The wonderful thing about self-publishing is that anyone can publish a book.
The bad thing about self-publishing is that anyone can publish a book.
I saw that quote somewhere and it immediately struck a chord in me because it’s absolutely correct–both points.
Now I’m going to preface this post by saying, I’m an author and authors never speak ill of other authors–it’s written somewhere there in the Author’s Handbook of Etiquette. It’s considered pure blasphemy to take another author’s name–or book–in vain (that’s the second commandment). So having read this handbook cover to cover, I’m not going to do that. Authors work too hard, toil to long over their craft and are too overlooked and underrated for us to be turning on each other. Yes? Good, agreed.
That said as a reader, I stumbled upon a very disturbing thing in the last few days. I sampled a book that was simply not ready for prime time. I will not name the book but suffice to say my first instinct was to post a review, a warning to other readers that this book needed work–a lot of it. And I’m not just talking plot work but extensive grammar work. There was a failure in the proper usage of dialogue tags and basic punctuation. This book epitomized why an editor is a MUST when it comes to publication.
But while part of me read the sample going from something between shock and awe, my heart bled for this author. Why? Because no one would put their work out there for publicity scrutiny and judgement unless they thought it was good. Which meant, in the eyes of this author, this was a good publishable book. I seriously thought about contacting her; that was how bad I felt for her. I thought about emailing her a list of editors I thought might be able to help her. I thought about sending her samples of properly constructed sentences. In the end, I thought, this is none of my business and it will only insult her, so I did nothing.
The thing is I have a site and a blog that, on the most part, caters to readers. And that’s why I’m writing this post. I’m not sure how many of you buy self-published books but for those who do I encourage you–strongly advise you— to sample any self-published book from an unknown author before you purchase it. I don’t care if it’s only $.99, sample it first. Most online book stores have a lovely little sample button, so it’s as easy as one little click.
“But Bev, the book must be good because it has a solid 4 to 5 Star average.”
I hate to say this, and I’m sure most of you have already seen this, but that’s what family and friends are for. They want to help and I’m not knocking them for it, but their help is not always helpful to readers scouring the online book stores for something new, something interesting. So if you’re a reader who bases their purchases on reviews, read the review carefully. Is it vague? Does it sound like the reviewer actually read the book? Do all the reviews for that book basically read the same? And be very wary of a review that counters, point by point, a negative review.
With digital books and now the surge of self-publishing, readers will now be the ‘gatekeepers’. New York published authors are self-publishing. Fantastic new authors with great books too “nichey” for New York are self-publishing. Formerly aspiring authors are publishing good books that just didn’t connect with the right editor. And yes, books not even remotely ready for “primetime” are hitting the virtual bookshelves. Soon, readers will not be able to easily distinguish a self-published book by one issued from the New York publishing houses at first or even second glance. So again, my advice is that if this author is unknown to you and is coming without a recommendation from someone you trust, SAMPLE! Time and money is too precious.
If you read self-published books, how are you finding them? How do you know you can trust the quality?
Now on to books I can totally vouch for. Comment and enter to win one of the books below. If you have a preference, please include the title in your comment.
I have read a few, very few, self-published books. I get them when they have been recommended by someone I trust. I don’t trust any book that has a five-star review. The more readers a book has, the more likely that someone didn’t like it. I think I’d like to try the book by Molly Harper.
I don’t read any self-published, I have to many traditional & epublished authors I’ve not yet gotten around to reading yet, that I haven’t veered off yet., though if it was a known author self-pubbing I’d read their books.
I have read a few self pubbed books and while some were good others have been appalling. Bad grammar, typos, spelling mistakes, poor formatting, no page breaks, chapters running into each other …. The list goes on. It is difficult because I want to give the authors a chance especially when the books sound interesting but I have to admit that after having been disappointed, I am wary of self pubbed books and I do sample before I buy.
I haven’t read any self-published books yet. That is, I’ve read self-published books by authors who I’ve read in print before. I bought Hollowland by Amanda Hocking the other day but haven’t read it. I took a chance because 1) the book was cheap (99 cents) and 2) the author has sold so many copies that I thought it was worth a risk.
I haven’t read any self-published books yet. That is, I’ve read self-published books by authors who I’ve read in print before. I bought Hollowland by Amanda Hocking the other day but haven’t read it. I took a chance because 1) the book was cheap (99 cents) and 2) the author has sold so many copies that I thought it was worth a risk. I’m most interested in Chasing Fire.
