Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
"I like/don't like this book" is--and always will be--a better critiquing method. "These books are mostly crap" is no different than any other sour-grapes comments from people who feel their tastes are more important than others'.
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Fair enough. I do agree that no one should be judging what others like. But I'll quibble that it's not really sour grapes, which seems to me a shining example of what you just deplored. I tend to think myself that anyone's dismissal of grand swaths of books, whether because they're indie or because of genre or whatever consideration, is mostly just to save time and effort, if not money also. Those 99¢ books eventually add up to something you really would like to read.
Speaking for myself, with my first dedicated ereader I ventured into the cheap/free indie stuff (I read ebooks before that on various devices, but only public domain), only to find my Amazon account in particular cluttered with books I'd never read. Easier just not to go there at all. I think we all have rules of thumb. Maybe we miss out some gems as a result; I'm sure we do. But that doesn't mean the rule doesn't serve a purpose.
Finally, I like to see other posters' rules of thumb, which help me decide if their recommendations are worth anything to me. If someone likes/recommends a lot of indies (which is great; I know there's a big audience who appreciates it), I know his/her tastes are not mine. Good information.