Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
Bulletin Board
>
What stops you from reading self-published novels?
Lisa wrote: "The beauty of good SP books is that the content is not tinkered with and gutted by editors. To me there is a world of difference between editing the errors out of a story and filleting it totally so that it has no personality, description or characterization. The books can afford to be different, creative and true to the writer's thoughts rather than clones of what a publisher knows will sell. Does that make sense?...."Wow. Thank you, Lisa. That is very well put, and encouraging. :-)
Lynda wrote: "I long for the day when I'm surprised that a self-pub book does NOT meet professional standards. I can't see it happening any time soon, though.Yes, high quality should be expected, and I'm happy..."
This is sort of a new thread, but close enough to the old one that I’ll post it as a reply. It has to do with finding good books, and what may stop people from even looking for them.
Book-Lovers Wake Up to the Existence of Good Indie Authors: Low-price sticker shock
I recently discovered that my book club knew little to nothing about indie authors, in spite of my being one. Why? I don’t know, but I have a guess. They were utterly silent when I sent an e-mail in December letting them know my first book was out, and they have never asked about it. I think they may have been embarrassed for me, thinking that self-publishing was some sad, vain act of the unpublishable and the deluded. I used to think that myself a few years ago, so I can’t blame anyone who might have had that thought. (After her initial excitement, my step-mother likewise fell silent on the subject of my writing when she discovered that I was not with a traditional publisher.)
At our February gathering my book club was discussing what to read next. I mentioned how much I had enjoyed The Scottish Movie, an indie novel I had just reviewed for The Source, and they found the premise interesting. The hostess’s husband, lurking as he does in the background, cooking and fixing drinks but not really being in the club, suggested we pair it with Lucky Jim, another humorous novel that he said involved a stolen manuscript. So we chose this pair. The club members, when one looked up the books online, were stunned at the low price of The Scottish Movie. They had never heard of such a thing—a $2.99 e-book. In other words, they had never looked at an indie book before. I hope they’ll enjoy the book as much as I did, and discover other excellent self-published books like this.
The challenge of course, is to know how to find them. Participating in The Source helped me discover this gem, and I hope readers will start to use that Goodreads group as a resource for indie books that have been screened and reviewed. Still a work in progress, but please support it. Authors are charged nothing, and guaranteed nothing.
The BRAG medallion is another resource that looks reliable. This is not a competition, but a screening process similar to The Source. Books that pass muster on all the criteria for the BRAG (book readers’ appreciation group) can put the medallion on their covers or web sites. It only costs $20.00 to submit a book for consideration, and part of the money goes to acquiring copies of books. They say that only about 10% of books submitted get the medallion, so I suspect the quality is good, though I have no yet read a BRAG medallion book. If anyone has, please say what you thought.
I’ve found good indie authors among my fellow members of Sisters in Crime. I know SinC encourages authors to take classes, get beta readers, revise, revise, and can refer its members to reliable editors and proofreaders, so I trust the books to be polished, not prematurely published. Mystery readers might go the SinC site to discover authors. (My most recent discovery from this source was Festival Madness.) Membership for authors is very affordable (I can’t remember if I paid $40.00 or $50.00 to renew), so it doesn’t exclude those with little money.
Foreword Reviews focuses on indie authors, but they charge over $300.00 to do a review, so that rules out a lot of authors who may have good books but not the spare cash. I have no idea if taking in that much money to do a review biases critics or not. They charge $99.00 per category to enter their Book of the Year awards, which means that if an author chooses more than one genre to describe his or her book, it can be that many times $99.00 to enter the competition. The money does not go toward acquiring books. This may be legitimate, but even though it is cheaper than getting a review with Foreword, it’s still probably keeping some people out. I have not yet read any of their selections so I can’t say how good they are If anyone has read any, please share your reactions to the quality of the book.
I have not spent any money with Foreword. As a new author in Dec. 2013 I’d spent so much on editing, proofreading and cover art that I had nothing left to enter a competition or pay for reviews, and I had doubts about doing it anyway.
