Self-published authors, I have figured out why I don’t like most of the books you produce.
- Reviewing and Editing. This is more than just spell check and grammar, but the overall flow of your story and looking at the plot as a whole.
- SOME OF YOU ONLY DO THIS TO MAKE MORE MONEY! And yes, authors write to make money, they write for a living. I am talking about the authors who write because they see that there is a section of fiction readers who enjoy, say, vampire novels, so they follow THE SAME FORMULAIC WRITING as big named authors and then slap their name on it, change a few things, and call it good. Stop this. When I read this, I stop and go to the book that was ACTUALLY written well. This can be okay if SOMETHING about it is interesting or unique and the writing is ACTUALLY good.
That is it. Most self-published authors do not write well. I was contacted by a self-published author last week, whose book I will be slowly working towards as I finish off by to be read pile that I have, who has a book that I think I may actually like. Even if I don’t like the plot line, the writing is wonderful!
Self-published authors, stop writing and being okay with filling in space just to fill it! This is in response to a Side Job podcast I was listening to. I sincerely stopped it to write this. Why would a podcast promote this type of writing? This underwhelming and disappointing trend that has been working into more and more of the writing world.
Stop it!
I know it is hard to find a publisher, that it is hard to find an agent, but guess what? KEEP TRYING! Or, maybe take their criticism, or accept that YOU ARE NOT MENT TO WRITE. Not without a lot of help.
It hurts, I know, but maybe this will get you to have someone QUALIFIED proofread your novel before you publish it.
AND NO, SERIALIZING IT DOESN’T HELP BECAUSE FEWER AND FEWER PEOPLE ARE FALLING FOR THAT.
So stop it. Stop it now.
