Quote:
Originally Posted by starrigger
Make that a few months, at least, for me. If you care about the quality of the work (and we're talking a book, not a blog post), I think it's a really bad idea to rush into publication. While the year-long delay is chafing, I know for a fact that every one of my books is better for time away from it at every stage: editing (with my editor), reviewing the copy editing, proofing the galleys, etc. That's definitely a value added in traditional publishing, and if you're publishing indie, it seems to me you need to find a way to allow for that process on your own.
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I'm not an author, but it astonishes me that anyone would even consider releasing a book that isn't their best in every way they can imagine. First impressions are very very difficult to change, and with readers those impressions have a multiplier effect. If a reader finds a book to be sloppy or have poor attention to detail that reader will also probably tell his friends about the book, depriving the author of that reader as a future fan as well as of everyone he tells. On the other hand, if a reader is impressed by a book he will probably tell his friends about it, providing the writer with an opportunity to make even more fans.
Still, it must be reiterated; readers can be very unforgiving. Once a reader develops a bad impression of an author he may never be willing to read another work by that author again. It's hard enough to get people to read a work by an author they are unfamiliar with. A writer gets few chances to build a fan base; he shouldn't ruin his chances with carelessness or impatience.