The Indie Excellence Awards charges $69.00 to enter, and needs one paperback per category. I have no idea how many authors enter, so of course it’s limited by that. (I have not spent money with them, either.) Anyone read some of the winners? Any thoughts?
There’s always the voluntary reader review, though these have become suspect and are sometimes assumed to be friends and family or author “sock puppets,” a term I just leaned in December after joining Goodreads. I suppose they sometimes are—after all, not all friends and family react the way mine did. (“Oh, you poor thing, self-published, let’s sweep this under the rug, shall we?”) Those of you who use reader reviews, are there certain reviewers you tend to trust? People who like the same books you have in the past? People who give a lot of detail as to why they liked or didn’t like a book? How would you guide a new reader of indie fiction to use reader reviews?
I'm an avid reader, and though I do read the traditionally published, I also read a lot of self-published as well. My first novel was self-published and my second is with an agent. I approached self-publishing as if I were going traditional; i.e., a weekly critiquing group, beta readers (3 unknowns, 1 sister, and 1 friend), and then two different copy editors. Even after all of that, I still have readers now and then point something out that was missed. Talk about frustrating! But as soon as something is brought to my attention I pull it down, make the necessary corrections and then upload it back online. I also make the changes to my hard copy. With all that said, when I read a self-published author, I expect the same loving care in their work that I took in mine. An error here or there is understandable, but consistent errors, plot holes, inconsistencies, etc. will make me close or delete the book very quickly. Also, I agree with the overall consensus regarding book covers. Very important! Great post. Glad the subject was brought up.
Well, with so many books now, especially the e-books, you can read the first three chapters for free, so I now use a combination of the three (cover, blurb, first three chapters) as my judge and jury (and often executioner). If the beginning is well-written and with few errors, I'll likely give it a shot. Luckily, I’m much easier on others than I am on my own rubbish or I wouldn’t be able to read anything at all. :PI'd also like to say in defense of the many writers who have less-than-stellar covers: Many Indies are struggling just to keep their houses and put food on their table (if they even have a table), so after digging deep to pay for the editing, a professional cover seems like a luxury they just can’t afford. Knowing that as I do now, and knowing that Kindle has a program allowing authors to make their own covers, I look for covers that are in good taste, rather than those that are fully-professional, and then I read the ‘blurb’ and if both meet my approval, I’ll start scanning the chapters. Many big press books have failed to meet cover, blurb and/or the first few chapters, so why wouldn’t I give the same consideration to a Selfie?
A favor if you will? After ten years I have given up the dream and am getting out of the writing and going back to becoming just a working man and reader, but this post made me wonder. Out of curiosity, I’d appreciate it if anyone who has some time could go check out my covers and blurbs and let me know if they would have made you read or not read. Not judging on genre, because I think most of you are definitely out of my genre. I just want opinion. Please send a message if you can so it doesn’t clog up this thread, thanks. The covers on Goodreads are the old ones, which were done by a friend, and those on Amazon are the covers I’ll be leaving out there and forgetting about forever. Thanks to those who do mail me.
Amber wrote: "Foreword Reviews focuses on indie authors, but they charge over $300.00 to do a review..."Amber, if you expect to have any credibility with readers, you should avoid paying for reviews. (You may never have actually done so, but I'm addressing self-published authors in general here.) There are many who discount such reviews, the books that garner them, and their authors, with good reason: There's an inherent conflict of interest when an author pays for a review; think of it as "I'll pay you to love me"--and everyone knows it. If the review is a 4- or 5-star one, or even a 3-star on Goodreads, a question about its validity arises no matter the quality of the book.
Thanks for pointing out The Source and the B.R.A.G. Medallion (indieBRAG). They do include books that are worth paying for, but I recommend always reading the sample before buying.