I’ve read a few self published books and they were fantastic! I’d like to win Molly Harper’s (WEREWOLF) book please. 🙂
I have read a couple of self published books. I think that everyone has to start somewhere and needs to be given a chance. Who know that book might actually be a diamond in the ruff. I would love to read Chasing Fire.
I have discovered that it’s difficult, even with high reviewer ratings and reader accolades, to choose a book that is definitely worth my money and time. Taste varies. I have been buying all my books from Amazon to download on the Kindle. I first look at how many stars the book has been given by reviewers, then I read the reviews. I usually read 3-6 reader reviews, if possible, sometimes more. Time consuming, but necessary. I also download a sample of the book, even if I’ve read the author before. Just because the author is award-winning and has published 30 previous books doesn’t mean the one I’m considering is worth my money – I have found that out the hard way. Another thing I do is look up books I have already read – and compare the ratings and reviews with my own opinion about the book. It gives me an idea of how my opinions compare with everyone else’s that read the book. Still, there are times when doing all of these things does not preclude the purchase of a book that is disappointing and fails to meet my personal expectations. That’s why I’m so pleased when I find a really good one that leaves me smiling and uplifted.
I’ve read self-published books by authors I already like. Shiloh Walker has released a few books by herself but she hires an editor and cover artists. She delivers a polished book. I rarely read self-pub books by unknown authors. Writers that care about their reputation and building a reader base will take the necessary steps to deliver a quality story.
I do read a fair amount of self-pubbed books. Either I’ve gotten much better at screening for the good ones, or the quality in general has risen in the last year or so. I do a couple of things to try to pick only the good ones. First, I mainly read self-pubbed books that are either an author’s backlist, or are books from authors who are also published by mainstream publishers (including smaller presses like Samhain, Carina, and Ellora’s Cave). Second, I make heavy use of the sample feature. I NEVER buy a book without sampling and this goes for mainstream published books also. If the book doesn’t grab me in the sample, or if there are obvious grammatical errors, I don’t buy the book regardless of how cheap it is.
I have also occasionally written authors whose books were obviously misformatted in the sample I downloaded. They are usually grateful to get that feedback so that they can correct the file. With grammar issues, though, I don’t usually say anything since I figure, exactly as you have, that if they thought the book was good enough to put up even with all those errors, clearly they won’t welcome any criticism. I’d love to win Molly Harper’s book.
Sounds like you got ahold of the book that was reviewed by someone on her blog (can’t remember details here or even the blogger’s name…came from a link in a Yahoo group message) but the reviewer said the basic storyline was pretty good and had lots of possibilities but the grammer, syntax and spelling was really bad. The author saw this and totally went ballistic on the reviewer. It ended up with the author throwing out the F word. It seemed like anyone who posted on that blog was fair game for this author’s acid tongue! Amazing,,,I’ve never seen anything like that before and hope to never see it again.
BTW, Bev, when is your first self-published book going to be available?
I’d like to win a copy of Sandra Hill’s book.
I do read self-pubbed books but right now they are from authors I know of. While I will admit most have been very good. There was one that left me wanting to scream. Giant unfulfilled plot point. All I can say is don’t tease me with a mystery and not wrap it up.
I go to Smashwords for most of my self-pub reads but only after being told its there.
I’l love to read Molly Harper’s book.
I have read self published books and many were memorable and interesting. Thanks for this giveaway. Chasing Fire would be lovely.
I haven’t read too many self-published books, but there are quite a few coming out from authors I’ve read before in more traditional forms, and I’m more likely to pick up (and pay) for one of those than I am an unknown. Unless it’s free, I tend to download free books without the checking/sampling as much.
Most of the self-published books I’ve read were either for reviews in the book shop I worked in or were nearly free on Amazon. And most of them, you could tell they were self-pubbed (i.e. needed the help of an editor). If I were to win a book, I would LOVE to read Chasing Fire. I’ve been putting off getting it because of school, but school is almost over 😀
I haven’t read any self-published books…yet. Thanks for the advice about reading a sample before purchasing. I will certainly keep that in mind. Thanks for the giveaway! I’d love to read Sandra Hill’s book.
I appreciate your brave post. You balanced authorial loyalty with reader loyalty very nicely. 🙂
I don’t know if I’ve read any SP books or not. I don’t pay much attention to that. Input from my favorite blogs or GoodReads friends is what gets me interested.
By any chance is this the author that went viral on Twitter a few weeks ago? When a reviewer commented on how poorly edited the book was, the author told him where he and his readers could go. It caused such a furor that no one will by the self-published ebook. That’s why I would only by an ebook from established authors or strong word of mouth. Please enter me for Chasing Fire.
