My new blog pledge: one Smashwords review per week

[Marcy]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Karen McQuestion has some funny essays that are non-fiction "Lies I told my Children." It's short and pithy.

I have started "Learn me Good" by John McPhearson (which ficbot reviewed and didn't like too much). And I don't know how much of it is "nonfiction." It's more an exaggeration/funny kind of piece, but I happen to like that sort of thing.

I also read a very good book on Einstein that I found fascinating.

But I'm also not much of a non-fiction reader.

Well, unless it travel related, in which case I devour all kinds of travel info!

I read tons of non-fiction, mainly politics and history. But some of it really is too dry to bear. I thought I'd really enjoy Kenneth Harl's Coinage in the Roman Economy, being a topic I'm really interested in, but couldn't plow through to the end.

-Marcy

[Shayne Parkinson]

Ficbot, I'm just visiting this thread to say what a fine resource you're creating for readers with your thoughtful reviews. I've bookmarked your blog.

[alvico]

Ditto what Shayne said.

So far, I've only read one of the books you've reviewed -- Radium Halos -- and I agree with everything you said. An excellent read.

I've subscribed to your blog.

Cheers
Vicki

[jaxx6166]

So is mine for Under the Amoral Bridge.

Next on the list, The Second Coming, because I promised David that I'd write a review like 6 months ago. Followed by 2184 and then Morcyth Cycle? I think that's what it's called. Some kid gets sucked into like a D&D game or something? Sounds interesting. Don't know if I'll be able to get thru the present tense of the book.

[ficbot]

Hi again! Thanks to everyone for the comments. I am glad you are finding the reviews helpful. I would love to see other blogs post reviews. I remember in my exercise video group finding that over time I could recognize certain people who had the same taste as me, and their reviews would help me find things I liked. I would love to see a community like that evolve around DRM-free books like the ones at Smashwords.

Anyway, my latest review is up. Risen by Jan Strnad.

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by Joseph Mitchell

I've been hoping to find someplace that would do an in-depth review of my novel, or give me the chance to answer specific questions about it, rather than my answering from a set of pre-written questions given for each book. Lots of people have bought my book, but it's only got two reviews at amazon, and none yet at smashwords. Are you keeping a list of future books to review? I'd love to get on it.

Ditto! I'm launching mine on 30th September, available through Smashwords and my website...

Cheers

M T McGuire

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by ficbot

Hi again! Thanks to everyone for the comments. I am glad you are finding the reviews helpful. I would love to see other blogs post reviews. I remember in my exercise video group finding that over time I could recognize certain people who had the same taste as me, and their reviews would help me find things I liked. I would love to see a community like that evolve around DRM-free books like the ones at Smashwords.

Anyway, my latest review is up. Risen by Jan Strnad.

Hope you don't mind, but I told the entire UK Amazon forum about your blog. They were looking for review sites so I listed my favorites. This could mean...you'll have to keep doing reviews...your fan base may demand it...

Helpfully yours,
maria

[J. Strnad]

Thanks for the read and the review! I think you pegged Risen just right. I appreciate the review at Smashwords, too!

[Luke King]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I am reviving my at times quiet ebook blog, and making the following pledge: that I will personally read and review one Smashwords book every week for the next year.

As an indie author, who has to compete against the dreck, I think what you're doing is great. And I hope you're taking advantage of the Smashwords affiliate program. 11% of every book sold to someone who clicks to Smashwords from your blog.

What I think is really needed, however, is for a group of interested people to band together and vet indie books, simply in order to see whether any particular book is a waste of someone's time or not.

This group could then give a tick of approval to the book in question, or a rating. I don't even think the standard needs to be particularly high -- just a good command of English, a good story, enjoyable on some level.

It might even be something that Indie authors could advertise on their covers -- a symbol or something.

Personally, I think that we are at the worst possible moment for Indie publishing. Everyone who has ever written a book is dusting it off and publishing it. Everyone who has ever wanted to write a book is giving it a go. And there are people who think they're going to make money out of it. That's just not going to happen.

In five or ten years I think the landscape will look a lot different. The people who aren't serious about being writers will have given up -- defeated by how hard it is -- while the people who simply enjoy it, and want to do it anyway, continue on.

I honestly wouldn't care if I never made a cent from writing. I'd keep doing it.

The competition is frustrating, particularly at Smashwords, but I figure that will fall away to some extent as time goes by.

[khalleron]

Originally Posted by Luke King

What I think is really needed, however, is for a group of interested people to band together and vet indie books, simply in order to see whether any particular book is a waste of someone's time or not.

This group could then give a tick of approval to the book in question, or a rating. I don't even think the standard needs to be particularly high -- just a good command of English, a good story, enjoyable on some level.

It might even be something that Indie authors could advertise on their covers -- a symbol or something.