Amber: to the last questions you had. I now use the reviews only for pure entertainment value. I've seen books with hundreds of reviews rated at nearly five stars that I thought were absolute crap, with pour grammer, know editting and barly inn English,(see what I did there?) like they were written by a twelve-year-old. I'm sure there are three-star gems out there with only one or two reviews and I will eventually find them all, um, once I get back to work at a real job, anyway. :D
To answer the question; first, there are books by my favorite authors that I have not had time to read yet. I just downloaded the latest David Weber book and the latest Jayne Ann Krentz book. Eric Flint has a book coming out and so does Lindsey Davis.Second, as someone has noted, I am not aware of some that I would probably like. There are just too many SPA authors out there.
As to the product; covers don't bother me, blurbs will if they are terrible, and I can accept some grammar and punctuation errors. Content matters. I'm just not interested in zombies, except on AMC. I'm not into horror or murder or reading about despicable people. I get that from Google News or from my newspaper. I like romance if the characters are not heroic and not jerks.
I have quite a few SPA books on my kindle. Bryan Fields wrote a good one.
Dalton: You are so right on the ratings. I started reading a book a few months ago with horrible editing and really bad spelling, it was so hard to follow that it gave me a headache and the only two ratings were five stars and rave reviews. On the other hand I've also read books rated one or two stars and thought they were amazing. I pay more attention to ratings that have feedback that really supports the rating. If it's rated a one and the review says editing, spelling, and storyline are poor okay then. If it gets a one without any kind of review, then what exactly makes it a one. Not that I expect every reader to go into detail as to why they rate a book they way they do, but I just personally don't always pay as close attention to those that don't.
C.M.J. wrote: "Amber wrote: "Foreword Reviews focuses on indie authors, but they charge over $300.00 to do a review..."Amber, if you expect to have any credibility with readers, you should avoid paying for revi..."
I am a SP author and have often come across such feedback.
I keep wondering how one knows if a review has been paid for? Secondly I am not sure what exactly the difference is between a paid review and a review obtained by sending a free copy? And thirdly if I recollect, Kirkus Book Reviews is essentially a paid site but seems to be hugely respected...
Ty wrote: "I keep wondering how one knows if a review has been paid for? Secondly I am not sure what exactly the difference is between a paid review and a review obtained by sending a free copy? And thirdly if I recollect, Kirkus Book Reviews is essentially a paid site but seems to be hugely respected..."I think, in this case, "paid" reviews (in a bad way) refers to when an author essentially gives some type of compensation (free gift, money) in exchange for a GOOD (a.k.a. five-star) review. Much like the Fiverr ads which promise a five-star review on any product you want, these are false, illegal, and morally ugly. The person being paid for the review does not even have to read the book/try the product but will write a generic form-letter type of review. Usually, they're pretty easy to spot.
I read a few by the same person on Amazon last week. The guy's account had all five-star reviews for a variety of books, most by the same author, and they all said pretty much the same thing. "I loved this book! I had always wanted to look into [fill in the blank] but never found a book that went into such depth about it. After a few weeks of trying the techniques mentioned, my [fill in ailment] problems were all but gone! Five stars and worth the read!"
This alone was funny to me, because the reviewer apparently suffered from memory loss, Alzheimer's, lack of Paleo diet, fibromyalgia, yoga struggles, and more, according to all those five-star book reviews he left. All the reviews were posted on the same day. Fake much?
To provide a book (ebook or print copy) for someone in exchange for an "honest" review is different. You could argue that the reviewer was paid, in a sense, because of not springing for the cost of the book himself; however, the reviewer (if he is honest) is not obligated to give a favorable review. An author who obtains reviews in this manner should expect that not everyone will love the book. It's no different than a regular review, other than the customer getting the book for free.
The problem that springs from those deals is that sometimes there is a one-star or two-star book being offered, and the author isn't happy that he gave out a book to someone who didn't post wonderful things in the review. But if the book isn't good, it isn't good, and receiving it for free shouldn't influence anyone's review.