I have purchased some self-published books, and as others have said, it is a crap-shoot. A few have been good – but the majority of them were barely readable. One in particular was an author who wrote 3 ‘books’ that were inter-related (small town romances) and just kept repeating the whole end of the previous chapter as the start of the next chapter – which was driving me batty! The sad part is – the whole plot of the book was great – but in my opinion, the author was looking for word count first and flow of the story second. At only less than 100 pages ebook, the author could have combined all three of her stories into one book and sold a decent product had she spent a few hundred dollars on an editing service. Unfortunately, the sony ebookstore doesn’t offer the priveledge of sampling before buying…really have to get myself a kindle or a nook… Anywho…thanks for the giveaway. I would love to read The Reluctant Viking – just love a good viking!
BTW, this is not that book and the author who was dropping the f-bomb on the reviewer’s post. This book is actually doing pretty decent in terms of sales on Amazon, which makes the whole thing so puzzling.
I have read a few self published books and they have been OK but you never really know for sure. As far as reveiws go no two people look at books the same so what one may say its a five star review I may think its only two star. I am really bad about not sampling before I buy, I need to start doing this though. Sometimes the sample is a lot better then the book though. I would be happy with any of these book you have posted. They all look really good and i have not read any of them. Thanks for the chance to win.
Haven’t read any self-published books yet. The e-books I’ve bought so far have either been known/print authors or if ebook only release then either a known author or has come from a publishers site. Good advice that I’ll have to keep in mind about being sure to sample the books 1st as I buy more e-books. Would love to win the Sandra Hill book as I haven’t had a chance to read it (couldn’t find any old copies out there when I started reading her books last year).
I do not think I have read any self-published books. And I would probably be very skeptical about buying one b/c I am driven absolutely crazy by poor editing. Those kind of mistakes take me right out of the story and irritate the heck out of me, too.
I do not put a lot of trust in short reader reviews, like those found on Amazon. I rely more on certain bloggers (whose opinions I have grown to trust) to read a book and really explain the good and the bad.
As Beverley said, “Time and money is too precious.”
And if you pull my name out of the hat . . . I would like to read Molly Harper’s book!
I’m thinking the only selfpublished books that I’ve read were books that I have won or been lent so no money was involved, only my time. If I’m buying, I try to be a lot more careful. There are times when I decide on a book as to who is the publisher. I would be happy with any of the 3 books above 🙂
I find all my new authors in the internet–either blogs or referrals from authors I like.
I would love to read Nora Roberts’ new book.
@Karen in NC
Karen, the novella should be out sometime in May. I’m totally running behind on both books now. The novella is acting like it’s a full-length novel and I think I’ve changed the darn think (as in total reconstruction) 6 times. Total words written for this book has now exceeded about 100k words. I think I have it right this time though. It’s making sense to me…finally. 🙂 Thanks so much for asking.
I don’t think I have read any self-published books. I don’t seek them out when I go to a bookstore. I have read a few books by small publishers though.
I would like to read the Nora Roberts book if I win.
I haven’t read any self-publishing book yet but I do think I would be a little skeptical about quality of the book.
I have never read a self-published book and find that I appreciate the guidance made by editors and publishers. The only instance I can think of that might get be to buy a self-published book would be one that was done by a local author about local history since I live in a small town.
I love Sandra Hill’s books but her Viking books are what really hold a special place on my bookshelf. I’d love to win a copy of The Reluctant Viking.
I’ve read a few self published books and I found out about them from the author. I do sample them first before purchasing. Please enter me for the copy of Nora Roberts’ “Chasing Fire.”
I have read a few self published books and did sample them before buying.
Would love to have Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts.
I’ve read a few self-pubbed ebooks, brought to my attention through other sites or authors. As long as the editing is better than that of my local newspaper, I’m okay with it. For some reason, I give ebooks more slack in terms of missing/misplaced punctuation than paper books.
I’d prefer to win “The Reluctant Viking” or “The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf”. Thank you!
I have read a couple self-published books..they were ok. Someone gave them to me…I didn’t seek them out. I’m not against reading more of them. The Nora Roberts book if I should be a winner.
I haven’t read very much self-published books, and they were by authors I didn’t know but they were free. I would definitely read a self-published book from an author I enjoy reading, but I would have to read a lot of reviews on the authors I have never heard of before. I would like to win either Nora Robert’s Chasing Fire or Sandra Hills’s The Reluctant Viking.
I’ve been shying away from self-published books for just the reasons you named. If it’s a book by an author I’m already familiar with and they’re publishing back list, or short stories, or doing something like what you’ve done, that’s fine, but I’m not really willing to take a chance on an unknown that has decided they’re an “author” and put their work out there without being edited, or even perhaps, proofread.
