Quote:
Originally Posted by frostschutz
Reviews are kind of a bad place to report errors and such; if there are lots of typos in a book I sure mention that in the review but I don't actually report the specific errors to the author, so it's unlikely that the issue will actually be fixed.
I think that authors who distribute their work mainly in digital format, over the internet, should adapt some if not all of the methods that are being used in software development. This includes a versioning system so you can see what changes you made to your work and when; as well as a bug tracker where readers can go and report typos, plotholes, and the like directly to the author.
Currently there is almost no good way to give authors feedbacks on their books. I don't want to list errors in detail in a review because it could put other people off (even though it's a good story despite the issues); same goes for the self promotion threads here in this forum. I'm extremely reluctant to give feedback here.
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I don't mind if a bad review puts other people off. As a reader, I never dismiss a work because some reviewer criticized the grammar if there was anything redemptive and/or brilliant in the overall storytelling.
As a writer, I wish more reviewers felt free to be blunt about why they didn't like a piece of work - was it boring? Difficult to understand? Unbelievable? When they do, I find it very helpful going forward.
Smashwords does have a versioning system with each version identified by date. Those who purchased Xenolith in its early days can attest to how many versions it has gone through.