Kirkus Book Reviews is something you pay for, yes. A lot of money, from what I understand. But supposedly they give a fair review and are under no obligation to give a good rating despite the fact that the author has given them $400 to "have at it."
Eeeeek! That was so long. Sorry, everyone.
Lynda wrote: "Eeeeek! That was so long. Sorry, everyone."That was a good post Lynda. The person was obviously a $5 hypochondriac.
Not that anyone asked but...I hate the disclosures required for review copies. It has always cheapened a review to me. If Kirkus doesn't have to do it, why the hell should I?
Jen wrote: "Not that anyone asked but...I hate the disclosures required for review copies. It has always cheapened a review to me. If Kirkus doesn't have to do it, why the hell should I?"I always feel bad for the author. If I really liked the book, nobody is going to believe my review is valid as soon as they read that disclaimer. I feel the same way when reviewing for the authors I work with. I don't want to be the first to post a review because people will assume I "have" to post a good one. I edited it, folks. I didn't write it. And I'm old enough to speak for myself and what I like and don't like.
I wussed out when I did an exchange of books for a review. One review I received was generic and mentioned nothing specific about my novel...the other was all right. But one of the books I received was a Mary Sue (fundamentally a heroine who saves everyone, is the best of the best etc. ) and I couldn't read it. It was awful, saccharine and filled with fulsome verbiage! Way too much!So I'm just saying my experience taught me no exchange. So
I languish at seven reviews......
Jen wrote: "Not that anyone asked but...I hate the disclosures required for review copies. It has always cheapened a review to me. If Kirkus doesn't have to do it, why the hell should I?"Good question. And when best-seller A blurbs best-seller B's book, you know A didn't buy B's book, and there is no disclaimer there. There is also no disclaimer on these jacket blurbs that states that A and B are both published by the same publishing house either.
Lynda wrote: "I always feel bad for the author. If I really liked the book, nobody is going to believe my review is valid as soon as they read that disclaimer. I feel the same way when reviewing for the authors I work with. I don't want to be the first to post a review because people will assume I "have" to post a good one. I edited it, folks. I didn't write it. And I'm old enough to speak for myself and what I like and don't like."Very nicely put!
The truth of the matter is that many authors give review copies all the time and not even half their readers bother to write the review. Whether or not the copy was given free is irrelevant. Readers will still do as they please.
If I'm impressed enough by the work (one way or the other) to share my thoughts, I don't think I should have to disclose the source of my acquisition.
Gregor wrote: "Good question. And when best-seller A blurbs best-seller B's book, you know A didn't buy B's book, and there is no disclaimer there. There is also no disclaimer on these jacket blurbs that states that A and B are both published by the same publishing house either."Disclosures aren't for the big dogs. Didn't you know that?
I don't see the point. A free review copy means nothing...except the necessity of a disclosure that voids the sincerity of the review.
Jen wrote: "Gregor wrote: "Good question. And when best-seller A blurbs best-seller B's book, you know A didn't buy B's book, and there is no disclaimer there. There is also no disclaimer on these jacket blurb..."Don't most pro film critics get free tickets to see the films they review? I don't recall see such a disclaimer at the top of all of Roger Ebert's reviews.
ETA: But I guess he wasn't posting his reviews in a customer space. That's likely the difference.
Gregor wrote: "Jen wrote: "Not that anyone asked but...I hate the disclosures required for review copies. It has always cheapened a review to me. If Kirkus doesn't have to do it, why the hell should I?"Good que..."
Absolutely. When I first started reading romances I bought some because of another author's positive blurb. I'm smarter now.
My criteria for what self-published books I read is the same for what traditional books I read, or what Indie books I read: good cover, good blurb, and feedback. If one of these is lacking, sometimes I'm willing to read anyway if the blurb is good or the feedback is strong, but I admit, as a cover artist, I find it hard to pick up books that clearly have MS paint covers or generic stock photos. Just like it's hard for an editor to pick up a badly edited book, a terrible cover just makes me squeamish. I organize my bookshelf by colors; visual appearance is just extremely important to me.Positive feedback isn't always necessary, I just like to hear what people did or didn't like. I want to read a book with others, and sometimes books without feedback feel lonely. I'm not sure if anyone else ever feels that way, but I like being able to share and digest what I read with others.
