Quote:
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.
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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.