Why don't more people read Self-published authors? Showing 1,251-1,300 of 2,452

[Edward]

R.F.G. wrote: "who is Maury Povich? "

One of those TV talkshow hosts, like Jerry Springer, or like Geraldo Rivera used to do, with the unlikely show titles like:

Satan-worshipping Mimes Who Beat Their Wives and the Midgets Who Love Them.

[Edward]

Gregor wrote: "My guess is their load balancer keeps throwing traffic at a server with an expired web cert or something. "

That's exactly what I was thinking. It didn't look like a hijack, but I'd never seen it before.

[Gregor]

Edward wrote: "Gregor wrote: "My guess is their load balancer keeps throwing traffic at a server with an expired web cert or something. "

That's exactly what I was thinking. It didn't look like a hijack, but I'd..."

I've not seen THAT before on GR. However, seeing Alice is fairly common.

[Edward]

Gregor wrote: "I've not seen THAT before on GR. However, seeing Alice is fairly common. "

Alice? A load-balancing Alice?

[Gregor]

Edward wrote: "Gregor wrote: "I've not seen THAT before on GR. However, seeing Alice is fairly common. "

Alice? A load-balancing Alice?"

Isn't that Alice from Alice in Wonderland on their sorry page?

[Edward]

Gregor wrote: "Isn't that Alice from Alice in Wonderland on their sorry page? "

On whose page?

I'm totally lost. I think we crossed wires a few messages back.

[Gregor]

Edward wrote: "Gregor wrote: "Isn't that Alice from Alice in Wonderland on their sorry page? "

On whose page?

I'm totally lost. I think we crossed wires a few messages back."

When Goodreads is overloaded they usually display this image:



I think it is accompanied with a message like "You can never have too many books, but Goodreads can have too many visitors. Please try back later."

In the IT circles I run in, we call that type of message a "sorry page."

[Gregor]

Linda wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Alice on the "over capacity" screen.

May be connected to the bug being discussed at the above link.

Has nothing to do with getting people to read aut..."

Sorry for the programming interruption. I think I've cleared it up now.

[J.T.]

Edward wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "who is Maury Povich? "

One of those TV talkshow hosts, like Jerry Springer, or like Geraldo Rivera used to do, with the unlikely show titles like:

Satan-worshipping Mimes Who Beat..."

He also does a lot of Paternity tests for dudes whose girlfriends slept with 8 other guys the same night she slept with him and she isn't for sure he is the baby daddy.
You wonder sometimes if the women are the baby momma

[Edward]

Gregor wrote: "When Goodreads is overloaded they usually display this image:"

Ah... that explains the confusion. I hadn't seen that before, so the reference was lost on me.

[Lynda]

I've frequently gotten the "redirect loop" message when clicking to here from an email link. I tried clearing my cookies and it didn't help. Now I'm getting the SSL thing, too. None of them are consistent, but it happens more often when I go to the blog post threads to provide a link to my Monday and Thursday stuff.

[Martyn]

Ron wrote: "In fact, let me also say that I probably used hyphens instead of dashes, I'm sure some of my quotes are facing in the wrong direction, and there must be at least 5 or 6 misspelled words in it. I know that many of you in this discussion are sensitive to those things and would toss it aside (and miss the story), so I'll save you the trouble. ..."

Like I said before, if you don't even try to be professional about punctuation, grammar and spelling, why should I 'take a chance' on your story being any good?

If I'm checking out books and I notice mistakes in the blurb or sample, I won't read it. Any time I 'took a chance' I wasted my time on crap.

If a book still has basic errors like misspelled words and punctuation going awry, the author has published prematurely, putting themselves to shame and perpetuating the stigma of self-publishing.

[Martyn]

ThreeRs (revenge is probably icecream) wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "I've never thought of asking for a free copy. It seems presumptuous..."

