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

[Ophelia]

Chris -

You make some great points. I also want to add that many authors aren't thinking about the money. They're thinking about the excitement of having their story out there. They are full of enthusiasm and drive to "share their story" and they don't want to wait until they can afford an editor or cover art. They're of the "build it and they will come" mentality.

I get deluged with review books and many of these authors I work with just haven't read a lot of other books. They honestly feel their story is fresh and unique. They want to share it with the world. It doesn't even cross their mind that the story might have been done before - or that in its current shape others might not like it. They adore their story.

Which, in a way, is natural and understandable. So I think we have to see that side of the equation.

[T.C.]

J.T. wrote: "No business makes money straight off the bat. You have to bust ass for a few years first."

That's certainly true. If you want to write as a business, you have to go in with your eyes open to the realities of it - going the 'non-traditional' self-publishing route even more so, because you aren't starting with the contacts, distribution, marketing set-up and so on.

The inherent problem with self-publishing is that people are aware that pretty much anyone can write something and put it up for sale, no matter how good or bad it is. Alot of people will have been 'burned' by buying bad SP books, and will avoid them in the future unless they have a compelling reason to buy something. As a SPA, the key to it is giving them some kind of compelling reason, and that's got to be about effective marketing and not relying on 'if I write it, they will read' or casual purchases. That's never going to be easy, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, or not worth trying. It is something you have to be aware of, though, and have to know is going to take some time if it happens at all.

[Sharon]

if I like it I read it! lol. I am also a sp writer and those who do read both I have a lot of time for. I self published by choice not because my work would not be taken by a publishing house. This way I have complete control. I have readany self published works and enjoyed them more, I don't mind as long as the story is what I enjoy.

[Harrison]

It's been very hard as a self-published author getting noticed, or to even get people to invest.

After carefully and diligently ensuring my work is edited professionally and nice graphics etc. applied to the covers, all to the tune of £1,150+ and set to climb with my third and fourth pieces, I wonder if I'll ever see a return on my investment, the investment I took to ensure the reader gets a professional product.

It's not all about money though, this is not a get rich scheme. It is therapy to write.

Maybe one day...

Harrison

[Sharon]

if I like it I read it! lol. I am also a sp writer and those who do read both I have a lot of time for. I self published by choice not because my work would not be taken by a publishing house. This way I have complete control. I have readany self published works and enjoyed them more, I don't mind as long as the story is what I enjoy.

[W.J.]

Chris wrote: "There is a big difference between those who see it as a potential long term career and those who think its a way to get rich quick. The latter don't last long. The former start out with a game plan..."

I agree Chris, it's such a highly competitive market, with an ever increasing number of new authors each year, its difficult for a well written novel to gain visibility amongst those that are let down by the quality of writing or poor grammar, which sows the seed in the mind of the reader mind that all SP books are of the same ilk.I have no wealth of experience as I have only self published my first book and probably made enough to treat myself to a few Starbucks coffee's, but I think unless you are extremely competent in copy editing, its essential to have your work professionally edited to give it a professional finish. I've read a few SP books recently that have had more than a few typos and grammatical errors throughout, and even the best author can become document blind. Having a professional editor cast their eye over your work is definitely worthwhile. As a recently self published author I think its more important to build your own readership over time and find your own voice as a writer rather than see it as a get rich scheme, which only ever happens to those lucky few where their novel strikes the right chord at the right time. For myself, I haven't written for the market and what is currently popular but from an idea that blossomed into a story that I felt strongly about. It's still early days, and I've had many moments of self doubt, but even if my work takes years to get noticed, I'm determined to keep on writing to improve my craft as having validation that readers like what you've written is more important to me than the financial reward, Better to take road less travelled and stay true to what you believe, that's what I tell myself anyway.

[Peggy]

I have always been an avid reader, sometimes reading one to two books a day. When I became a author myself, I started reading only other indie authors. I was so surprised at how many good book were out there by these fresh new authors. To tell the truth, some of the bestsellers I was reading were getting rather stale. One atuhor, in particular, had used up her main character. When she had one of her beloved characters try to rape the main character, that was it for me. It is refreshing to finds some of the SPAs.