Mati wrote: "Positive feedback isn't always necessary, I just like to hear what people did or didn't like. I want to read a book with others, and sometimes books without feedback feel lonely. I'm not sure if anyone else ever feels that way, but I like being able to share and digest what I read with others."I'm the same way. I want to TALK about the books!
That's very interesting Mati and Jen. I don't always want to talk about the books (or maybe I do and don't realize it), because I'm more of an introvert. But I do find it refreshing and maybe emotionally stirring in some way when I see in the reviews that others liked the same things about the book that I enjoy in books I read. When I see that, I'll probably be more likely to read the book and then I can be dragged into rather lengthy discussions about it later. Hmm, that seems weird now that I read it...oh well, that's me. I wanted to add also that I do feel sorry for authors with no reviews, and now that I'm getting back into the reading, I'll be looking for books in my genres without reviews and trying to suffer through them. Please don't solicit yours to me. I don't do that and I don't like it being done to me.
Dalton wrote: "That's very interesting Mati and Jen. I don't always want to talk about the books (or maybe I do and don't realize it), because I'm more of an introvert. But I do find it refreshing and maybe emotionally stirring in some way when I see in the reviews that others liked the same things about the book that I enjoy in books I read. When I see that, I'll probably be more likely to read the book and then I can be dragged into rather lengthy discussions about it later. Hmm, that seems weird now that I read it...oh well, that's me. I wanted to add also that I do feel sorry for authors with no reviews, and now that I'm getting back into the reading, I'll be looking for books in my genres without reviews and trying to suffer through them. Please don't solicit yours to me. I don't do that and I don't like it being done to me."
I'm not a writer. You are safe.
My main problem with self published novels is that no one is talking about them. Even the great ones can be without an audience. I want to see reviews, and I want to discuss the material. It really sucks when I find a new author I love, and no one knows about them.
Dalton wrote: "That's very interesting Mati and Jen. I don't always want to talk about the books (or maybe I do and don't realize it), because I'm more of an introvert. But I do find it refreshing and maybe emoti..."I've thought about checking out books with no reviews, too. It would be nice if Goodreads had a list of books and the total number of their reviews posted at Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads. I could choose to download a no-reviews book. You're right about being solicited, too. I don't want to find them that way.
Ty wrote: "I keep wondering how one knows if a review has been paid for? Secondly I am not sure what exactly the difference is between a paid review and a review obtained by sending a free copy? "Paying for a review is specifically paying for praise for the book, whether it's earned or not. The paid reviewer can say they won't guarantee a positive review (although most of them do), but come on...after bilking someone out of $300 what are the chances it will be a critical or negative review? Not very good.
And sending out free copies generally gets you more objective reviews. I accept free or advance copies of books for review too. But I will rate it and review it exactly as deserved. I have no incentive not to be honest. I got the book for free and I got no other compensation so I have no reason to lie.
Also, paid reviews generally sound exactly the same. "This book is so groundbreaking and breathtaking! 5 stars! Everyone needs to read this." or "This is a book that everyone will love. It simply could not have been better!" They generally will not contain any actual details about the book but just be generic, canned praising statements. They are quite easy to spot actually.
I'm a self-pubbed author who has given away free review copies, but I'm wondering what self-pubbed author is making enough to pay for reviews? I don't even give away paperbacks, because it's too damn expensive! (No, we don't even get one copy free, not even a proof/review copy)...However, I think there are reviewers known to offer paid review services, so you can look for those and know they might not be exactly impartial.
As to the original question...even though I self publish, I haven't read a lot of indies because some of the early ones I read scarred me (I'm very sensitive to grammatical errors and typos...I still wake up with nightmares thinking of those early indies). I've just started to test the waters, with trepidation, because I love being an indie and want to support fellow indies (but only the ones who know how to use spell-check).
