Dwayne’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Dwayne’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

Is Maybourne the same as Melbourne?

M.L. wrote: "Me too! I like the one on the left. It's different from what I was thinking (adding a person) but I think the 'coffee' works better. Nice."

Thanks!

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "The one on the left if awesome, Dwayne! Good luck! Hugs!!"

Yeah, I'm starting to like it better than the first two. I think M.L. was right. The first two are a bit chaotic (especially the one on the left). This is simpler. I typically prefer simple covers. The narrator spends a good deal of the story pouring coffee for the other characters, so I focused on the coffee pots.

Catherine wrote: "From ..."

No links. Thanks.

M.L. wrote: "I think what I'm looking for is a focal point and I'm not really finding one with either..."

Maybe...

Thanks, M.L. The only downside to the gold one is, the color does not really match the series so far... but I like the color better, so I'm reluctant to fix it. Of course, it's been a year and a half since the last Noah City short, so I could think of this as the start of "series two" or some such thing. (No, I don't number them. They are interconnected, but there's no certain order they should be read in).

I like both. Which do you hate the least?

Jill wrote: "It seems that the second one is winning the day."

Yeah, that's my favorite too.

G... wrote: "Can't post the blog link here"

Nope. And asking people to go search for your blog is still self-promotion. Community works better when we have discussions here instead of redirecting people to go read our books, blogs, etc.

Leah, I see you posted again about this. I'm deleting that comment. If you need to discuss mod behavior, feel free to send me a PM or send one to Ann. I'm not sure what you're upset about, but maybe we can work it out. This thread isn't really the place for it. It's rude to the original poster.

If you're upset with something Christina said (which, frankly, I'm having trouble seeing the connection between her posts and yours) keep in mind, she's no longer a mod. She is a highly valued member of this group and any advice she gives should be taken seriously.

Leah wrote: "But if you want to discourage recurring topics, perhaps you should just close the thread."

I haven't said any such thing.

Discussion of reviews is against the code of conduct, but I've let the topic go as, so far, everyone has been civil and no one has started complaining about "bad" reviews. As long as the conversation seems constructive, I'm okay with letting it remain.

I can't recall ever saying authors shouldn't converse with one another and I'm the only mod that has commented on this thread.

Leah wrote: "Out of curiosity, Mods, what are reviews good for then?"

They are really nothing more than opinions for one reader to help other readers determine if they'd like to purchase a book. They are not meant for any benefit to the author.

I work a full time job, too. I work forty to, sometimes, seventy hours a week. I have done more. I have a wife who is somewhat disabled and I take care of her and the house. So, yes, I'm fully aware of what it is to write "on the side". Along with everything else, I do moderate this group without pay. Perhaps you envision I sit in an office all day and watch this group, eating bon bons and raking in piles of money from the Overlord. Nope. I have a life outside of here, just like you.

It doesn't take a lot of time to do a search and find out if a topic has already been addressed.

V.K. wrote:

No links please. Thanks.

The only reviews I find to be completely honest and real are reviews that come organically from readers. It takes some patience, but they will come in in time.

Keep in mind, all reviewers will bring their own bias and opinions into the picture, so its going to be tough going to find any that completely and accurately reflect the content of your book. It's not really their place to do so. Use your blurb, your cover, your first few pages, etc. if you want to give the reader an idea of what to expect in your book. Those are things you can control. Don't rely on the one thing that is out of your control.

Frank wrote: "When is the best time to start planning and researching a title?"

Sometime between the moment you first come up with a story idea and your publishing date.

Really, it's not something I would ever force or expect to have at any certain time. It'll come when it comes.

Psst... Let's be careful not to let this topic turn into self-promoting.

Shows to go ya, there's very few hard and fast rules when it comes to books. I like books that have slow spots, then faster spots. An even pacing throughout becomes tedious to me. I never skim a book. If it becomes boring (generally, for me, this means it is too plot-centric with little development of character, theme, setting, etc.) I put it aside.

As a reader, it's hard for me to see what is padding or useless information as sometimes small, seemingly insignificant things can become important later. And I love this!

I hear ya on filler words, though. That can be a turn off. And, sadly, I catch myself using far too many when I get to the editing stage.

S.A. wrote: "Not sure what happened but...."

I do. You ignored the rules to promote your book.

Zoe wrote: "Hi there, my name is Zoe and I'm posting links and don't care about the rules..."

Deleted.

No. You don't get to bookwhack your book in the title of your thread. No.