I have written reviews for over a hundred self-pub books in the last year. I don't write reviews for any that I would rate less than a four star. I realize how much hard work goes into writing a book. I have also found some horrible self- pub books.

It's so easy to decide whether I want to read an author or not. I "open" the book and start reading it, the same as if I was browsing in a book store. If the book doesn't grab me in the sample, I don't download it. There is no excuse for downloading a book by a SPA and then complaining about it. I don't make decisions based on reviews. I don't need someone else telling me what to like.

[Andrew]

Harrison wrote: "It's been very hard as a self-published author getting noticed, or to even get people to invest.

After carefully and diligently ensuring my work is edited professionally and nice graphics etc. ap..."

Much kudos to you. I'm staggered that writers will think nothing of investing years of time into a project, and then baulk at investing even a modest amount of cash.

When I'm writing for money, I do freelance car reviews, celebrity gossip blog posts and travel reports on places I've never visited. It's grubby cynical work that can't be compared with crafting a novel or other fiction.

[W.J.]

Harrison wrote: "It's been very hard as a self-published author getting noticed, or to even get people to invest.

After carefully and diligently ensuring my work is edited professionally and nice graphics etc. ap..."
Hi Harrison, I think we're singing from the same hymn sheet there. I spent roughly the same on professional editing and book cover graphic design. Hoping I might recoup what I have paid out one day. It's a long term investment. The hard bit seems to be getting your work noticed in the first place and readers taking a gamble on an unknown author.

[Mark]

This is an easy question to answer. Big name authors have more financial backing to advertise their writing. Since they are tested, publishers will sell their product to that authors fan base for guaranteed sales. And you can get a book from a well known author that you like for a lot less than an unknown author due to larger book runs that lower costs. No way we can compete on a well known authors level. That is, until we get well known ourselves. I haven't even gotten into travel expenses, promotion time, working a job to support ourselves when we could be writing, etc.--mark :)

[Lisa]

I think even publishing houses are expecting their authors to do most of the work - go out on book tours, run blogs and social networking feeds, and pound the pavement. I had a trio of non-fiction wedding books through a traditional publisher and they relied on me to do that sort of thing. A friend of mine works with a larger publisher and she finds the same thing.

I think the day of authors getting a cushy ride once they finish their book are over. Sure there might be a few authors in the stratosphere who have teams who market for them, but I think they're a rarity nowadays. Even popular authors are expected to market.

I don't think it's ever been easy for a new author to get a huge following. I think we read about the one or two who skyrocket, and not about the tens of thousands who don't do as well. Even a lot of "published" authors don't end up succeeding. And some small-time indie authors get amazing sales.

If anything, our modern world gives indie authors a half a chance to compete, which they could not do well beforehand in a day of TV spots and expensive magazine ads. Now, as long as you have a website, the proper social networking feeds, and a coherent plan which you follow daily, you can gain fairly impression traction.

Lisa

[Justin]

More then less, if you go with a traditional publisher people will tend to take you more seriously because they are going with the assumption that your book has the goods hence the reason a publisher decided to publish it. Self Published authors tend to need to make more of a convincing pitch and do a lot more hard work to be taken seriously but it's not to say all are going to be bad. There will be good ones and their will be bad ones but in the end there are some good quality self published authors out there.

[Harrison]

Justin wrote: "More then less, if you go with a traditional publisher people will tend to take you more seriously because they are going with the assumption that your book has the goods hence the reason a publish..."

Well said that man.

[Harrison]

Why is stating facts classed as whining? I resent that statement.

The reason I gave my scenario is to show up and coming authors that this is not a free trip to stardom or a quick cash earner.

It's damned hard work. I'm not about self pity, I'm get up and go.

Harrison

[Harrison]

Hah! I'll let you off then haha.

[Lynda]

Shaun wrote: [people's arguments] - "I'm a SPA. I deserve some slack because I don't have a big publisher behind me."