Lena wrote: "I'm a self-pubbed author who has given away free review copies, but I'm wondering what self-pubbed author is making enough to pay for reviews? I don't even give away paperbacks, because it's too da..."Ha Ha. I know exactly what you mean, Lena. And the best advice I can give is to repeat what several of us have already said. Read those first three chapters if/when you can. If I couldn't do that, I don't think I would buy another Indie book. I just don't have the cash to throw away on stuff that should have been thrown away.
To be fair, the first indie I read in years was last week, and it was amazing. I felt like a total schmuck for holding out so long because of a few bad apples.
Well---if you have read a great indie-published book---mention it here...or start a thread...great Indie books I've read that no one's heard about...It couldn't hurt!
I think the biggest issue is the obvious one. There are those who take the time to research book design, get beta readers, and revise. And then, there are those who are in just too much of a hurry. That's the biggest thing I've seen. And now that I say that, the rushed "amateur-looking" covers and designs usually have matching rushed manuscripts.Anyway, I'd love to have some of you here check out my debut book. It's my first science fiction/fantasy adventure of a planned trilogy, (at least). It's meant to be very accessible, but at the same time, deeply sincere in how I feel about racial and cultural diversity.
Souls of Astraeus
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Souls-Astraeus-...
Please feel free to let me know if you'd like me check something of yours out!
Jeramy wrote: "I think the biggest issue is the obvious one. There are those who take the time to research book design, get beta readers, and revise. And then, there are those who are in just too much of a hurry..."Yes, I have sent out my latest to a bunch of betas and several pointed out...I don't have a plot! Lol...sometimes, you are so close to the characters that you forget the huge, glaringly obvious holes. Though I basically have to rewrite my novel, at least I know where it's going now. The first indie I read looked like not even the author had reread it after he wrote it. I think a lot of people shy away for that reason...why waste money on the gamble? The 20% sample is possibly the greatest invention in ebooks.
Jen wrote: "I don't see the point. A free review copy means nothing...except the necessity of a disclosure that voids the sincerity of the review..."Well, if it voids the sincerity of the review, you would have to void every professional review you ever read, because no professional reviewer ever pays for the review copy of the book. Plus they are being paid by the magazine/newspaper they write for, which might have ties with the publisher of the books, so you don't know if there wasn't a Post-It to the cover with 'Give this book a good review'.
If a literary agent takes the acquisition editor of a publishing house out for lunch, is the acquisition tainted? This is common practice.
Someone posted a message once that said 'if the reviewer states they received a free review copy, that's equal to reading a review by the author's mother', and I wondered if the poster realized that most reviewers never paid for the books they reviewed.
Most of the SP books I review have been free downloads or free review copies given to me by the author. However, with the cost of the average SP book being 3-6 dollars, I don't consider that compensation for the hours I spent reading, assessing and reviewing the book.
Also, I don't feel that having my book favourably reviewed by an author requires a reciprocal review. If I do review their books and the books were entertaining and professional, I will give a positive review, but I will always mention any issues I have with a book. Not to 'put the author in their place', but because the reviews are meant for readers and I want to inform them to the best of my ability.
Arabella wrote: "Well---if you have read a great indie-published book---mention it here...or start a thread...great Indie books I've read that no one's heard about...It couldn't hurt!"
I think that's a great idea.
I sometimes read new self-published novels. But not particularly often, as I'm very conscious of the combined weight of centuries of international literature which I'll never get through if I live to be 400 years old. So nothing really stops me from reading self-published books, but equally I have no special reason to prioritise them in any way.And sometimes they are truly dreadful.
