The Wheat from the Chaff: Filling the role of The Gatekeeper

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm glad that so many of you have so much extra time to wade through all the garbage, read samples, and consider dozens of reviews to evaluate their veracity before you plunk down a couple of bucks for a self-pubbed book.

I'd rather be reading. I'd rather pay a premium for a traditionally published book that I know meets minimum standards of competence and that offers me editorial reviews from legitimate sources.

Same here, but each to their own. For me, time is more valuable than money, but for others that's certainly not the case.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm glad that so many of you have so much extra time to wade through all the garbage, read samples, and consider dozens of reviews to evaluate their veracity before you plunk down a couple of bucks for a self-pubbed book.

I'd rather be reading. I'd rather pay a premium for a traditionally published book that I know meets minimum standards of competence and that offers me editorial reviews from legitimate sources.

For me, money isn't the main reason. The main reason is that I'm frequently disappointed in tradpubs. So I seek out the alternatives. Naturally I still buy and read tradpubs as well, but I don't have to limit myself only to them.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm glad that so many of you have so much extra time to wade through all the garbage, read samples, and consider dozens of reviews to evaluate their veracity before you plunk down a couple of bucks for a self-pubbed book.

I'd rather be reading. I'd rather pay a premium for a traditionally published book that I know meets minimum standards of competence and that offers me editorial reviews from legitimate sources.

What you're failing to understand is I that spent the exact same amount of time searching for books I was pretty sure I'd like even before the self-pub revolution. I'm not spending any more time than I ever did (even with indies being factored in). The only thing that has changed for me is that I now have access to even more filters to help me choose. There is no "extra time" spent wading. In fact it might be less.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I mostly read the 1-2-3 star reviews, rarely 4-star, never 5-star. The 5-star reviews are pretty pointless for me. I'm more interested why someone didn't like the book.

On cookbooks I do look at the 5 star reviews. If there are 6 or more from the same day with virtually identical wording then I figure it is a scam.
The wording is usually "This is the best book on (title) there is. Or (author) writes the best book on (title).

[Dusky Rose]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm not spending any more time than I ever did (even with indies being factored in). The only thing that has changed for me is that I now have access to even more filters to help me choose. There is no "extra time" spent wading. In fact it might be less.

Yeah, same here.

I'm already on line, reading forums, checking email, chatting with my kids. So it really takes no extra time for me at all.

So far, it's been working well for me. Maybe because I'm used to plowing through and just doing it.

[HarryT]

We all now have access to resources we couldn't have dreamed of before the Internet (yes, boys and girls, there was such a time...). When I was growing up in a small seaside town in Wales, my sole access to books was a small local library and an even smaller branch of W.H. Smiths (a nationwide stationers and bookseller). If anyone had told me that one day I'd be able to instantly access millions of books without leaving home I would have believed them.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

We all now have access to resources we couldn't have dreamed of before the Internet (yes, boys and girls, there was such a time...). When I was growing up in a small seaside town in Wales, my sole access to books was a small local library and an even smaller branch of W.H. Smiths (a nationwide stationers and bookseller). If anyone had told me that one day I'd be able to instantly access millions of books without leaving home I would have believed them.

Exactly! I remember the time before the internet. There was only one small bookstore that carried english-language SF and fantasy, where I lived. And they had a very small selection. I remember perusing big fat catalogs with tiny-tiny print, to find something faintly promising and let the store order it for me. The price was naturally pretty astronomical, what with the shipping and all.

I would not have believed such a paradise would ever exist, as it exists today.

[HarryT]

Yep. On a few occasions I ordered books that Smiths didn't have in stock, and if they arrived at all (which they often didn't) it would take many weeks, if not months, for them to do so, and there was a hefty charge for a special order, too.

[Apache]

I remember those days all to well also. We had a small library, one small independent book store and a used bookstore. The used bookstore had a better selection than the other two combined. The closest large bookstore was 90 miles away and yes I would drive there, sometimes once a month, to check out their selection. When Amazon came along I was like a hog in clover. I could and did go on spending sprees. I loved being able to save money buying hard covers at discount. I do not see how book buying could get any better than now, but I have been surprised before.
Apache

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

What you're failing to understand is I that spent the exact same amount of time searching for books I was pretty sure I'd like even before the self-pub revolution. I'm not spending any more time than I ever did (even with indies being factored in). The only thing that has changed for me is that I now have access to even more filters to help me choose. There is no "extra time" spent wading. In fact it might be less.

Really? So when you do a search it takes you the same amount of time to look through several hundred titles--self-pubbed and traditional--as it would to look through just the several dozen traditionally published? The fact that your search results are bloated with all those extra books has made absolutely no difference to the time and effort involved?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Really? So when you do a search it takes you the same amount of time to look through several hundred titles--self-pubbed and traditional--as it would to look through just the several dozen traditionally published? The fact that your search results are bloated with all those extra books has made absolutely no difference to the time and effort involved?

I think that what DD is saying (and I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong) is that he doesn't search for books in online bookstores. He buys a book knowing in advance which one it is that he wants, having learned of its existence by other means. The number of self-published books in the store is, therefore, of no relevance.

[crossi]

There ARE magazines devoted to reviewing books in various genres. Romantic Times for romances among other books, Locus for science fiction and fantasy, Mystery Scene for mysteries. Find one that covers a genre you like and subscribe. I always enjoyed when a new edition came out and I could settle down for an hour or two to read reviews and articles and pick the books I wanted to buy next month.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think that what DD is saying (and I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong) is that he doesn't search for books in online bookstores. He buys a book knowing in advance which one it is that he wants, having learned of its existence by other means. The number of self-published books in the store is, therefore, of no relevance.

That's generally how it is for me. I very rarely browse Amazon, Kobo, etc. and usually only go there to actually buy the book I've already decided I want.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by crossi

There ARE magazines devoted to reviewing books in various genres. Romantic Times for romances among other books, Locus for science fiction and fantasy, Mystery Scene for mysteries. Find one that covers a genre you like and subscribe. I always enjoyed when a new edition came out and I could settle down for an hour or two to read reviews and articles and pick the books I wanted to buy next month.

There are also general reading forums, genre specific forums, blogs, podcasts, newspaper reviews and other places people use.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

That's generally how it is for me. I very rarely browse Amazon, Kobo, etc. and usually only go there to actually buy the book I've already decided I want.

I do the same. Right now, for example, I'm reading all of Dick Francis' novels (with other stuff in between, of course). I'll buy each one in turn from Amazon, based on the list of them in publication order at "Fantastic Fiction". I won't need to browse anything at Amazon; I'll go to the Kindle Store each time to buy a specific book.