- "Bad reviews hurt sales, even if they're true, so people should just keep their mouths shut if they can't say anything nice."

I have had this exact thing happen to me when I've left honest one- or two-star reviews on Amazon. I had an author tell me to "get a life" and "stop expecting the world" from books that are under three dollars. She called me cheap, she accused me of being dishonest...you name it, she said it. She used a different name, but I am 99% sure it was the author because her awful writing style had the same errors (and copious amounts of exclamation points) as the writer of the book. She warned people not to listen to my review, based on the number of one-star reviews I've posted. Had she bothered to look through my product/book reviews, she would have realized I have a fair number of high- and low-rated items, always with a specific explanation of the ratings. I even included a snippet from the book to illustrate my point, in this case.(Feel free to read my Amazon review of Bombay Mixx, along with her response, if you need a good laugh for the day, or a "what not to do" tutorial if you're an author. Some of the over-the-top five-star reviews have been removed since I left my review...interesting.)

I don't feel the price of a book should reflect its quality. I've found some gems among the freebies, and I don't know many people who haven't been disappointed by a favorite author at least once. Bottom line for me: if it's published, I have every right to expect a certain standard of quality.

[Harrison]

Absolutely Lynda....every SPA has a responsibility to ensure that a product, free or paid for is of the highest standards of quality.

You are not wrong to expect that certain standard of quality. It is necessary to fight the perception that indie's are no good.

Sadly, there are some downright awful examples of SPA, but that should not tar every SPA with the same brush.

[Harrison]

I'm appalled that goes on.

[Martyn]

I think most people with Kindles will pick up self-published books unknowingly, then find a couple of books that disappoint (whether it's the crappy formatting or the awkward prose or the dull story) and they realize not all ebooks are the same.

Many self-published ebooks are downright awful and would never go beyond the trade publisher's slush pile. So, basically, if you shop ebooks, you're sifting through the slush pile.

At publishing houses, someone near the bottom of the hierarchy will get the task to dig through the crap for the few with potential. They will get paid for it, they will get instructions on what to look for.
On Amazon, Kobo, et al., this task befalls the reader. Every reader has to find out what to look for, without instruction from a seasoned literary crap sifter. So, if readers want to avoid disappointment, they will stick to the few authors they know and steer clear of anything that reeks of the slush pile. Or they'll learn how to circumvent the crap and hone in on the worthy stories.

There is an upside for readers. Everybody reads the latest James Patterson and Stephen King, but you could be the first to discover the new voices in literature. If only you're willing to learn how to dig through the crap...

[Lynda]

Linda wrote: "Some of us, D.L., don't refuse to give bad reviews, but we pay a dear price for our honesty..."

Ah, yes. I seem to recall just two weeks ago, Linda, where your books were one-starred across the board within a five-minute span by someone who either had a grudge or an incredibly effective speed-reading course.

Coincidentally, it happened during a thread in which Linda happened to (firmly but politely) point out that an almost-unintelligible post was not a good advertisement for the poster's offer of proofreading/editing.

It's sad but I personally know at least one other author here who has had stalkers/harassment because of honest reviews.

Do people honestly expect that there's not a single person in the big wide world who will dislike their work?

[Harrison]

Every SPA needs to realise they are putting their work on show.

Their ability or inability to write a god piece will be decided in the public forum and if you aren't willing to take the rough with the smooth, then they have no business putting your work on display.

Am I a good writer? No idea, that's for the public to decide. I just try to do my best and believe I have given it my very best shot. But then I'm a self doubter.

I can if course understand why SPA's get upset over a bad review. Their work is their baby and they don't want to hear it bad mouthed. But without bad, or preferably, constructive reviews, how can you learn to be a better writer.

[Martyn]

Lynda wrote: "It's sad but I personally know at least one other author here who has had stalkers/harassment because of honest reviews."

It doesn't even have to be because of honest reviews.

Every time you post on one of these threads, your profession is next to your name. And all it takes is for someone to disagree with your opinion (or the way you express it) to give all your books a 1-star out of spite.