Most self-published authors gladly exchange a free copy of their e-book for a honest and fair review. After all, it costs them nothing and might result in more exposure. So if you're a book reviewer and you sent an email to an author with 'requesting review copy in exchange for honest and fair review', I don't think many will find your request presumptuous.

[Martyn]

Heather wrote: "At least, the market to which I belong: educated, well-read professionals who know the difference between an em dash and a hyphen, and expect the author to know the same. Punctuation isn't optional; it's critical for reading correctly..."

I'm willing to overlook an amateur cover, but the blurb and sample have to satisfy my expectations of a professionally crafted work.

[Martyn]

Linda wrote: "...some authors will polish the living shit out of those first few chapters, hoping to get a sale..."

Not just the basics like punctuation and grammar, but I also had some stories that started well, deteriorate at an alarming rate into a total mess. Deus ex machina endings and other issues that break down my suspension of disbelief...

Whenever that happens, I write a 'Stopped Reading' review. I don't like false promises, regardless whether I paid for the book or if it was a free download/review copy.

[Martyn]

R.F.G. wrote: "...and I can tell in advance of flaws (two of them are in my editor's hands getting red penned)...."

And these are published works? If they are, why didn't you correct the flaws before you published?

The main problem with reading disappointing books is not the amount paid for the book, but the time wasted on crap. Time is more valuable than money, so I appreciate any reader reading my series, whether they paid for it or not, whether they reviewed it or not.

I think I have readers who read all my books and ask for more because I don't waste their time. Taking readers for granted is probably the worst error an author can make.

[R.F.G.]

Martyn V. wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "...and I can tell in advance of flaws (two of them are in my editor's hands getting red penned)...."

And these are published works? If they are, why didn't you correct the flaws bef..."

Actually the two with flaws are not published yet, but thanks for jumping on it to prove your natural superiority.

[Lee]

This is why my last few books were done through Autharium.com

I'm not going to pretend to know how strict their standards are but it is clear that they do go through every submission.

[Martyn]

R.F.G. wrote: "...thanks for jumping on it to prove your natural superiority."

Thanks for retorting with such a prickly response.

By the way, I wanted to check out your book, but the ASIN on GoodReads for the Kindle Edition is different from your current ASIN..., which makes you e-book hard to find.

[R.F.G.]

Martyn V. wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "...thanks for jumping on it to prove your natural superiority."

Thanks for retorting with such a prickly response.

By the way, I wanted to check out your book, but the ASIN on Good..."

I tend to get prickly over my first cup of kaffee, three month old daughter tends to make a good night's sleep a thing of the past.

As for the ASIN, I reloaded the book without DRM and if baby girl gives me more time I'll add the newer version.

If you'd like, shoot me a PM with your email and I can send the current Mobi or a regular Epub version along with the Unpublished-currently-in-the-editor's-hands back story (Epub only), which I wrote after readers wanted to know more.

I would send "The War of the Egg" (Unpublished), but it's also in the editor's hands and might therefore be a waste of your time.

I'll check back after I change an uber-wet diaper and get the kid dressed in something reasonably dry.

[Martyn]

R.F.G. wrote: "I tend to get prickly over my first cup of kaffee, three month old daughter tends to make a good night's sleep a thing of the past...."

I'm a stay-at-home dad with a three-year old daughter, and I'm currently battling kidney stones, so I'm doing my utmost to stay civil while the pain wants me to lash out. If my irritation somehow instigated your prickly response, know that I mean well.

Thanks for your offer, but I have a large TBR list, so I'll pass for now. From what I've seen on Amazon, your cover, blurb and sample look professional. Have you offered your book on The Source yet?

[R.F.G.]

Martyn V. wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "I tend to get prickly over my first cup of kaffee, three month old daughter tends to make a good night's sleep a thing of the past...."

I'm a stay-at-home dad with a three-year old ..."

I'm a relict and now a stay at home papi, and I understand health issues all too well. My son turned 34 today, and the odds are I won't be around to see my daughter's children when she's grown -- it's just a thing, and I'll show her canyon country when she's ready.