That's what reader reviews are for. I don't see that forming another entity for the purpose of reviewing books would be any more beneficial than the aggregate opinions of actual readers.

Originally Posted by Luke King

Personally, I think that we are at the worst possible moment for Indie publishing. Everyone who has ever written a book is dusting it off and publishing it. Everyone who has ever wanted to write a book is giving it a go.

And I think we're at the best possible moment for precisely the same reasons.

Originally Posted by Luke King

I honestly wouldn't care if I never made a cent from writing. I'd keep doing it.

Me, too!

[ficbot]

Luke, I do agree in spirit with what you're proposing. The problem I have found is that many of the reviews at Smashwords read like shills or else are too brief to be useful. What I think I am hoping for is others like me reviewing books on their own, and perhaps if there were enough of us, organizing into some kind of web ring or something so people could find things easily. Then people would learn, over time, who shares their tastes and it would help them make better decisions. I try in my reviews to share reasons why something did or did not work for me. For example in my review of Radium Halos, I mentioned that the narrator speaks in a dialect. I think it works for me, and I really loved this book (it's my favourite so far of the ones I have reviewed!) but I recognize this is something some people don't like no matter how well done. So if you are someone who does not enjoy that type of book, you'll know to stay away.

[mish]

Originally Posted by Luke King

What I think is really needed, however, is for a group of interested people to band together and vet indie books, simply in order to see whether any particular book is a waste of someone's time or not. This group could then give a tick of approval to the book in question, or a rating.

It already exists...the group is called "readers" and the vetting method is called "reviews" You can find them on blogs, Amazon, Smashwords, Goodreads, Librarything...etc.

Originally Posted by Luke King

Personally, I think that we are at the worst possible moment for Indie publishing.

Huh? It is the best possible moment for indies! With the ebook revolution and the internet, indie authors now have the ability to reach readers like never before. Amazon and B&N allow indie authors to be put on the same virtual shelf as trad books. Sites like Smashwords and the authors' websites/blogs also give indies better exposure than ever before.

Originally Posted by Luke King

Everyone who has ever written a book is dusting it off and publishing it. Everyone who has ever wanted to write a book is giving it a go.

Good. The cream will rise to the top.

[Luke King]

Originally Posted by mish

The cream will rise to the top.

I suppose what I'm worrying about is being a needle in the haystack. And I'm sure it's arrogant to think so. What I'm hawking here isn't particularly good. It was rejected by a major publisher ten years ago. I only published it after seeing how it stood in comparison to what else was on offer -- and still, I wouldn't charge a cent for it.

I have another children's novel, and six adult novels (never sent, so never rejected) and I intend to publish them all. So who am I to complain? Of course it is the best time for indie publishers in terms of access to the marketplace. Anyone can publish. But how long will that continue?

At present, ebooks account for 10% of the US market. In Australia it's 1%. And I'm sure the rest of the English-speaking world is also lagging behind the States.

There's a difference in culture. I am constantly amazed by American attitudes to freedom, free expression and free enterprise. Australia isn't like that. It's a repressive state by comparison. And similarly, in the UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and so on, people's attitudes are different.

I really couldn't believe that Amazon was letting anyone publish through DTP when I found out. That simply wouldn't happen in Australia. And what I fear is that it won't continue. As the marketplace opens up, and if more and more indie books continue to flood the market, readers will start demanding some way of telling one book from another.

I don't think you can rely on them to grade the slushpile. How many one star reviews can you give before you grow tired of it and complain? Smashwords has published 2500 books in the last 30 days. Heaven knows how many Amazon has published.

What percentage of those are readable?

Of course I want access. I just fear it will be taken away, the way Apple took it away from app developers.

If there isn't some means of telling a reasonable indie book from one that is simply nonsense, then I believe that will happen.

[alvico]

Originally Posted by Luke King

If there isn't some means of telling a reasonable indie book from one that is simply nonsense, then I believe that will happen.

The same way you tell a reasonable non-indie book from one that is simply nonsense.

1. Read the blurb
2. Read a sample
3. Read the reviews

I have read a dozen or more indie books of late and all were far more than just "reasonable." I can usually tell within the first few pages if I'm going to enjoy a book or not, regardless of who it was published by.

Just my $0.02.

Cheers
Vicki

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by alvico

The same way you tell a reasonable non-indie book from one that is simply nonsense.

1. Read the blurb
2. Read a sample
3. Read the reviews

I have read a dozen or more indie books of late and all were far more than just "reasonable."

Right with you - what's the difference between the dreck self-published on the internet and the celebrity dreck so many of the main houses are publishing instead of real books?

Luke, your readers are smart enough to find you eventually. Myself, I'm a firm believer that it has to be viral. Once the first person has read and enjoyed my book they will tell their friends, etc etc... slow burn but as effective as any other marketing I could afford to do.

Cheers

MTM