Immature, yes, but it's so easy to do.

[J.T.]

Harrison wrote: "Every SPA needs to realise they are putting their work on show.

Their ability or inability to write a god piece will be decided in the public forum and if you aren't willing to take the rough with..."

Harrison, great points but I want to know are they writing a good piece or a cod piece? I know they probably aren't writing a god piece? I love typos

[J.T.]

Lynda,
Wow, that is all I can say. I agree that the poster must have been the author. No one else cares about a review of someone else's book that much. Feel free to rip my books apart if they deserve it. That will only make me a better author.

[anthea]

Before I knew about goodreads, I only really read books that I saw in stores and picked up books that I liked the look of. I didn't know whether the authors were self-published or not, I didn't really care if I'm honest, if the book seemed like a good book I'd buy it and read it.

Ever since I joined Goodreads, I've spoken to more and more self-published authors and have reviewed many books and I've found that I actually enjoy reading books from self-published authors a lot. I like that not many people know about them, they're like my own little secret.

But now I make an effort to read from all kinds of authors and make sure I balance it all out because self-published or not, if an author has a story to tell, I want to hear about it and I want to be a part of that story too!

[Harrison]

J.T. wrote: "Harrison wrote: "Every SPA needs to realise they are putting their work on show.

Their ability or inability to write a god piece will be decided in the public forum and if you aren't willing to ta..."

I'm typing on my iPhone and my fat fingers hit the wrong keys haha.

[Brian]

While I read both more often I will choose to read indie releases and part of that has to do with pricing. Indie titles are usually cheaper which means I can get more books than I would be able to otherwise. I just can't say that I'm looking to see if there's an imprint when I'm looking for a book to read.

What I like most about the indie books is that quite often they are different than traditionally published books in many ways. Some I've read are quite brilliant, others not so much.

I will note that I'm indie and trad published with the latter the more recent. It was cool getting two of my indie titles getting picked up by publishers.

[Feliks]

Elle wrote: "It seems that either people love to read self-published authors, or they refuse to. Why do you or don't you read self-published authors? Likewise, if you find a book that looks good but you find ou..."

Lack of confidence in their products. Its as simple as that.

I also personally think its taking publishing in a bad direction; so there's an issue of ethics involved as well.

[Justin]

Hmm..I resurrect this thread and look what I started! Haha.

[T.C.]

D.L. wrote: "There is a great line from "The Incredibles" that goes something like "when everybody is special, nobody is" If only good reviews are given it detracts from the overall and readers become skeptical and do start 'tar' other SPAs with the same brush. "
Or as W.S. Gilbert put it, 'when everyone is somebody then no one's anybody'! Negative reviews happen, and it's pointless getting upset about it. It could be that there is a genuine problem that needs to be fixed, in which case it is good to know, but it could also be just a matter of personal taste.

You can't expect your work to appeal to everyone, but I think some people do. Negative reviews can hit sales, of course, and I think some readers also think that the one bad review is the only one worth listening to. nothing much you can do about that, of course, but it should really be a matter of the balance of reviews and what they are actually saying, not just about the number of stars given by either the best or worse reviewers.

[Prashant]

To me (a non-commercial amateur author), writing is already selfish - in Paulo Coelho's words, "it clears my mind and fills my heart". And that is where it ends. Of course the more people connect to me via the words that emptied my mind, the more content I feel - but that is a bonus.

Expecting any more than that, I am giving up the fundamental reason I write. It is not about money. It is about connecting, making tiny differences. And that is it:-)

Thoughts?
prashchopra.wordpress.com

[Lynda]

I'd like to add that one of the bigger influences in my recent book choices is a direct result of Goodreads. There are a lot of interesting people here!

I've checked out their websites and blogs to see if I might want to read their books, and have found myself with a large number of want-to-read books as a result. I've tried genres I didn't think would interest me—like zombies!—and have been surprised at how much I've enjoyed them...all because the author was an active participant on Goodreads threads.