I also pick up on some things because analysis of information never seems to go away.

The cover was done by a professional, Ron Miller of Black Cat Studios, and unlike some I let him do his thing. My artistry (apart from words) lies in metal and wood -- I can still build a decent sword that will separate head from shoulders (no more dandruff problem), though I'm lacking an anvil and small forge at present.

The blurb I wrote, and when my editor had the story in hand she made a lot of mark up, which I paid close attention to. My editor can look at a Medal of Honor citation and tell which war it was awarded during simply by the quality of the wording. She will also dissect a sentence and tell you why you need to rewrite it.

Like most people, I can't read over my own work and objectively edit due to the tricks our minds play, i.e.: you forget the word while writing and the second time through your mind slides right over the gap because in the back of your mind you know what you meant.

I've also picked up too many traditionally published books and wondered what drugs the editor and proofreader were on, and the fact they didn't offer to share some of their tequila simply made it worse.

I really have no idea what The Source is, I write because of the characters that keep bugging me to tell their stories, and so one day my daughter will have a glimpse of who I was -- I don't expect to earn much if anything.

When your TBR list gets shorter, the offer of a free copy stands, and by that time the back story should have finished the editing process.

[Martyn]

R.F.G. wrote: "I really have no idea what The Source is..."

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

R.F.G. wrote: "When your TBR list gets shorter, the offer of a free copy stands, and by that time the back story should have finished the editing process."

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind.

[Brenda]

ThreeRs (revenge is probably icecream) wrote: "Brenda wrote: "I review books so that later on I can remember what they were about. It is solely for my own convenience and use. Thus you will never see me reviewing a book I haven't read. However,..."

Well, this gets into professionalism. The pro knows that it's the first sentence, the first paragraph, the first chapter, that is the window. That's your moment to grab the reader by the tee shirt and twist. If you work it right, she cannot escape.
(A brag: I got a complaining email once from a reader. She was a tax attorney and spring is stressful. So after work she ran a hot tub of water, climbed in with HOW LIKE A GOD, and planned to relax with a few chapters before going to bed. Four hours later she realized she was sitting in a tub of ice-cold water turning the pages like a meth addict visiting Walter White. She wrote to blame me for her cold and water-wrinkled bottom.)
And if you can't do that? Life is too short. If you manage to become a superb writer by page 200, that's too late, honey. I don't have the time to wait.

[R.F.G.]

Martyn V. wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "I really have no idea what The Source is..."

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

R.F.G. wrote: "When your TBR list gets shorter, the offer of a free copy stands, and by tha..."

I see why your TBR list is long.

[Brenda]

The story is told of the great editor Damon Knight. He would read slush ms with a 3x5 card in one hand. At the page he lost interest in the ms, he would put the card in, bundle the ms back into the envelope, and send it back. If he got to the end without using the card, he'd buy it. Just that simple.

[C.M.J.]

To quote someone who has it right: "A full chapter sample? Not necessary. One page. Just one page is all it takes. At most." Spot-on, Linda.

I know well before the end of the first sample page whether I'm interested.

[[deleted user]]

And how about what I have dubbed "the drive-by rater." Yesterday, on this website, I got a one-star rating on one of my Science Fiction books. The reader probably didn't buy the book (he didn't rate it on Amazon), read just enough of the free pages to know it wasn't for him, gave it one star and left no comment. I checked his reading material and found that he likes books about the Pacific War in WWII, and maybe a little SF. He also left 2 stars for another writer's highly-rated book about the Pacific War that consistently gets five stars. I am assuming that he is the type who rates a book on whether or not it suits his taste and not on its quality, but in moments of uncertainty I fear that might just be wishful thinking. Frustration is definitely a part of the process, but had to vent.

[D.C.]

Ken wrote: "And how about what I have dubbed "the drive-by rater." Yesterday, on this website, I got a one-star rating on one of my Science Fiction books. The reader probably didn't buy the book (he didn't r..."

