02-27-2013, 11:30 AM | #46 |
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I find it amusing when people gnash their teeth over the "sheer amount of drivel" out there when it comes to self-published authors. As if there is no hope at all to find their way through to some gems. As if they have to navigate it at all.
Unless you're in the habit of blindly grabbing traditionally published books/authors on a whim, navigating the slushpile of indies is no different than how people have always populated their TBR lists: word of mouth, recommendations from friends/associates, online reviews/blogs, online reading communities, etc. And now sample chapters. Cream still rises. It's not like you're stranded in a jungle of books with no options other than "poke and hope" (any more than you've ever been, anyway). And if you are in the habit of buying traditionally published books at complete and utter random... well then you're no stranger to the occasional piece of garbage anyway. The idea that there's an endless morrass of indie books with absolutely no means of separating the wheat from the chaff is quite tired, and needs to be put to rest. And hey... if you don't feel you should have to do even the slightest bit of research before trying an unknown author, then you still likely have enough traditionally vetted material to last you a lifetime anyway. If it's "bad writing," it'll show up in the sample. Last edited by DiapDealer; 02-27-2013 at 11:35 AM. |
02-27-2013, 11:33 AM | #47 | |
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But I think there is a difference between failure to have good editing done (by yourself or another), and inability to write well. ApK Last edited by ApK; 02-27-2013 at 09:38 PM. Reason: Clarifying first sentence. |
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02-27-2013, 11:38 AM | #48 | ||
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Of course, it means next to nothing until one gets an idea of whether or not the editor is competent. I worry that the "editor" credit will start going the way of the film producer credit - you won't know what that person actually did, only that they were promised credit for it. Quote:
If I get a book from a UK or Australian indie, I *expect* a certain amount of localized terms and references - it's part of the reason I enjoy reading them. |
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02-27-2013, 12:11 PM | #49 | |
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See, I can do it to. Maybe I should publish a book. |
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02-27-2013, 12:14 PM | #50 |
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Yes, and as I've said I'm fine with books in US English and it's usually not a problem because it's either just different spelling or words which are different but don't have a specific meaning in UK English (i.e eggplant/aubergine or diaper/nappy) But that particular thing I mentioned kind of broke the atmosphere of the scene a bit - yes, I knew that the soldier was wearing patched trousers and braces and not patched underpants and garter belt...but that was still the first image that sprung to mind
Last edited by Yolina; 02-27-2013 at 12:34 PM. |
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02-27-2013, 12:27 PM | #51 | |
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If the intent was to convey she was fed up with being proper, I think it worked. Oh course, Jan Brady conveyed the same sentiment in only three words, but hey...we can't all be Sherwood Schwartz.... Last edited by ApK; 02-27-2013 at 12:30 PM. |
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02-27-2013, 12:41 PM | #52 | |
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02-27-2013, 12:52 PM | #53 | |
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02-27-2013, 12:58 PM | #54 | |
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02-27-2013, 12:58 PM | #55 | |
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02-27-2013, 01:06 PM | #56 |
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[QUOTE=CWatkinsNash;2438152]
I saw a writer proclaim that he saw no need to pay a cent during the self-publishing process for editing or anything else. /QUOTE] I've said things like that on occasion I didn't use an editor until my third book. I got a bit of a shock when I saw all the wavy red lines all over it. But I learnt a lot from that, and the one after that had very few red lines after I went through it myself. I still do my own covers and internal layout though. |
02-27-2013, 01:24 PM | #57 | |
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We are at the siege of Leningrad, the German army is advancing, the city is starving and amidst all the chaos, destruction and death, our hero emerges from the trenches in his underpants and garter belt I agree too I've only ended up with a few really, really bad indie books, some were very good. |
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02-27-2013, 01:41 PM | #58 | |
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You want to be it all right and proper don't you? @ christa: sometimes the people with nasty influence are the ones most worthy to be met. |
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02-27-2013, 01:47 PM | #59 | |
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You've learned from it, and you already knew that most popular authors don't wake up every morning and fart out perfect prose - they have editors. I think a lot of people haven't figured that out yet. Edited to add: I love your covers. |
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02-27-2013, 03:16 PM | #60 |
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Bad writing isn't necessary limited to self publishing I am currently reading a book published in 1994 that is horrible. It was the author's first book so I am trying to push through it. It's a regency romance and it's in paperback. If it ever comes out in digital I can only hope the author's does some major revisions. I am normally against revisions when a book goes to digital but this book needs it bad!
Bad covers don't always mean bad books. Here's an Example of a book I read awhile back. The cover is horrible and misleading. The story turned out to be similar to a Harlequin Suspense and quite good. She needs to release the book herself and get a better cover. Alot of backlist titles have poor covers but these books were previously published so you know to ignore them. I can't stand bad writing. I will normally put down a book every time if the writing does not flow well. This book here is an example of just that. I blame the editor. It's missing simple words that my brain has to insert. The scenes run together and the characters' action are usually forgotten or never described. One minute they are against the door so how did they get on the bed? It's never mention. They go to a restaurant to eat, order drinks have a very long conversation then just get up and leave without eating or paying. No mention of what happened to the meal. It's stuff like that will just drives me crazy! The second book does not have these issues. Last edited by Blossom; 02-27-2013 at 03:20 PM. |
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