That's what convinces me to read self-published authors: when they take the time to join discussion threads instead of only posting to promote themselves.

[V.K.]

Like others here, I've picked up a few SPAs that had great reviews... only to find that they were riddled with you-should-know-better errors. I felt rather betrayed that none of the other reviewers had made mention of those mistakes. I realize some people don't notice grammar and spelling issues, but how could it be that ALL of the reviewers missed these things?

If you're an author concerned about pointing out the negative factors of another's book, please consider reviewing under a different name. But don't leave the rest of us thinking a particular book is 5-star when it shouldn't be! If more people were willing to do that, we'd weed out the junk faster. :-)

[Adrienne]

Hi, I love these types of threads. My opinion, and it's clearly an opinion. I read plenty of Self Published authors. Some of them don't have a good editor that helped with the final touch of the book. They didn't follow Writing Mechanics, meaning, dialogue is weak, plot is weak, basically the whole story line could've been better written if they had that guidence a traditional publisher follows. I don't think it's the reason why people don't read Self published authors though. The answer lies in the marketing. If you see what a traditional publisher spend on market his author and novel, you will probably go something like "That's crazy" They spend lots of dollars, asking huge sites to do reviews, launching millions of giveaways for pre copies of the novel, long before it came out. So when the novel does release, that author's got like 12 000 adds and 3000 rating with a couple of hundred reviews. I've been doing my own marketing, I can't afford everything, but there are some really cool sites that helps you to get more reviews and a bit more publicity. I think self published books don't get as much eyes on them as traditional published books. We just don't have the insight of what kind of marketing structure they use when it comes to getting a novel noticed. That's my opinion. I do agree with VK that other authors should tell you where your mistakes are. That is what I usually do with my reviews, but at the same time, some authors might think you are one in a million and you are being nasty, nothing is wrong with your novel. I had that before, and it does scare a reviewer when the author has that kind of attitude. I hope that helped with some of the questions why self published books don't get that spotlight where everyone just read their novel.

[Shaun]

Adrienne wrote: "Hi, I love these types of threads. My opinion, and it's clearly an opinion. I read plenty of Self Published authors. Some of them don't have a good editor that helped with the final touch of the bo..."

Actually, that isn't completely accurate. Some of the best books traditional publishers pick up do get the royal treatment, but far more are left on their own. Blogs like J.A. Konrath's are full of traditionally published authors who are happy to inform you that even though their book was picked up and published by Penguin or whichever, all the marketing was left up to them. It's still an opinion that's easy to see where it would come from, but the next time you're in a Barnes and Noble or some other bookstore, just grab a random book and ask yourself if you've ever heard of it before. Chances are, you haven't.

[Vanessa Eden]

I will read whatever appeals to me. Wither or not the author is a professional or 'indie' author, makes no difference to me.
If I saw a book that appealed to me and learned the author was an Indie writier, would not detour me from reading the book, nor would it make me want to read it. The professional history of the writer doesn't really drive my appeal to books.

[Harrison]

Makes you want to question whether or not if it is worth signing up with a publisher just to do all your own publicity. Might as well stay indie if there's no benefit.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but of late I have been. If an author cannot even be bothered to create a striking cover or even one that grabs my attention (looks professional enough) why should I invest in the rest. You don't have to be photoshop proficient these days. There are plenty of creative book cover artists out there willing to help you for a few quid.

It's the first thing people see and you only get one shot at a first impression.

[Sam]

Interesting thread.

Adrienne mentioned that trad-pub authors have guidance from their publisher on plot, dialogue, etc. I'm not so sure that's the case - if a book is weak in those areas (in which case, where is it strong?), meaning that the writer doesn't possess most of the basic requisite skills, how did he or she get picked up by a trad-pub in the first place? Sure, trad-pub authors will undoubtedly receive help in fine-tuning the dialogue, etc but I feel it would have to be strong from the outset for them to get a trad-pub contract.

