fun and who doesn't like a shape shifting dragon?
Horrified, doesn't begin to cover off the experience. The grammar was non-existent, the spelling worse and the sex scene was down right embarrassing. Except perhaps if you like your characters to say things like - "Aaaiieee" and "Urggghhh".
And the story was short... lucky if it were 25 pages long. Not only that but the author had the balls to include 40 pages of links to books I might like. I can only assume the author had twenty or so pseudonyms and churned a book out every three days or so.
Obviously to them writing is a money making business.
But I'm not just talking about new/emerging ebook authors flooding the market with garbage here. Nothing sells a book better than those written by well known brand name authors.
If I like a series by an author there is a 100% chance that I will put any new offering they publish on my must buy list. Anyone else burnt by Lisa Shearin's SPI series? What about Thea Harrison's Game of Shadows series?
And what about once great series that are now boring, drawn out, repetitive, or just veered so far from the original concept it is no longer recognisable.
Seriously, does an editor never step up anymore and say "insert best selling author's name here" - I love you, but this is crap. ????
Laurel K Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson, Charlaine Harris are all guilty of this.
As I stated in the title of this blog - All writers should write. Good, bad, indifferent. It can be an uplifting experience, cathartic, and even amusing as hell. Non-fiction, fiction, serious, historical, romance or funny - write it down for heaven's sake.
And yes, everyone who wants to should be able to publish. Sure there is a lot of crap out there, but there are a lot of gems yet to be discovered as well.
When choosing to invest in a book now, at the top of my criteria is - does the author love to write? How can you tell? The characters for one, are they empathetic, do you immediately want to know their story? And from the way the words flow like music on the page, the story sweeping you up and consuming you, not letting go until the very last page.
Thank heavens for the "look inside' function - it makes it that much easier to determine which authors are out there just to make a quick buck, and sucker you in with a glossy cover and blurb they have no intention on delivering upon. Versus authors who love their characters, along with the worlds they create and just have to share it with you.
That's the way it is for me, not a job, not a business and I certainly don't do it for the respect. Honestly, you should see some of the judgmental looks I get when people hear that I write romance.
These days there are a lot of books out there. With hundreds arriving on the market everyday. As readers, our time is precious, not to mention that very few of us have bottomless bank accounts. So when I do purchase a book, my expectations are always high - great characters, gripping story, hot romance, laughs, thrills, mystery - whatever genre, I just want an excellent read.
But finding those great books is getting harder, just because of the sheer volume out there. And let's face it, not all of it is good, in some cases it's shockingly terrible. I took a punt on a new author the other day - the book sounded sexy, fun and who doesn't like a shape shifting dragon?
Horrified, doesn't begin to cover off the experience. The grammar was non-existent, the spelling worse and the sex scene was down right embarrassing. Except perhaps if you like your characters to say things like - "Aaaiieee" and "Urggghhh".
And the story was short... lucky if it were 25 pages long. Not only that but the author had the balls to include 40 pages of links to books I might like. I can only assume the author had twenty or so pseudonyms and churned a book out every three days or so.
Obviously to them writing is a money making business.
But I'm not just talking about new/emerging ebook authors flooding the market with garbage here. Nothing sells a book better than those written by well known brand name authors.
If I like a series by an author there is a 100% chance that I will put any new offering they publish on my must buy list. Anyone else burnt by Lisa Shearin's SPI series? What about Thea Harrison's Game of Shadows series?
And what about once great series that are now boring, drawn out, repetitive, or just veered so far from the original concept it is no longer recognisable.
Seriously, does an editor never step up anymore and say "insert best selling author's name here" - I love you, but this is crap. ????
Laurel K Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson, Charlaine Harris are all guilty of this.
As I stated in the title of this blog - All writers should write. Good, bad, indifferent. It can be an uplifting experience, cathartic, and even amusing as hell. Non-fiction, fiction, serious, historical, romance or funny - write it down for heaven's sake.
And yes, everyone who wants to should be able to publish. Sure there is a lot of crap out there, but there are a lot of gems yet to be discovered as well.
When choosing to invest in a book now, at the top of my criteria is - does the author love to write? How can you tell? The characters for one, are they empathetic, do you immediately want to know their story? And from the way the words flow like music on the page, the story sweeping you up and consuming you, not letting go until the very last page.
Thank heavens for the "look inside' function - it makes it that much easier to determine which authors are out there just to make a quick buck, and sucker you in with a glossy cover and blurb they have no intention on delivering upon. Versus authors who love their characters, along with the worlds they create and just have to share it with you.
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