Or he's very picky. You never know. And it's really impossible to know if he read your book or not.

I have noticed that some reviewers consistently hand out 4 and 5 stars unless they really hate a book, and some reviewers consistently hand out two and three star reviews unless they really love a book. And while I know what I think looks snazzier on my dashboard, they're both valid approaches.

[Ron]

Ken wrote: "I got a one-star rating on one of my Science Fiction books. The reader probably didn't buy the book ..."
My zombie book got a 1* rating here on GR before I had sold a single copy.

[R.F.G.]

Ken wrote: "And how about what I have dubbed "the drive-by rater." Yesterday, on this website, I got a one-star rating on one of my Science Fiction books. The reader probably didn't buy the book (he didn't r..."

"Ship of Storms"? The promo looked interesting enough.

Perhaps the person wanted the blurb alone to grab him by the neck and lift him up off the floor?

If I based my like or dislike of any particular book solely on the advertising blurb or the first few sentences, there are a ton of books I would never have finished.

[Martyn]

Ken wrote: "And how about what I have dubbed "the drive-by rater." Yesterday, on this website, I got a one-star rating on one of my Science Fiction books. The reader probably didn't buy the book (he didn't r..."

There are whole discussions on these 1-star ratings with irate responses from authors, however, on GR:
- readers developed the custom to 1-star rate books they don't want recommended to them.
- ratings and reviews don't require reading the whole book or even the sample.

If you check my books, the ratings that are accompanied by a review are quite high (3-5 stars), while I also have scores of 1-star ratings without reviews. These 1-stars are mostly because a few reviewers didn't like my postings on these boards, and use the 1-star ratings to avoid getting my books recommended to them. Since I know these 1-star raters haven't read my books, they are not representative to the quality of my work.

If people don't want my books recommended to them and GR doesn't provide a 'Do Not Recommend'-button for them, I can understand why they rate my books 1-star.

I assume that people who want to know what other people think about my books read the reviews and disregard the ratings. My reviews are positive, so I don't worry about the ratings.

[Ron]

Martyn V. wrote: "readers developed the custom to 1-star rate books they don't want recommended to them ..."

I didn't know that. Thanks.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks all for the input. Clarified. It was never my intent to respond to or obsess over an individual rating (and I didn't respond), but since it was this website only (so far) I guess I just needed to know the "local customs." Maybe GR really should provide a "Do Not Recommend" button, and maybe require comments with each rating. But you always have to be careful what you wish for.

[D.C.]

Um, yeah. I'm always terrified of reading stuff I haven't vetted in some way, because I will be honest.

I do get very frustrated by the innate dishonesty of some of the SPA lovefest.

[R.F.G.]

If it's something I find interesting I'll give it a try, whether it's traditional or self-pubbed.

If it's in the draft stage, and it's something I find interesting, I'll give it a try.

If it starts out along the lines of, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," I'll remember the last biker bar I was in thirty years ago and move on.

Although I did get a laugh from one friend's line: "Genie's problem wasn't a lack of beauty, she'd been born into beauty. Her failing was every time she went barefoot her toe-talons shredded the carpet enough to leave a trail of splinters..."

[Mary]

R.F.G. wrote: "If it's something I find interesting I'll give it a try, whether it's traditional or self-pubbed.

If it's in the draft stage, and it's something I find interesting, I'll give it a try.

If it star..."
YES! I feel the same way...and try to write that way too...

[Martyn]

Ken wrote: "Maybe GR really should provide a "Do Not Recommend" button, and maybe require comments with each rating. But you always have to be careful what you wish for. ..."
I think they should've done that at the beginning, but they didn't. Now it's a 'custom', and customs are notoriously hard to break.
Also, it works, so most reviewers will probably say, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. And they're right. Those who get upset or obsessed about the 1-star ratings will most likely be outed as 'speshul snowflakes'.

