I've read a number of self-published works since I got my Kindle. (I'm not willing to pay $15 or more for a print-on-demand paper book!) Most were pretty good. A couple were spectacular. In every case, the ones I ranked as "pretty good" would have been very good if they'd received some editing. One review that I wrote stated, "I have to give this book a strong B+ for plot and characters and a D for execution." There were spelling and grammar errors -- significant enough to distract from the book -- and a few continuity problems. Another self-published book that I read last year was brilliant from Chapter 1 to the end. But the book started with a very awkward prologue.
And, to be honest, I bought & read three children's books (written by a well-known and well-published author) which were much worse than any of the self-published stuff I've read so far.
Now, how do I pick? Like wayspool, I mostly follow recommendations. When an author joins MobileRead and participates -- as opposed to post & run -- then I'm favorably inclined to read at least one of their books. The other way that I'll give an unknown author a try is through a freebie. I've accepted almost every freebie that's been offered here -- with the exception of some horror novels and the erotica, since those are just not the kind of books that I read. I've read very few of the freebies I've downloaded, but they're sitting out there on my hard drive waiting for me to have time to get into them.
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