Quote:
Originally Posted by Patricia Ryan
However, it is an interesting concept. Novelists often have beta readers--trusted friends and colleagues or even readers we've come to know and respect--who read our manuscripts before we send them off to the publisher. Writers who are self-publishing ebook originals may not have access to these kinds of people, in which case a beta-reading clearinghouse might serve that function--an online venue where beta readers could be matched up with authors. They get free books and the authors get guaranteed feedback. Kind of like your idea, but without presenting the book as a "published novel."
Pat
|
Already been done. It's called Authonomy (run by one of the ratbag publishing houses I seem to recall).
As to the OP's assertion, I agree, but I'd go one further and say: ALL PROMOTION GOES TOO FAR. I don't care if the book has rave reviews (I don't read reviews). I couldn't care less if you're having a sale or there's a coupon for money off or Odin himself has branded your work with his seal of approval. All of this is pointless noise, a vuvuzela horn to my senses.
Only a scant year or so ago we had a writers' corner that was for writers and the community, all being equal and involved (and fun times were had by all, or at least a few). Then the spammers came along sniffing money and ruined it with their sales pitches and their dead-eyed self-promotions (now it's little more than another dry technical forum for advice and now and again some obvious blogspam). So to alleviate that problem the spammers were given their own little corner to frolic in and spam to their hearts' content. But no, that's not enough, now we have flashing books as avatars, signatures with horribly designed covers in them and more text than War and Peace.
How about some discretion? How about if you're a writer you add a minimal link to your blog in your signature and no flashing books as an avatar? How about the authors who come here to peddle their wares start treating their art and craft with a little more dignity than those who hock Shamwow's on late-night television?
I know, of course, that this will fall on deaf ears and numb fingers. But what the hell, at least I gave it a shot.