I've recently been reading a lot of self-pub apocalyptic novels. I won't give up on a book until I've given it a fair go (at least 25%), but I had to give up on too many for my liking: clunky dialogue, inconsistent plots, plots so obviously derived from video games that you may as well go and play on your X Box, characters acting in the most unbelievable ways to enable the plot to move in a certain direction, appalling spelling and grammar, 'twists' that you can spot from the first chapter... But I have also come across a few hidden gems that gave a great deal of reading pleasure.

Therein lies the challenge to the reader: sorting the diamonds from the rough. It's time-consuming, very hit-or-miss and can prove expensive. With the wealth of trad-pub books available, it is little wonder to me that many readers aren't prepared to make the commitment to self-pub books. There are simply too many of them.

P.S. Lynda - liked your review on the book you mentioned and can see what you mean by the response - some of the glowing reviews are suspiciously written in precisely the same manner. Just one small point: you picked up the writer for her use of 'enquired'. However, she is British and 'enquired' is the normal usage in the UK. 'Inquired' would look wrong to us. Just another of those irritating US-UK differences. You realise it's the fault of you Americans, insisting on spelling certain words differently for no good reason. :-)

[Martyn]

V.K. wrote: "If you're an author concerned about pointing out the negative factors of another's book, please consider reviewing under a different name. But don't leave the rest of us thinking a particular book is 5-star when it shouldn't be! If more people were willing to do that, we'd weed out the junk faster. :-)"

Oh, I post negative reviews under my own name. If any author wants to take me to task on the criticism I bestow on them, perhaps they shouldn't have published a rough draft instead of a polished manuscript.

I think that's the main problem with many self-published books: they are being published prematurely. Many have good potential, but the authors should've received some guidance. Guidance that, as Sam points out, is rarely given by a publisher.

If you have good stories but your writing is lacking, you can go to creative writing courses, you can join critique/writer circles, get beta-readers, and/or hire an editor. What you don't do, is publish your draft and hope to receive feedback from (paying) customers.

Most businesses have a Research & Development department where products are researched, developed, and beta-tested before they are launched. Books should get the same treatment.

[Vanessa Eden]

I will tell ya, if I ever ask someone, especially a published someone, to review any of my work , I would want and expect both good feed back aswell as criticism. I feel like the criticism will make me a better writer and lucky me, I get to be that better writer because someone has prompted me to concentraite where I am weak. I value criticism because more often than not, someone is telling me something they have been told before. Anytime someone shares information with me I am greatful because I have gotten a great lesson for free.

[Martyn]

Vanessa wrote: "I will tell ya, if I ever ask someone, especially a published someone, to review any of my work , I would want and expect both good feed back aswell as criticism. I feel like the criticism will m..."

Do you mean, before or after you published it?

The thing is, I often offer private feedback to other authors of published books. Some are grateful that I help them correct errors, others are 'not interested'. If an author is susceptible to criticism, I'm often willing to send them my notes, but if they're not, the criticism will just end up in the review.

[T.C.]

Sam wrote: "I've recently been reading a lot of self-pub apocalyptic novels. I won't give up on a book until I've given it a fair go (at least 25%), but I had to give up on too many for my liking: clunky dialogue, inconsistent plots, plots so obviously derived from video games that you may as well go and play on your X Box, characters acting in the most unbelievable ways to enable the plot to move in a certain direction, appalling spelling and grammar, 'twists' that you can spot from the first chapter... But I have also come across a few hidden gems that gave a great deal of reading pleasure. "
I know what you mean. It's similar to something I was saying elsewhere about some people seemingly having what they think is a great idea for a movie, but then writing it as a book and self-publishing because they can't get it made as a movie (or don't know how to try). It ends up as a kind of 'screenplay' telling of a story, but written down in 'book form' (without really much thought seeming to be given about how that basic story needs to be written in order to be something good to read in that form).

I really don't mind the odd spelling error - it's not like they don't ever exist in books from traditional publishers, and the odd word slipping through can happen to anyone. I don't even mind the occasional grammatical error getting through - I don't expect total slavish perfection in such things (indeed, I like to throw in the odd deliberate error (and invented word!) to break things up a bit myself, as many other authors have done before me, of course - there's even one in my author page bio - something of a little nod to W.S. Gilbert). Those kinds of occasional mistakes (or perhaps little idiosyncrasies!) really aren't the same thing for me as a failure to have a good grasp of language more generally.