Although I’ve always enjoyed Nora Roberts, and absolutely adore Sandra Hill, I’d really like to read Molly Harper’s The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf. I’ve actually read most of Sandra Hill’s books, except a few of her newest ones, so I’ve already read The Reluctant Viking, and I can vouch for it’s awesomeness.
I have read some good and some really bad ones. I have found them through word of mouth
@Debra
You found the bad ones through word of mouth??? Are these people your friends?
I’ve only read self-pubbed books by people I know personally. And for the very reasons you mentioned. You really did a great job of presenting this issue! Kudos. It is so hard not to reach out to someone to try and help, but one never knows how an offer of help is going to be received.
I’d love Sandra Hill’s book ! I’m in the mood for a good Viking! 🙂
I haven’t read any self-published books yet. But if a friend recommended one or I read a great review about it I would.
I’d love to win Nora Robert’s book.
Great post and thank you for the great advice! I have read a few self-published books but only by authors I’m familiar with, and I really enjoyed them. Also, thank you for having such a great give away. I would love to read CHASING FIRE by Nora Roberts.
I don’t believe I’ve yet read any self-published books. I am wary due to the problem you outlined. However, I know digital publishing has helped throw traditional publishing into a topsy turvey position. That said, I wouldn’t rule out self-published works.
Thanks for the giveaway. If I win, I’d prefer either the Roberts or Harper books.
I have not read any self published books but I would definately want to sample them before buying. Getting a self published book that was that bad, I would probably be warned off completely. The way I would be most likely to buy a self-published book would be if it was from an author I already knew of.
I would love to win the Harper book. Hill would be my second choice.
Bev, I think you should send that e-mail. The author may take offense, but six months from now, a year from now, hopefully she’ll look back at it and be thankful. Striving to be better at your craft should be a trait of all authors, whether they’re just starting out or have published books for twenty years.
I usually get my stories online and have heard great things about them on blogs like this one or from people I know. So I don’t think I’ve read any self published books… But I can imagine that the quality, like with all other books, will vary greatly. Perhaps if more people placed their honest opinion and say: it was awful!! You can get a better idea of the actual amount of stars it’s worth.
I have my eye on Molly Harper’s book.
I don’t read self-published books. I have read manybad stories about them. This being said, I may be missing some very good stories but as a consumer, I have to go with what I know. I’d love to win the book by Sandra Hill.
Correction: I should have written “buy” not “by.” We’re talking editing and I misspell a word.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a self published book…. Not that I wouldn’t, it’s just never come up.
I would love to win the Molly Harper book!
I haven’t read many self published books but I always read an excerpt before I buy a book because you never know if you’re going to like a story and I like to get an idea of what it’s about.
I haven’t read any self published books yet, but would if there were good reviews or buzz about the book. Reading a sample is a good idea to at least get a feel for the writing style.
I do not yet have an e-reader, but have read a few self-published short stories on-line. Nothing terrible, but nothing spectacular either.
I notice that some established authors are self-publishing on line and then later making the books available in print form. I read one such book. I really enjoyed it, but it had a very different “feel” than her NY published print books. I found a few mistakes, one a major mix-up on a date. A good editor would have caught it. At the same time, there were nuances of the characters’ personalities and actions that would very likely have been edited and changed. That would have been too bad. They were the type of things that made the characters very real, and gave the story a homey, personal feel. It just shows that editing for the “mass market” removes some of the authors voice.
Someone who is a new author with no experience with critiques , edits, and rewrites has no idea how valuable they can be to the quality of the work. That said, there are some talented people out there who can produce quality work on their own. As you said, sample first. It is a good first step to evaluate their work.
I don’t think I’ve bought any self-published books because I don’t have an e-reader, unless they are available on paper too??
Thanks alot for letting us know what to check and look out for if we do!
The Nora Roberts book looks really good.
I haven’t bought any self-published books, I admit, I am leery. I also don’t have an ereader so I really haven’t embraced the whole concept yet. And good points about the reviews~
I haven’t read any self published books yet. If an author is familiar to me I know I will be getting a good book. If they aren’t familiar, I am more leery.
Thanks for the great giveaway.
Okay, i am going to be completely honest. I am currently reading quite a few self-published books because i am taking part in tours and they are not bad. In fact they are exactly the same as non-self-published books. But the thing is if someone doesn’t hand me a self-published book i will never pick it up and i can spot a self-published book miles away – its their cover that gives them away!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Ooops…i forgot to mention which book i would like to win.
How to Seduce a Naked Werewolf…please!