(except mine, of course. Mine are great)
Lynda wrote: "Ty wrote: "I keep wondering how one knows if a review has been paid for? Secondly I am not sure what exactly the difference is between a paid review and a review obtained by sending a free copy? An..."that clears it. about 85% of the reviews for my book have been from paying readers and the rest from book reviewers.
i don't do reciprocal reviews. i did a couple and then stopped because i felt uncomfortable about the way that system works.
i have also more or less stopped approaching reviewers because most of them have giganormous backlogs.
all that does mean i do not have the hundreds of reviews that many other authors have, but i am proud of the 34 odd that i have.
what i have also done is created a Pinterest board with all the feedback i have received on Twitter so if anyone wants to do a forensic analysis of my reviews, the proof is there :)
Andrew wrote: "(except mine, of course. Mine are great)"What every good self-publisher needs is a champion. Someone who will tell others, 'this person writes great books, you should read them'. If only to avoid looking arrogant and conceited...
There is some talk here about wanting to read books with no reviews, but soliciting isn't wanted. Then why not start a new thread asking for only unreviewed books in the genre you read. If you like Science Fiction, for example, a good heading would be "SF Reading list-post your unreviewed SF books here." In the heading you could describe what the list is all about, and when authors post their books--and you'll get a bunch--you don't have to read all of them, just pick the ones you'd like to read and check out the "Look Inside" feature. I'm an author, but I'm not selling anything here, and I'd start the list myself, but of course that would be somewhat self serving.
Martyn V. wrote: "Jen wrote: "I don't see the point. A free review copy means nothing...except the necessity of a disclosure that voids the sincerity of the review..."Well, if it voids the sincerity of the review,..."
Martyn,
I think reviews nowadays are all suspect. A book with twenty reviews (all five stars) could still be AWFUL. Those that come from a "professional" reviewer are given more credibility, though many do not specify the source of the acquisition.
I can't tell you why the disclosure cheapens it for me, but it does. When authors give free review copies, the end result is not guaranteed. A lot of people will take the copy and never write the review. If I'm willing to, why should I have to state that the author gave it to me when ultimately, the choice to evaluate the work publicly is my call.
Martyn V. wrote: "Andrew wrote: "(except mine, of course. Mine are great)"What every good self-publisher needs is a champion. Someone who will tell others, 'this person writes great books, you should read them'. I..."
I'm lucky enough to have had a couple of champions, but as each of my books so far has been so very different to all the others, it's been difficult to build a sustained message. The most ardent supporter of my short stories didn't bother to read my non-fiction (fair enough) and just didn't really care for the style of my Casanova translation (also fair enough). Others have championed those books, but I think the only person who would rave about all three is my Mum. Which isn't a lot of use when it comes to providing objective feedback to the book-buying public...
Jen wrote: "I can't tell you why the disclosure cheapens it for me, but it does. When authors give free review copies, the end result is not guaranteed. A lot of people will take the copy and never write the review. If I'm willing to, why should I have to state that the author gave it to me when ultimately, the choice to evaluate the work publicly is my call."While there is no recourse, a free review copy is given for free in exchange for a review. Which is why I always state when I give a 'review copy' or a 'free copy, no strings attached'.
If I choose to give all my new GR friends a 'free e-book, no strings attached', that's my choice.*
If someone asks me for a review copy, I *expect* a review, otherwise I could just put up my books for free. However, I do not concern myself with the content of the review. I appreciate honesty in reviewing, so if someone doesn't like my book, they are under no obligation to review my book favorably.
Although I usually only give review copies of my first book, if I enjoy the honesty and critique of the review I often offer review copies of my other books as well.
I already offer free downloads of two short stories as 'loss-leaders'. They're meant to make readers curious about the books. So if I offer free books to reviewers so they can write reviews and essentially make readers curious about my books, to me they serve the same goal 'as loss-leaders' intended to draw more readers.
So, if people review my free downloads, should they put the FTC disclaimer in the review? Of course not. So why should they put it in the review of a free review copy? Because the free review copy is somehow 'payment' or 'compensation' for the review? I don't think it qualifies as such. I wouldn't write a review for 3-6 dollars. My time is more expensive than that.
