While the above is for the readers out there, this next bit (also from Frida) is for you writers: How To Get Book Reviewers To Ignore You. I can't believe there is even a necessity for such a post, but apparently many Indie Authors have a problem with following directions and common sense. So go read it and don't let it happen to you! Er, wait... Better go quick before I take the link down - I just realized the more people who eliminate themselves from the writer gene pool means better odds for me ;)
Anyway, check out Frida Fantastic. Even if you are interested in none of the above, she has great in-depth, insightful reviews. She really cares about reading and readers. And probably has too much of a soft spot for Indie Authors. Just remember Lester Bangs' advice from Almost Famous
. And that's my review of the reviewer :)Coming up tomorrow: Another exciting edition of Weird Wednesday.
Thanks for the plug(s) :) I hope my review is informative enough for readers. I'm of the opinion that when reviewers are honest and specific about what they liked and didn't like, readers put more trust in the praise. I also review indie books on the same scale as other speculative fiction I've read, because I think going easier on indies is a disservice to the spirit of the epublishing revolution. Indie books shouldn't get praise because "they're pretty good for an indie book." Indie books should get praise because they are excellent literature, period.
ReplyDeleteBook reviews are a record of subjective reactions to what is essentially art, but I also try to describe to readers what each book is like. Not all speculative fiction books are made for all SF/F readers at all times. There are just some experiences that certain readers will connect with more than others. So far the books I've reviewed range from family-friendly superhero stories, to darker fiction with brutal and (delightfully) disgusting body horror. So I want make sure readers know what they're getting into ;D
Regarding the indie authors who haven't been following directions, I have sympathy for them. The indie e-publishing movement is new, and there aren't any real rules on how to connect with people online. It's all very informal. There's a lot of channels for authors to reach readers, and some of them work better than others. For readers that have specialized book reviewing blogs, they receive more books than they will ever read. There's a some books I've reviewed that weren't formally submitted to me, but they're few and far in between. Reviewers have their own preferred channels of receiving books (written in their submission policies) so they can spend more time reading and less time on sorting messages from disparate places. So I understand where some of these indie authors are coming from, but I really wish they stopped Amazon gift carpet-bombing my email account.