[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Catlady

So Amazon is going to be the grammar police? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for grammar police, but only if the people who are wielding the billy clubs know what they're doing. Will the Amazon functionaries really know what they're doing? Or will they just assume that if they get 20 complaints about the same thing, it must be an error--even if it really isn't.

Well...unless the readers in question have taken on reading your man Joyce, in which case, incomprehension is only to be expected, perhaps an author that gets this many complaints about a single element needs to think about it. Remember--again, the caveat is, from what I've seen myself--Amazon's quite precise about the errata. To the extent of "word X on line X at location YYY." I think if I published a book and received 20 complaints about the same specific thing--I'd think about it. I would.

I've seen one implementation of this new program thus far. A poster over at the KDP says she's received one of the Scarlet-letter letters. (We need a different name). Now, it's almost exactly like the old KQN notices, listing the specific problems, and she doesn't claim that they are not mistakes, mind you. However, in this email, they mention that this is the 3rd time that they've emailed her, and she hasn't made the corrections. So, of course, NOW, she's decided to fix it, as she doesn't want the Notice on her sales page.

However, clearly, she could have written back to them and made any argument she wished, about the text, were it valid or deliberate.

Obviously, I can't speak as to the quality of those people who will be making the judgement calls--at least, not at the first tier. I would assume--famous last assumptions--that there's a next-tier of people who will deal with escalated complaints, should the publisher reply that it's NOT a mistake.

We can but wait and see. It's not like they're going to undo it now. No matter how many people bitch about it.

Then why doesn't Amazon do some basic checking of formatting before offering the book for sale, or require the author to verify that the book was proofread, or something along these lines up front, not after the book has been inflicted on an unsuspecting public? The goal of this new policy may be worthwhile, but it seems like a backwards way to go about it.

Honestly, I think that's a hopeless idea. Why on earth aren't they doing that NOW? The publishers, I mean. Why aren't they putting out the BEST formatted and edited book NOW? It boggles me that we are saying that Amazon should now--at THEIR EXPENSE--implement yet another screening mechanism? We all agree that it has to be done by humans. Isn't Amazon already spending a fortune, doing work that they never expected to do, to enable and perpetuate self-publishing? They've created all these mechanized pieces of software, allowing nitwits to upload a Word file, instead of a MOBI or ePUB; ditto for FXL books, ditto for Textbooks--sheesh, now we think that they should do MORE? Can you imagine what it would take to proof or check two MILLION books?

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Something just dawned on me.
Looks like Amazon is a threat to the freedom of expression since customers will now be warned about bad books.

It's not a threat to the First Amendment. The authors still have the right to say or write whatever they want. What they don't have the right to do is sell it in Amazon's Sandbox. They can sell it at Smashwords; they can sell it at Scribd; they can give it away. Nobody is muzzled.

Now to answer your question, why should Amazon pay big money to vet books?
It is up to the author/publisher to put out the best book they can. I used to assume that if one wrote a book, that one could actually read on a high school level. Or at least junior high.
I also assumed most writers were somewhat professional and knew this was a business.
(Hitch, you can quit laughing or crying at my assumptions now.)

Actually, at this point, I'm gasping for air, with tears running down my face from laughing so hard. Wait, wait, while I find an inhaler here somewhere....

Too bad I was very highly mistaken.

Y'know...many are professional and dedicated. Unfortunately, more are not. And--sadly--many actually THINK that they are, and don't truly understand how awful their books are. Or how bad the "editing" that they had done is; or that they really oughtn't have asked their Mum to be their beta reader. Remember the old saw: half of the population is, at any given skill, below average. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of those below-average folks are self-publishing.

I for one have developed a whole new respect for slush-pile readers. Well and truly. (n.b.: if any of you have NOT read SlushpileHell, you are missing out. It's like Cakewrecks for folks in the publishing biz. It's like crack to me. I wish he'd publish more of them.)

At least now us readers will be warned if we are about to buy house worms with depression or a herd of staffs greeted me warmly at the hotel.
Those were two books that either needed fixed or a warning.
I am looking forward to this.

Oh and Catlady, there are a ton and a half of "proofreaders" on fivver.

True, and true (proofreaders on Fiverr). There are so-called "formatters" on Fiverr; EDITORS (love of God...), and proofers. Sweet Baby Jesus, the cheapest "editor" I know charges not a penny less than $500, and that's a light edit--a line edit. Real (substantial/developmental/story) edits are in the thousands.

FIVERRS? GRRRRRR.....




I have had to leave the KDP forums, from time to time, because I'm tired of seeing self-appointed expert "publishers" telling newbs that they should NEVER pay for formatting, because it's a "ripoff." That they can either do it themselves in an hour or two (mind you--I can't do a novel in an hour or two!!), or they can pay a Fiverr. UGHGHGHGHGH

(Now I'll probably get in trouble because that linked image is too big, or something...)

Have a spiffy weekend, all!

Hitch