[Martyn]

Richard wrote: "I'm not a pro, but that article pretty much nails why I won't offer to read unpublished work by people whose published work I have not read and enjoyed on my own."

Indeed. And I only beta-read for people who are professional enough to appreciate constructive criticism.

[Mary]

Martyn V. wrote: "Ken wrote: "Maybe GR really should provide a "Do Not Recommend" button, and maybe require comments with each rating. But you always have to be careful what you wish for. ..."
I think they should've..."
Oh I admit, my 1 star had me going for about a week...(because I was really new and had no clue about such things) then I decided to grow up and fix the problems that some of the critics pointed out.

[R.F.G.]

Mary wrote: "R.F.G. wrote: "If it's something I find interesting I'll give it a try, whether it's traditional or self-pubbed.

If it's in the draft stage, and it's something I find interesting, I'll give it a t..."

I do my best to write like I'm relaxed near the camp's fire, and listening to the characters tell their stories. I just wish that one little non-human would quit poking me with her spear so I can enjoy a beer in the evening.

At any rate, their tales are a lot more interesting than any of the ground I've covered on foot. Though I suppose freezing one's tail off in an ice canyon might be interesting to people who think being half-frozen and walking across ice is adventure...

[Martyn]

D.C. wrote: "I do get very frustrated by the innate dishonesty of some of the SPA lovefest."

The thing is, if you review honestly, like I did with my 'Stopped Reading' reviews, you run a risk that the author shows up to argue his or her case, but apart from being able to argue my case for the negative points in the review, I haven't received any 'threats'. And if I received 1-star ratings as a result of giving honest reviews, well, I'm not really intimidated by that.

[D.C.]

I've gotten one-stars, I've gotten five-stars. It's part of the territory. I've never had a one-star that I thought was terribly constructive, but I've had a couple of two-stars with extremely well-thought out reviews attached. And they're all valid.

[Martyn]

Star ratings with reviews are different from the drive-by ratings, where someone gives all your books a 1-star at the same moment.
Most of the time, the latter is related to 'do not recommend' and doesn't say much about the quality of the book.

[Brenda]

Actors on Broadway often take care to =not= read their reviews. It throws them off. It is perfectly OK for a writer to not read reviews. Who says you have to?
Author Michael Swanwick has a word of good advice: Guard your head. Don't do, or read, things that disturb you. And if a one-star review loses you sleep or causes you to beat your dog or makes you into a volcano on line, I suggest to you that this counts as disturbed.

[D.C.]

Well yeah, I'm always astounded that people get excited by those.

[Martyn]

D.C. wrote: "Well yeah, I'm always astounded that people get excited by those."

I'm not astounded, because I realize that many self-publishers lack the professional distance from their 'baby'.

If you want to treat your book as a child, the finished book should be an adult, capable to stand on its own legs and able to weather the thunder. Not a baby that still needs to be defended.

[C.M.J.]

Martyn V. wrote: "D.C. wrote: "I do get very frustrated by the innate dishonesty of some of the SPA lovefest."

The thing is, if you review honestly, like I did with my 'Stopped Reading' reviews, you run a risk that..."

I didn’t have to read nearly as far as you did, Martyn; three paragraphs into the prologue was enough for me: “Satisfied that the weapon was functioning correctly, he made his way towards the bridge and rested it in the undergrowth, out of site.” (Emphasis mine.) As I said earlier in this thread, I know well before the end of the first sample page whether I'm interested, and nothing kills my interest faster than misuse of words, grammar, or punctuation.

[Mary]

Martyn V. wrote: "D.C. wrote: "Well yeah, I'm always astounded that people get excited by those."

I'm not astounded, because I realize that many self-publishers lack the professional distance from their 'baby'.

I..."
And distance is the best medicine...

[Ron]

How does one find/choose an editor? Editors are not created equal, just as authors are not. There are also personality issues and style issues to consider.