I'm fortunate that many of my reviewers prefer to buy my books, because they think I ought to be compensated for my work and they consider writing a review a way to support my efforts.
As to the FTC disclaimer: while it's mandatory, there is virtually no way to check whether the reviewer received a free book for the purpose of reviewing, so it's on the 'honor system'. If you don't like to cheapen your review by not including the FTC disclaimer, there's not much the FTC can do, unless they have proof that you received the book for review purposes...
*As I currently do. Every new GR friend who sends me an email gets an epub and a mobi of Reprobate. Just as a 'thank you' for the friend request.
Martyn V. wrote: "Jen wrote: "I can't tell you why the disclosure cheapens it for me, but it does. When authors give free review copies, the end result is not guaranteed. A lot of people will take the copy and never..."I have yet to personally guarantee anyone a review (by me) in exchange for anything :)
I had an author write to me once with the offer of a review copy. I'd liked his other work and apparently he liked my reviews. When I told him I would not guarantee to write a review, but would appreciate the copy given for my reading pleasure, he backed out. I wanted to tell him there's never a guarantee, and that since I'd reviewed his other work it was a safe bet I'd write something...but that would only obligate me to include the arrangement in a review.
Jen wrote: "When I told him I would not guarantee to write a review, but would appreciate the copy given for my reading pleasure, he backed out. I wanted to tell him there's never a guarantee, and that since I'd reviewed his other work it was a safe bet I'd write something...but that would only obligate me to include the arrangement in a review."That's why I make the distinction. I'm not stingy with free copies, though. Not just reviews, but I have this idea that most people who read my first novel want to read the sequels, if only to satisfy their curiosity about the relationship between my protagonists.
I found the hardest thing is to get people to actually read your sample. Most people who read my samples buy my books, but if they cannot find my books among the avalanche of self-published crap, that's a totally bummer...
Martyn V. wrote: "I found the hardest thing is to get people to actually read your sample. Most people who read my samples buy my books, but if they cannot find my books among the avalanche of self-published crap, that's a totally bummer..." What makes me read a sample is to see someone talking about the work, or finding a thorough review that highlights some aspect of the novel that appeals to me.
You're right - self-published writers need champions.
Ken wrote: "There is some talk here about wanting to read books with no reviews, but soliciting isn't wanted. Then why not start a new thread asking for only unreviewed books in the genre you read. If you li..."Good idea, Ken. I'll think about that.
Jen wrote: "I think reviews nowadays are all suspect. A book with twenty reviews (all five stars) could still be AWFUL. Those that come from a "professional" reviewer are given more credibility, though many do not specify the source of the acquisition."Yes, there seems to be a whole industry built on reviews - that includes both writing and acquiring them! I have bought books with lots of good reviews only to wonder what is wrong with me because the book left me totally cold. On the other hand I have bought interesting sounding books with no reviews and wondered why nobody else cared enough to write a word of support for the author. It is a mystery to me.
Martyn V. wrote: "What every good self-publisher needs is a champion. Someone who will tell others, 'this person writes great books, you should read them'. I..."
Oh that is so very true Martyn! :)
Lisa wrote: " I have bought books with lots of good reviews only to wonder what is wrong with me because the book left me totally cold."I can't count how many reviews I've wanted to begin with the sentence, "Did I read the same book as everyone else?"
Martyn V. wrote: "What every good self-publisher needs is a champion. Someone who will tell others, 'this person writes great books, you should read them'."
And the irony is that we can't stand the ones who are good self-promoters because they're obnoxious. *laughing*
Goodreads Authors/Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Science Fiction (other topics)Vox (other topics)
The Discovery of Heaven (other topics)
A Tale of Two Cities (other topics)
Life With a Fire-Breathing Girlfriend (other topics)
More...
I'm another with very little tolerance for poor editing, typos, misspellings etc. I also get a bit put out over anachronisms, and historical books where people use modern slang. That's not always limited to self-pub, to be sure!