Indie Book Club discussion
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What NOT to do when asking for a review!
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The only time I can see not wanting real advice is if you have given someone a rough draft or something and know that is still needs several runs of editing to be publish ready. Once a book is published it is fair game and asking for opinions is going to get a wide variety of responses.
What a twat.Harsh, I know, but I read through 3 pages where people were offering really helpful advice (including you, Jeffrey!), and he completely ignored it!
To be frankly honest, people like him give us indie writers a bad name. Sigh.
He's not really encouraging reviewers, is he?
Scott wrote: "The only time I can see not wanting real advice is if you have given someone a rough draft or something and know that is still needs several runs of editing to be publish ready."Yup, part of my process is showing the draft to friends and asking, basically, "Is this worth polishing?" Once it's published, though, you have to be prepared to accept any comments thrown at you. If you actually care about becoming a better writer, you'll pay attention to the criticisms, look for trends, find your weaknesses, and fix them.
I think a general rule is: If you can't take/don't want criticism, don't act in the public sphere.
"I think a general rule is: If you can't take/don't want criticism, don't act in the public sphere."And there you have it.
Wow, that thread is like a trainwreck. I can't take my eyes off it. If I ever end up doing anything close to that... please, just shoot me and be done with it.
Wow. Just wow. I think I broke my table head desking. lol
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What a jackass. And I would agree. If I ever start acting like that, as a writer, then I hereby give permission to feed me to the dragons. :)
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It does make for interesting reading, though. LOL
The idea of having someone give me a review scares the hell out of me. The reviews I've had so far are from beta readers only, and they've been more suggestions and general comments than actual reviews like you'll see on a book blog.I'm fine with people giving constructive feedback, and I'd like to think I've taken it onboard and improved my writing because of it. But I don't know how I'd react to someone giving a really negative review.
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But that's ok. You have to take the bad reviews with the good. I told my wife that when I originally published my first book I knew full well that I wouldn't be able to please everyone, and that I was bound to get some less than favorable reviews. Luckily for me the person who left the 3 star review told me exactly what he didn't care for.
For me, that was the final straw. I had three other authors tell me essentially the same thing, and after that one review, I finally went in and made some changes. The trick is to make the changes without losing your style of writing. I hope I succeeded at that. :)
First, I have to say that Rock Perry is a great name for a professional wrestler, or a mountain climber.You could tell from his first two posts that Rock was going to be entertaining. He reminds me of my four-year-old niece who likes to scrape a crayon across a blank piece of paper and say "look at me! look at me!" When I shake my head and say "but there is no context," she just laughs and makes another slash. If only you could laugh, Brock! If only.
My favorite quote: "I just get tired of people stating facts."
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I just can't tell if this guy is serious and his attitude is, "The hell with everyone", or he's just being one of those morons trying to stir up trouble.
I'm actually leaning towards the former. This guy thinks he's hot stuff when it comes to his writing. He's got serious tunnel vision. Unless you give him exactly what he wants to hear, then you're either blocked or a fool for stating something he clearly said he didn't want to hear.
Sad. Funny as hell, but sad. :)
Glad to be aboard, thank you!Indeed. He strikes me as the "I'm a genius!" type of writer who will only feel satisfied as long as he is "misunderstood." Writers like that are only fun on a lazy Sunday when you want to kick a beehive.
Cheers to the rest of us who treat our work as the professional craft it is!
I hate getting the message from a reviewer telling me that they've reviewed my book. It's quite scary!I'll admit I've been lucky so far, with 6/7 reviews 4 star, and one 3 star (and that only because the reviewer wasn't so interested in the genre. However, one of those reviewers told me that the book suffered from editing issues that stopped him from giving me full marks. That made me revisit the book and release a new edition (especially as it was backed up by comments from Jeffrey, Scott and Kriss here - thanks for your help, guys!).
But seriously, I understand that he only wants to know what people think of the pacing, plot, etc. but if your formatting is so bad that people can't finish it, you need to take a really close look at it.
Jeffrey wrote: "You have to read this in order to believe it.Either way it makes for some entertaining reading! Read far enough and you'll see me put my own two cents in. Yes, I was polite. I'm trying to be n..."
Unbelievable. I haven't looked at his profile or read the sample, but it seems like a fifty fifty chance he's not really a legitimate author and is just trolling the forum.
If he is legitimate, he's a poster child for people who don't get it.
It reads like a quest RPG; scene set, character, character. He does think indie authors are acting against their own interests pricing books so low. I haven't been to the thread since he got exactly what he asked for from a reader, to which he responded quite amicably. Frankly, compared to the one, on another thread, who constantly complains about low quality writers damaging her reputation and screams you're a competitor trying to sabotage etc., if you even suggest a change in description, he's a sane sweetie.
I'm a latecomer to this convo, but I'm glad I found it. Made for an entertaining end to my work day...just wish I'd had popcorn while reading the thread. Train-wreck analogy was spot-on. Most of the time I was amused, aside from the rant about how spelling and grammar are just opinions and aren't crucial...that made me want to gouge out my (or Rocky's) eyes. I wanted to stop reading when he called everyone who uses a Kindle a "poo-flinging monkey" but I hadn't found Jeffrey's posts yet, so I was stuck reading on. :)
Jim wrote: "I wanted to stop reading when he called everyone who uses a Kindle a 'poo-flinging monkey'"Gee, Jim, I thought that was an attitude improvement over "tree-hugging techno junkies" they called people who used e-reading devices in the nineties. ;)
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Jeffrey wrote: "That guy is full of himself, that's for certain. I've gone on official record of saying if I ever act like that then you have my permission to feed me to the dragons."I think any self respecting author is saying that, but can I be fed to a tiger? It's just how I'd like to go if I'm being eaten. ;)
Either way it makes for some entertaining reading! Read far enough and you'll see me put my own two cents in. Yes, I was polite. I'm trying to be nicer. :)
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