That is what really causes me a problem as a reader - reading something that is riddled with either basic language mistakes or a general grasp of language and vocabulary that is only at the level of an 8 year old (unless the book is aimed at 8 year olds, obviously!). That is usually something fairly obvious from reading the Amazon sample pages, for example, so it can be avoided - it's also usually a fair indication that the plot and characters are something that an 8 year old might have invented too!

[Vanessa Eden]

martyn I wouldn't mind if it were a published novel or not. Because I am a writer I want my work to improve and if someone came 30 years later and read my work and found errors, I would want to know so future work.of mine will be better.

[Harrison]

Aha, but I love to deliberatly throw in twists you can see coming, only to hit you with one you didn't see coming.

I guess I like giving the reader a self satified smile to themself that they worked it out, only to then hit them with a different chess piece.

Hehe, I'm wicked.

[Martyn]

Harrison wrote: "Aha, but I love to deliberatly throw in twists you can see coming, only to hit you with one you didn't see coming.

I guess I like giving the reader a self satified smile to themself that they work..."

Surprise is good, bafflement... not so good. :D

[Harrison]

Martyn wrote: "Surprise is good, bafflement... not so good. :D..."

What do you mean?

H.

[Martyn]

Harrison wrote: "Martyn wrote: "Surprise is good, bafflement... not so good. :D..."

What do you mean?

H."

When you have a twist that has no foreshadowing, the reaction is not 'surprise' but bafflement.

[Harrison]

Oh, I see. I guess I didn't explain myself properly.

I don't do that.

Some you will see coming deliberately. Others you will not.

[Joe]

This is a very interesting discussion. I wish I had stumbled upon it earlier. I find it very fascinating.

I'm probably not going to say anything incredibly unique in this posting, but I thought I'd put my two cents worth out there. I think reviews are basically the "unobtainium" that every self pub author is and should be looking for. I know I have been for the book I recently self published. I've probably sent about 70-100 query letters asking for reviews. I currently have 3 reviews with an average of 4 stars. I, however, know that I'm probably going to be hit with a couple 1 and 2 star reviews. It's inevitable and it's bound to happen. The one 3 star review I received basically said that it was a good story and despite some minor editing issues, they enjoyed it.

The thing is, those "minor editing issues" might be a bigger issue to someone else who decides to read it. That's fine. Everybody reads differently. Everybody has something different that they want to get out of reading, and that's why people will always rate things differently. I hope people like my book, but I'm not going to go cry in the corner if somebody gives me a 1 star review. Ok, well, I might a little...but I'm not going to come on the internet and bash the person who gave me the review because they didn't like my book for whatever reason.

I've long been mulling over the idea of putting together a system as kind of a "self pub author minor league" site. It would primarily be for the self published authors who have not made a name for themselves yet. The site would pair up with book review sites that also haven't quite made a name for themselves yet. The idea behind the site would be to develop exposure for both unknown authors and unknown review sites. The ultimate goal would be that works would gain "points" as they receive reviews and would eventually be put into a pool that could be pulled from by larger book review sites once they reached a certain amount of points. Like I said though, it's just an idea I've been tossing around in my head.

I guess it could also be a good site to go to for people who know they want to find indie books to read.

[Martyn]

D.L. wrote: "There is no longer any such thing as an aspiring author. They all self-publish."

Premature publishing, yes.

It's one of my pet peeves, authors publishing work that is nowhere near 'finished'. Not just the sloppy editing, but the glaring continuity errors, the factual mistakes, and the enormous plot holes that deflate my suspension of disbelief.

People complain that self-publishing authors should hire editors. I think it's even more important that authors stop thinking about publishing their half-baked ideas and take them back to the oven. Join a critique circle or writer's group and have critical eyes go over your manuscript before you press the 'publish' button.